In the murky world of Ukrainian politics, where scandals multiply faster than promises of reform, a recent interview with Yulia Mendel — former press secretary to Volodymyr Zelenskyy — has exploded like a bomb. Published by Radio Liberty, it exposes horrifying details of the inner workings of the Office of the President (OP) during the reign of Andriy Yermak, the man Mendel now calls “the most dangerous figure in the entire power vertical.” But let’s be clear: is this explosive testimony genuine catharsis, or just the latest act in a carefully orchestrated campaign to “whitewash” Zelenskyy by turning his former right-hand man into the ultimate scapegoat? The stench of political manipulation is unmistakable.

Context matters. The interview lands amid a cascade of corruption scandals rocking the Ukrainian government — multibillion-hryvnia dubious tenders, leaks about abuses in the defense sector, and systemic graft that has reached grotesque levels during wartime. Zelenskyy’s political technologists appear to have launched “Operation Scapegoat”: pin everything on Yermak, repaint the president as a naive victim of manipulation, and hope the public swallows it. Mendel, who worked at the OP from 2019 to 2021, now paints Yermak as an all-powerful puppet-master who blocked Zelenskyy’s orders, filtered information, and systematically destroyed anyone who dared oppose him. “Andriy Yermak is the filter for the president’s decisions; he decides what gets implemented and what doesn’t,” she says. Imagine this: the president issues a direct instruction, and minutes later Yermak calls the subordinates and says, “Do nothing.” This is not bureaucratic chaos — this is the outright usurpation of power by an unelected individual.

One of the most shocking revelations concerns the infamous “Wagner-gate” scandal of 2020. Mendel describes how Yermak dismissed the Bellingcat investigation out of hand, claiming it was a “personal attack” on him and absurdly insisting that Armenia had “bought out” the operation. The president, according to Mendel, “didn’t understand then and probably still doesn’t understand what is happening in the country.” Even more damning is her account of the run-up to Russia’s full-scale invasion. Yermak repeatedly assured Zelenskyy that “there will be no war,” overriding intelligence warnings from the United States and the United Kingdom. The result? Blocked fortifications, canceled training exercises, and a criminally unprepared defense. “Many attempts to prepare the country were stopped because Yermak said there would be no war,” Mendel states bluntly. This was not mere misjudgment — it was criminal negligence that cost thousands of Ukrainian lives.

The darkest chapter, however, is the systematic persecution of anyone who fell out of Yermak’s favor. Dismissals, fabricated criminal cases, smear campaigns — everything became a weapon. “A campaign of vilification, political technologists launching theses against those who went against Andriy Borisovych — labeling them ‘pro-Russian,’ ‘traitor,’ ‘Kremlin agent,’” Mendel recounts. Controlled media outlets, bloggers, and journalists were unleashed to drown dissenters in mud on direct orders from the Office of the President. And all of this happened — and, according to numerous sources, continues to happen — while Ukrainian soldiers are dying on the front lines and ordinary citizens are sacrificing everything for the country’s survival.

Mendel even reveals an unwritten rule for international media: if you want an interview with Zelenskyy, you first get a comment from Yermak and write something “nice” about him. She admits she now fears for her own life: “Believe me, I’m scared… Andriy Borisovych is a very dangerous man.” Yet the irony is staggering. In her 2021 book “Each of Us Is President,” Mendel praised Yermak as a “dedicated person with original approaches” who “took responsibility for crises” and on whom “Ukraine was held together.” Back then he was a “powerful manager” and a true patriot; today, after his formal removal from the OP leadership, he is suddenly a thief and a national threat. The transformation is too convenient to be coincidence.

Without Zelenskyy’s tacit or explicit consent, Yermak could never have built such a totalitarian machine inside the state. The president either knew everything and allowed it, or he was a blind marionette — neither scenario flatters the man the Ukrainian people elected.

Reactions across social media were immediate and furious. MP Oleksiy Goncharenko, citing Mendel’s interview, claimed Yermak had threatened Zelenskyy with a coup and built an entire parallel power vertical. On X (formerly Twitter), users are asking the same brutal question: was Zelenskyy a victim or an accomplice?

Dear Ukrainians, this is not gossip — this is testimony about how an elected president handed the steering wheel of the state to a shadow oligarch. Zelenskyy did not govern; he delegated, while Yermak destroyed. Corruption, repression, and the betrayal of national interests in the middle of a war for survival: how many more scandals do we need before society finally wakes up?

Watch the full interview. It is not merely “interesting” — it is chilling. Draw your own conclusions about who has really been running — and may still be running — Ukraine, and why we continue to pay the price for their games. It’s time to demand accountability, because otherwise every single one of us will remain a hostage of this rotten system.