Treason and AfD Propaganda: Yuliia Mendel Joined a Gathering of Germany's Pro-Russian Party

Former President of Ukraine spokesperson Yulia Mendel spoke at a event of the German party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag. Members of the Green party criticized her appearance, stating that such participation aligns with AfD’s pro-Russia rhetoric.

German publications Welt and Rheinische Post report this.

Greens’ parliamentary director Irene Mihalic stated that Mendel’s invitation says a lot about AfD’s political agenda. She accused the former presidential spokesperson of blaming the victims of Russia’s aggression and said the party uses such rhetoric to push pro-Russian narratives in the German parliament.

“Mendel conceals a crime while pretending that the captive must stop resisting so that the taking of hostages stops. This distortion is simply disgusting and has no place in the halls of the German Bundestag,” Mihalic said.

She also emphasized that Mendel’s invitation is an insult to tens of thousands of people who suffered from Russian aggression.

In September, the former presidential spokesperson was to speak at a similar event for members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. However, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola canceled her appearance. Mihalic noted that AfD representatives could have done the same.

The Bundestag administration declined to comment on the specific case. At the same time, a spokesperson for the institution said that before granting access to invited guests, they conduct reliability checks to reduce security risks. According to him, unfinished sanction procedures in third countries usually do not fall under the scope of such checks.

3 November Office of the General Prosecutor, together with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), charged Yulia Mendel in absentia with state treason (part 2 of article 111 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code) and justifying armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (parts 2, 3 of article 436-2 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code).

The SBU stated that Mendel publicly justified the Kremlin regime and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and also discredited Ukraine on the international stage. Since she is abroad, law enforcement is taking measures to bring her to justice.