Yulia Mendel, NABU and ‘Mindichgate’: what is the connection, and why is it against the state’s interests?
The renewed focus on the ‘Mindichgate’ scandal, the actions of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the statements made by the President’s former press secretary, Yulia Mendel, are linked to international political developments surrounding the war in Ukraine.
When this whole business with Mindich and Zuckerman began last summer, I said publicly that, unfortunately, the NABU’s aim was not to put the guilty parties behind bars, but to put on a show and strike a personal blow against Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the backing of external players, at a time when our country and our president were being pressured into accepting the Russians’ peace plan.
Almost two weeks ago, new case materials were somehow leaked, presumably from NABU, to journalists at ‘Ukrainska Pravda’ and to Mykhailo Tkach personally. This happened just as dialogue between Trump and Putin was intensifying, as soon as the Russians began pushing their ‘peace initiatives’ again.
Preparations are currently underway for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, where, among other things, the possible contours of an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war will most certainly be determined. The future of our state will depend to a large extent on the answers to a number of these questions. Will Europe be involved in the negotiations? Will Xi Jinping want to act as one of the mediators? Will Trump try to break Ukraine’s back – and that of President Zelenskyy personally – by the autumn, in order to demonstrate at least some kind of victory on the world stage ahead of the mid-term congressional elections?
What is happening now? A synchronised and highly coordinated attack on the President of Ukraine, who is not perfect but is currently the key political guarantor of Ukraine’s statehood. First, the NABU’s ‘fantastic operation’ involving searches and the serving of a notice of suspicion to the former Head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak — for show, so to speak (though I am not Andriy Yermak’s lawyer, and if there are grounds, then there must be accountability), and then the entirely ‘accidental’ verbal diarrhoea of the President’s former press secretary Yulia Mendel, who, in an interview with Putin fan Taker Carlson, forgot all bounds of decency or even minimal dignity and trotted out Kremlin narratives about ‘dictator Zelensky’, ‘Kyiv has abandoned Moscow’, ‘Zelenskyy tricked Putin’ and concluded this whole speech with a phrase beloved not only by Putin but also by President Trump — ‘Zelenskyy is the main guarantee for achieving peace’.
In effect, this ‘star’ went on air and told tens of millions of Americans (Carlson’s show is actually very popular, oddly enough) that Ukraine is to blame for this war, that the ‘bloody dictator’ is Zelenskyy, not Putin, and that only Zelenskyy does not want peace. Similar narratives have been systematically voiced over the past week by the ‘author’ of the second episode of ‘Mindigate’, Mykhailo Tkach, who says he has the impression that all these people do not want the war to end.
I am not calling on anyone to support or oppose anyone. I am not forcing anyone to love President Zelenskyy, or Zaluzhnyy, or any of the Ukrainian politicians. But there is such a thing as the state’s interests and decisions in the state’s interests. It seems that many in Ukrainian political circles and those around them do not appreciate this, or prioritise personal ‘gains’ over common sense and conscience. I have no respect for those who smear their own country and politicians abroad, especially during a war — it is dishonourable.
Why did Yulia Mendel continue to work in the President’s Office until she was dismissed? Why wasn’t she deterred by ‘corruption risks’ or ‘dictator’ Zelenskyy? Why didn’t she take a civic stand and voice all her grievances against the authorities immediately after her dismissal?
I do not believe in so many coincidences — it is impossible. In fact, we see that one of our key allies, through someone in the new White House administration or the President himself, is attempting to crush Ukraine’s resistance and force us to accept peace on Putin’s terms — and that is very frightening. But what is far more frightening is that this is likely being played along with by those who should be aware of all these things and cutting them off — NABU, ‘authoritative’ journalists and people like Mendel. Let’s analyse the situation and draw the appropriate conclusions. After the war, we will be able to elect a new president if we so wish, but destroying Volodymyr Zelenskyy now is tantamount to signing a surrender document to Putin.
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