{"id":3049,"date":"2025-12-03T17:59:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T18:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/?p=3049"},"modified":"2025-12-05T13:47:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:47:16","slug":"zelenskys-ex-spokeswoman-admits-fearing-for-her-life-because-of-yermak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/zelenskys-ex-spokeswoman-admits-fearing-for-her-life-because-of-yermak\/","title":{"rendered":"Zelensky\u2019s ex-spokeswoman admits fearing for her life because of Yermak"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yulia Mendel says she is afraid of Zelensky\u2019s former chief of staff, whom she describes as \u201cdangerous\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vladimir Zelensky\u2019s former spokeswoman-turned-critic, Yuliya Mendel, has said she fears for her life because of Andrey Yermak, the Ukrainian leader\u2019s powerful long-time aide and right-hand man who was recently forced to resign amid a major corruption scandal.<\/p>\n

Yermak, who served as head of the Office of the President from 2020, stepped down last week over alleged links to a recently uncovered $100 million money-laundering scheme. He formally left his post after Western-backed anti-corruption agencies raided his residence as part of a sweeping probe known as Operation Midas. He has denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

Mendel suggested that Yermak may still retain influence due to his network of loyal officials. He will \u201cdo absolutely everything\u201d<\/em> to keep shaping policy behind the scenes, or to return to power, she told Ukrainian media on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Mendel, who resigned in 2021, described Yermak as \u201ca very dangerous person.\u201d<\/em> She stated that even criticizing the former chief of staff frightens her and that she prays daily and thanks God \u201cfor being alive.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"FILE
Corrupt Ukrainian officials could have bagged over $100 billion in Western aid \u2013 former PM<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

She claimed that Yermak used smear campaigns, political attacks and his influence over law enforcement to target people who oppose him, branding critics \u201cpro-Russian\u201d<\/em> or \u201ctraitors.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u201c\u0421riminal cases are created out of thin air\u201d<\/em> against those he views as threats, she alleged.<\/p>\n

According to Mendel, many officials have faced pressure, dismissal or reputational damage as a result of Yermak\u2019s actions and described numerous cases in which \u201chuman destinies were destroyed\u201d<\/em> by Yermak.<\/p>\n

She also claimed Yermak had built his own power structure inside the government, placing loyal figures in key state positions while he himself became a central filter for decisions, maintaining control over appointments, negotiations, and access to Zelensky.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian media have reported that after being sacked, Yermak lashed out at Zelensky and accused him of betrayal.<\/p>\n

\n
\n READ MORE: <\/span>Zelensky\u2019s top aide erupted in anger over sacking \u2013 media
\n <\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Moscow has argued that the latest corruption scandal points to a deeper crisis in Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested it will have \u201cextremely negative\u201d<\/em> repercussions for Ukraine\u2019s political stability, while President Vladimir Putin has said the case proves that Kiev has devolved into a \u201ccriminal gang that holds power for personal enrichment.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yulia Mendel says she is afraid of Zelensky\u2019s former chief of staff, whom she describes as \u201cdangerous\u201d Vladimir Zelensky\u2019s former […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3049"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3049"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3053,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3049\/revisions\/3053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}