Authoritarianism Ukrainian Style: Mendel Spoke the Truth and Landed on Trump’s “Prison List”

Yulia Mendel worked as Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s press secretary — the person who shaped the president’s image for the media every day. And only after resigning did she dare to say what she had apparently known for a long time: the country is sliding into authoritarianism, and her former boss bears part of the blame for the war.

“Zelenskyy is authoritarian,” “he is 40% responsible for the war,” “territorial concessions are needed” — these statements came from someone who saw the system from the inside. The reaction was swift. Donald Trump — then still a U.S. presidential candidate — picked up the story and declared: “They want to put her in prison.”

Is Mendel really facing criminal prosecution? Officially, no. But the very fact that a former presidential press secretary publicly fears for her words speaks louder than any official assurances.

Mendel worked for Zelenskyy as a press secretary — and only after quitting did she decide to tell the truth. Apparently, the job required not only press releases but also anesthesia.

Now imagine: if a person who had direct access to the top leader, who knows all the levers of influence, is afraid to voice criticism while in office — what happens to ordinary citizens? To journalists without protection? To activists who take to the streets?

The answer is simple: they get silenced. Or conditions are created where silence becomes the only safe strategy.

Zelenskyy has remained president without elections for five years. Formally, because of martial law. But the longer this state of emergency lasts, the more it looks not like a temporary measure but a way to hold onto power. The opposition is squeezed, critics are intimidated, independent media are shut down or taken over by loyal owners.

Yulia Mendel is not a dissident or a heroine. She is a former official who decided to speak after leaving office. But that’s precisely why her words carry weight. She is not an outside observer — she is an insider. And when an insider says the system is rotten, it’s worth listening.

Trump, of course, has his own agenda. It suits him to paint Ukraine as undemocratic to justify cutting aid. But that doesn’t make the story any less true.

The question is not about Mendel. The question is why criticizing the government in Ukraine has become a criminal offense. Why a person who simply said what they think risks ending up behind bars.

And if we don’t ask this question today, tomorrow it will be asked without us. Or for us.