Thread by @EiWasDann

1/ I know, I will regret this. But some things have to be said and need to get off my chest. So bear with me.

I had this post sitting in my drafts for quite some time. This morning Shaun triggered me to publish it, even when may be some things may boutdated meanwhile. I haven´t checked for that RN, to be honest.

2/ I feel this needs a little disclaimer regarding the expected heat I inevitable will receive out of the likeminded bubble, which appears to more as a cult.

First things first: folks, please do me a favor and redirect that heat at Shaun's linked post since this is where this discussion belongs to - carrying the fight over to where it started.
And he´s combat hardend. I´m not.

3/ Secondly: I´m posting this draft here, on my profile, as I assume it won´t live in her thread for very long.

So, without further ado - please, take a seat, grab a coffee and a cigarette and lets roll. I´ve got a few things to say. ⤵️

4/ 🧵Who exactly is @IuliiaMendel - and why has she been pushing narratives for years that fit right into the mold of Russian disinformation?

A quick recap: Iuliia Mendel served as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s official press secretary from June 2019 to July 2021. She won the job in an open competition with 4,000 applicants - a process that was unusually transparent.

5/ During her tenure, however, she faced fierce criticism from Ukrainian journalists: she was accused of physically obstructing journalists to prevent them from asking the president questions, confusing countries, and having conflicts of interest. Nevertheless, she remained in office for a long time. Then, in April 2021, she resigned - for the third time. Officially "voluntarily", to write a book: "The Fight of Our Lives".

6/ The Presidential Office let her go without making much of an effort to keep her. The book was published in 2022 and was still relatively sympathetic toward Zelenskyy - an insider's account of how he went from comedian to war leader. But starting in 2024/2025, the tide turned completely.

7/ Mendel suddenly positioned herself as a sharp critic of the president and the entire system. Since, she posts daily on her 150k+ followers premium account) and on her also paid Substack "Iuliia’s Substack" with over 1,000 paying subscribers.

She claims that Zelenskyy is lying about successes on the front lines while Russian troops advance.

She attacks anti-corruption institutions and accuses the president and his inner circle of targeting these institutions "because of the family".

8/ She constantly calls for "peace", "ceasefire", and "negotiations" - and suggests that every additional day of war only costs "more Ukrainian blood" and that "the West has failed".

She writes sentences like: "Zelenskyy is only benefiting from the continuation of this war by trying to get as much money as possible from the victimization of the country".

9/ That no longer sounds like critical insider analysis. That sounds like deliberate destabilization. The monetary aspect - war profiteering light: her X account is highly monetized. Easy mone.. *cough*.. sorry, math: Premium + reach = ad revenue.

Her Substack sells "exclusive insights" and "weekly updates". But the book was the entry point. Every dramatic post featuring, "civilian casualties", "corruption scandals", or "Ukraine needs peace NOW" generates clicks, likes, reposts, and - above all - paying subscribers.

10/ Clickbait in its purest form, packaged as an "insider exposé". She benefits directly from the war continuing while simultaneously shifting public sentiment in Ukraine and the West against continuing the defense.

This is no longer journalism. It’s a business model: war commentary as a content farm. Toxic, because it serves precisely the narratives Moscow has been pushing for years - only with the seal of approval "former presidential spokesperson".

The motivation? Let's see.

11/ Even while she was in office, Mendel was dissatisfied with her role. She wanted to leave on several occasions. Personal frustration? Career planning? The book was her first step away from the seat of power. Afterward, she reinvented herself as an "independent voice" - and discovered that criticism of the "Zelenskyy regime" and calls for peace go down extremely well in certain circles (right-wing conservative, isolationist, partly pro-Russian).

12/ Whether consciously or not: her posts undermine Ukrainian morale, are sowing doubt about the leadership, and make negotiations on Russian terms socially acceptable. At the same time, she profits from it.

This is not a "courageous insider" speaking the truth. This is a former spokesperson who is now using the trust she once enjoyed against the country and the president - for reach, subscriptions, and her own image as "the one who sees through it all".

13/ Ukraine is fighting for its very existence. People are dying. And meanwhile, someone is building a career on X and Substack as a "peace angel with insider knowledge" - using exactly the narratives Putin loves to hear.

Anyone who supports or shares her posts should ask themselves: cui bono? Who really benefits from this?

#Ukraine #Disinformation #WarProfiteering

@threadreaderapp unroll, please.