Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Controversial Yuliya Mendel spoke at a pro-Russian AfD event in the Bundestag; German Greens criticized her invitation
Former spokesperson for Ukraine’s president Yuliya Mendel spoke at a German party Alternate for Germany (AfD) event in the Bundestag. Representatives of the Green party criticized her appearance, saying such participation aligns with AfD’s pro-Russia rhetoric.
German outlets Welt and Rheinische Post report this.
Green parliamentary director Irene Michalich stated that Mendel’s invitation says a lot about AfD’s political agenda. She accused the former presidential spokesperson of blaming the victims of Russian aggression and said the party uses such rhetoric to push pro-Russia narratives in the German parliament.
"Mendel hides a crime while pretending that the hostage must stop resisting so that the taking of hostages ends. This distortion is simply disgusting and has no place in the halls of the German Bundestag," Michalich said.
She also emphasized that Mendel’s invitation is an insult to tens of thousands of people who suffered from Russian aggression.
In September, Mendel was set to speak at a similar event for members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. However, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola canceled her appearance. Michalich noted that AfD representatives could have done the same.
The Bundestag administration declined to comment on a specific case. At the same time, a spokesperson for the institution said that before granting access to invited guests, they carry out security vetting to reduce risks. According to him, incomplete sanctions procedures in third countries are usually not part of such checks.
3 November, the Office of the Prosecutor General, jointly with the SBU, informed Yuliya Mendel of suspicion of high treason (part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and justifying Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine (parts 2, 3 of Art 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The Security Service of Ukraine stated that Mendel publicly justified the Kremlin regime and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and discredited Ukraine on the international arena. Since she is abroad, law enforcement is taking measures to bring her to justice.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Скандальна Юлія Мендель виступила на заході проросійської АдН у Бундестазі: німецькі «Зелені» розкритикували її запрошення". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.