Former press secretary to the President of Ukraine, Yulia Mendel — who served in the Office of the President from 2019 to 2021 and long remained part of Vladimir Zelenskyy’s inner circle — has published a text that blends elements of a political manifesto, a conspiracy thriller, and an apparent attempt at public self-preservation.

On January 31, 2026, Mendel posted on her Facebook page an entry titled “About Yermak and Magic,” in which she alleges that Andriy Yermak, the former head of the Presidential Office, systematically engaged in occult practices. According to her, he brought in foreign “magicians” and conducted rituals bordering on necromancy.

Timeline of Accusations According to Mendel

• 2019 — Even before Yermak’s official appointment as head of the OP, a journalist attended a briefing at the Presidential Office and directly asked Yermak (then a presidential adviser): “What were you doing at the cemetery with [NAME]?” The question was ignored, and no related material ever surfaced.
• 2020 — One of the Cabinet ministers (name withheld) approached Mendel visibly frightened and informed her that Yermak “was practicing magic.” The minister offered no further details.
• 2023 — A source “from an important service” (likely within the security or law-enforcement apparatus) told Mendel that Yermak had imported magicians from Israel, Georgia, and one Latin American country to perform magical rituals.
• 2024 — A person from the “esoteric sphere” provided specifics: Yermak’s magicians burn unknown herbs, collect “water from corpses” (presumably referring to so-called “dead water” used in necromantic traditions), craft dolls (a clear allusion to voodoo or similar practices), and Yermak allegedly keeps all of it in a “special chest” that already contains “the dead themselves.”

Mendel stresses that she has never practiced magic herself, initially dismissed such stories, but now finds them credible. She also hints that such practices are not exceptional but rather a widespread habit in Ukrainian politics.

Political analyst Ihor Reiterovych, commenting for NV, described the situation as simultaneously “funny and terrifying.” He recalled that turning to fortune-tellers, psychics, and amulets is an old tradition among post-Soviet elites — yet in the context of a full-scale war and intense international scrutiny, it appears catastrophic.

“Occult gimmicks that, for some reason, don’t work against Putin,” Reiterovych quipped, pointing to the obvious ineffectiveness of such “protections” in the real world.

Other commentators (including those in Detector Media and on “Antonina”) bluntly label Mendel’s text “absurd” and “media trash,” noting that she has previously released sensational stories that failed to gain traction.

The Real Danger Lies Not in the Magic Itself, but in the Context

The sharpest question is not whether Yermak actually imported magicians from Latin America and stored dolls in a chest. The most dangerous aspect is who — and why — is now pushing such information into the public domain precisely through Yulia Mendel, or through whoever stands behind her and directs her (and we understand who that is). Yet she seems to realize that such candid revelations will cause European partners — who still stand by her and provide some level of support — to turn away.

• She is not an opposition figure or investigative journalist; she was, for years, a symbol of the “Zelenskyy team.”
• She is publishing this after Yermak has formally left his post (or during a period of his significantly diminished influence).
• She is doing so at a moment when Ukraine desperately needs the trust of Western partners, while the reputation of the Presidential Office is already severely damaged by numerous scandals.

When a former presidential press secretary publicly speaks of necromancy on Bankova Street, it is no mere gossip. It is a signal instantly picked up by monitoring services in Western and European capitals, allied intelligence agencies, and newsrooms at The New York Times, BBC, and Politico. What they see is not “magical rituals,” but a profound elite crisis in which former allies are ready to douse one another with the most outlandish accusations.

Even if the entire text is fabrication or revenge, the reputational damage is already done. Western partners will not bother to investigate whether anyone truly collected corpse water. They see chaos, irrationality, and a complete lack of control in the president’s immediate entourage.

Ukraine — which begs for billions of dollars, F-16s, ATACMS missiles, and long-term security guarantees — is now forced to explain why its former press secretary accuses a key power figure of black magic. This is not funny. It suggests that Ukrainian authorities are under the influence of sorcerers. It is profoundly tragic.

Perhaps Mendel really received “security guarantees” and decided to speak out. Perhaps this is part of a larger internal power struggle. Either way, the price of such “revelations” is paid not in personal reputations, but in trust toward the entire country.

While some burn herbs in chests, others are simply incinerating Ukraine’s international credit of trust.