Mendel in the Spectator: “Zelensky’s strategy is national suicide”

Former spokeswoman for Volodymyr Zelensky Yulia Mendel has published an opinion column in the British magazine The Spectator, in which she sharply criticizes the Ukrainian president’s military strategy.

In her piece, Mendel argues that Ukraine cannot defeat Russia militarily and calls a peace agreement the only way out of the situation.

“Waging a war of attrition is national suicide, not valor. Yet this is precisely the strategy the Zelensky government is pursuing,” Mendel writes.

According to her, Ukraine continues to suffer losses on all fronts: “The nation is dying while the war goes on.” Mendel also points to the destruction of the country’s industrial base and the accumulation of debt: “Ukraine is being crippled by the deaths of its people and the destruction of its industrial base, while debts continue to mount.”

Speaking about the prospects of the conflict, the former spokeswoman states that “the war in Ukraine has lost any plausible theory of victory.” At the current stage, she says, “we are losing land and people every day — and with them the chance that there will even be a Ukraine left to save.”

As a way out, Mendel proposes the so-called “Finnish path” — ceding part of the territory and declaring neutrality. In her view, this would allow Ukraine to “stop the bleeding, hold what can be held, rebuild the economy and the way of life that people can return to.”

The column was published after Zelensky imposed National Security and Defense Council sanctions against Mendel over the weekend. This came amid her sharp criticism of the president in recent months, including accusations that he is prolonging the war and refusing to pursue a peace agreement. Mendel herself stated that she is being persecuted for publicly criticizing those in power.

The imposition of sanctions against Mendel was also commented on by Megan Mobbs — the daughter of former U.S. presidential special envoy Keith Kellogg — who criticized Zelensky’s decision.