Zelensky signs sanctions against former press secretary Mendel and Russian propagandists

Why it matters

The sanctions target a former senior insider of the President's Office who has publicly aligned herself with Russian narratives in foreign media, and are the only case in this decree in which a Ukrainian citizen is sanctioned alongside Russian propagandists. Bundled with measures against Rostec-linked entities and the Russian shadow fleet, the package illustrates how Kyiv is folding personal designations against information-warfare actors into its broader sanctions architecture. The action also signals the government's framing of certain public criticism of leadership as part of Russian information operations.

What happened

On 13 September 2026 President Volodymyr Zelensky signed three decrees putting into effect decisions of the National Security and Defense Council. Decree No. 901/2026 enacted personal sanctions against a list of 10 individuals, of which Yulia Mendel — Zelensky's former press secretary — is the only Ukrainian citizen; the other nine are Russian citizens described as propagandists. The measures against Mendel include asset blocking, a ban on trade operations, prevention of capital withdrawal, an entry ban to Ukraine, a separate restriction on access from Ukraine to her Instagram, X and Facebook accounts, and revocation of state awards; some restrictions are indefinite and others run for 10 years. The package was proposed by the Security Service of Ukraine.

On the same day, decree No. 899/2026 enacted sanctions against 29 Russian citizens and 29 Russian-registered entities linked to the state corporation Rostec, which the presidential sanctions adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk said supplies up to 80% of the armaments and military equipment Russia uses in its war against Ukraine. Named entities include 'Interprofavia,' 'Kalashnikov-GSN,' 'Triada-Tactics, Competences, Equipment,' and 'Shvabe-Media.' Decree No. 900/2026 imposed 10-year sanctions against 20 maritime vessels identified as part of the Russian shadow fleet, sailing under the flags of Liberia, Palau, Sierra Leone, Barbados and the Marshall Islands, and used to export oil, petroleum products and liquefied gas to India, Egypt and Turkey.

Ukraine said it would share the gathered information with international partners for synchronization of sanctions in foreign jurisdictions. Mendel, sanctioned under decree No. 901/2026, is identified as Yulia Volodymyrivna Mendel, born 3 September 1986, a Ukrainian citizen. She served as presidential press secretary from 3 June 2019 until 9 July 2021.

The move follows a May 2026 interview Mendel gave to American podcaster Tucker Carlson, in which she claimed Zelensky was allegedly ready in 2022 to hand over Donbas to Russia to end the war, accused him of money laundering and of using drugs in clubs, and called former head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak 'the most dangerous person in power.' Zelensky later called Carlson and Mendel 'crazy people.' The Office of the President and communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said Mendel was not involved in negotiations or decision-making and dismissed her claims as unserious; the Center for Countering Disinformation said the interview's theses aligned with key Russian propaganda narratives and that the content attracted more than 3.2 million views. Mendel responded on Facebook that the sanctions were unconstitutional, that she had anticipated them and a possible state treason charge over the Carlson interview, and noted she was scheduled to speak on 16 September at a European Parliament event in Strasbourg organized by Germany's far-right AfD party.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian outlets frame the 13 September package as a single coordinated action: personal sanctions against Mendel and nine Russian propagandists, alongside the Rostec and shadow-fleet decrees, rather than as an isolated case against a single former official. Coverage gives substantial space to the Rostec-linked companies and the 20 shadow-fleet tankers, presenting Mendel as one node in a wider Russian disinformation network. Official voices — the Office of the President, the Center for Countering Disinformation and presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn — are quoted emphasizing that Mendel was not involved in negotiations or decision-making and that her claims align with Russian propaganda. Several outlets also foreground her planned 16 September appearance at an AfD-organized European Parliament discussion in Strasbourg as context for the timing of the sanctions.

How international sources describe it

International coverage in the supplied metadata is limited to a single Azerbaijani English-language agency wire, which frames the story narrowly as 'Zelensky sanctions former press secretary Mendel' without significant detail on the broader Rostec and shadow-fleet measures, the content of the Carlson interview, or the propaganda framing emphasized by Ukrainian sources. No other international-language sources are present in the supplied metadata, limiting the basis for a broader comparison of international framings.

Where reporting differs

Sources differ on the date Yulia Mendel left the post of presidential press secretary: one source says she served until 9 July 2021, while another says she left around 30 April 2021 and notes that some sources still cite July 2021.

Background

Yulia Mendel served as Zelensky's press secretary from 3 June 2019 until 9 July 2021. Before that she had worked at several Ukrainian television channels and collaborated with international outlets including The New York Times and Politico. In May 2026 she gave an interview to U.S. podcaster Tucker Carlson in which she claimed Zelensky was prepared to hand over Donbas to Russia in 2022, accused him of money laundering and of using drugs, and called former head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak 'the most dangerous person in power.' Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said the interview's theses aligned with key Russian propaganda narratives. In August 2026 Mendel gave an interview to the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche in which she called Zelensky 'the main beneficiary of the war,' accused him of authoritarianism, and criticized Ukraine's mobilization process.