Diana Malik
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Zelensky imposes sanctions on former press secretary Yulia Mendel over alleged Russian propaganda
President Volodymyr Zelensky on 13 September 2026 enacted National Security and Defense Council sanctions against his former press secretary Yulia Mendel, the only Ukrainian citizen in a list of ten individuals accused of spreading disinformation and Russian propaganda. The same day, Zelensky signed two further decrees sanctioning 29 Russian citizens and 29 entities linked to the state corporation Rostec, and 20 vessels of the Russian shadow fleet. Mendel had given a May 2026 interview to American podcaster Tucker Carlson in which she alleged Zelensky was willing to cede Donbas and accused him of money laundering and drug use; Ukraine's Office of the President dismissed her claims as unserious.