Yulia Mendel has no idea what a minute's silence is (VIDEO)
Yulia Mendel spoke about this in an interview with Tucker Carlson.
Yulia Mendel, former press secretary to the President of Ukraine, gave an interview to American presenter Tucker Carlson.
During the conversation, she stated that “strange rules” are in place in Ukraine. As an example, Mendel cited the daily tribute at 9:00 am, but described it as a requirement for cars to stop on the roads to listen to the national anthem.
“There are strange rules. For example, there is this very strange rule that all, absolutely all cars must stop on the roads at 9 am to listen to the national anthem,” said Mendel.
She also added that if a person is driving along the road and the Ukrainian national anthem plays at 9:00 am, they “must stop”.
Mendel then claimed that a “real revolution” had begun on Ukrainian Instagram, and said she wanted to talk about two trends which, she claimed, were intended to show that “Ukrainians are suffering under Zelenskyy’s rule”.
What the minute’s silence actually means
In Ukraine, a nationwide minute’s silence is observed every day at 9:00 am.
This is not “listening to the national anthem” nor a political ritual, but a tribute to the memory of the military, civilians, children and all those who have died as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In March 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law No. 4783-IX on the nationwide minute’s silence at 9:00 am. The document reinforces state policy on national remembrance and introduces mechanisms to honour citizens who have lost their lives as a result of the war.
The law refers to honouring compatriots who died as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine. The minute’s silence is to be announced via the media, public address systems and civil defence information networks.
Why Mendel’s words caused a stir
Mendel’s statement came across as an attempt to present the minute’s silence not as a ritual of remembrance, but as a “strange rule” that supposedly demonstrates the “suffering of Ukrainians” under Zelenskyy’s government.
This is precisely what caused outrage: the former presidential press secretary effectively confused or distorted the meaning of the daily commemoration of the fallen.
The minute’s silence in Ukraine was introduced to commemorate those whose lives were taken by Russia. This is not a story about being forced to listen to the national anthem, but about the daily commemoration of those who died in the war.
Follow us on Telegram
