Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has accused former presidential press secretary Yulia Mendel of treason, alleging that she carried out information and sabotage activities against the country and justified Russia’s war of aggression.
The SBU said Mendel was damaging Ukraine’s international reputation and defending the Kremlin regime and its military campaign. The allegations were based partly on an interview she gave to US blogger Tucker Carlson, during which she reportedly said that Ukraine was “on the verge of disappearing” and that her nation was being degraded. Ukrainian prosecutors also cited her alleged comparisons between restrictions in present-day Ukraine and those imposed during the Soviet Union.
Mendel rejected the accusations in a statement on Facebook, claiming they were linked to her public comments about corruption within Zelenskyy’s circle, restrictions on freedom of expression and political persecution. She argued that subsequent developments had proved her criticism of the authorities correct and accused the government of limiting freedom of speech.
Mendel, who lives abroad, faces a possible life sentence in Ukraine under the country’s current martial law, according to the report.
The accusations come as the war continues to produce civilian casualties and intensify diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire. In southern Ukraine, the death toll from a Russian attack on a humanitarian aid distribution centre in the Zaporizhzhia region rose to 31, local authorities said.
The attack took place at a school in the village of Komyshuvakha, where humanitarian assistance is regularly distributed. More than 45 people remained missing as rescue workers and volunteers searched through the rubble for survivors. The previous reported death toll had been 26.
Mykhailo Semikin, acting head of the regional military administration, described the incident as one of the region’s worst tragedies since Russia launched its full-scale war. He said the scale of the destruction and loss of civilian life was appalling. The report said Russian bombs containing nearly 1.5 tonnes of explosives each had been used in the attack.
Separately, the management of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant reported that a Ukrainian drone strike had killed two people travelling in a car, including a female employee of the facility. The plant’s management did not disclose where the incident occurred, and Ukraine had not commented on the report.
Russian forces seized the nuclear power plant at the beginning of the war.
Diplomatic discussions are also expected to continue, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling for European participation in planned talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States. Speaking during Zelenskyy’s visit to Berlin, Merz said key elements of a peaceful settlement could only be resolved with European involvement.
The appeal comes ahead of planned Ukrainian-Russian negotiations in Abu Dhabi next week, mediated by the United States. Russia has indicated that it wants discussions to include a new European security order after the war.
US First Lady Melania Trump has also announced plans to meet Russian and Ukrainian representatives at the White House. A government statement described the proposed meeting as an “extraordinary moment in American history”, but did not disclose its date or participants.
