Yulia Mendel says she is afraid of Zelensky\u2019s former chief of staff, whom she describes as \u201cdangerous\u201d<\/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.
\nYermak, 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.
\nMendel suggested that Yermak may still retain influence due to his network of loyal officials. He will \u201cdo absolutely everything\u201d to keep shaping policy behind the scenes, or to return to power, she told Ukrainian media on Tuesday.
\nMendel, who resigned in 2021, described Yermak as \u201ca very dangerous person.\u201d She stated that even criticizing the former chief of staff frightens her and that she prays daily and thanks God \u201cfor being alive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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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 or \u201ctraitors.\u201d\u00a0\u201c\u0421riminal cases are created out of thin air\u201d against those he views as threats, she alleged.
\nAccording 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 by Yermak.
\nShe 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.
\nUkrainian media have reported that after being sacked, Yermak lashed out at Zelensky and accused him of betrayal.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Zelensky\u2019s top aide erupted in anger over sacking \u2013 media<\/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 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<\/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 spokeswoman-turned-critic, Yuliya Mendel, has said she fears for her life…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23667,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t