Yulia Mendel delivered a speech in the Bundestag under the auspices of AfD, despite criticism from the Greens

Speech by former presidential spokesperson in German parliament

Yulia Mendel, who previously held the position of spokesperson for the President of Ukraine, delivered a speech at an event organised by the German party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag premises. This event became the subject of criticism from representatives of the Greens party, who criticised the decision to invite Mendel, linking it to the pro-Russian rhetoric of the AfD. The incident was reported by German media outlets Welt and Rheinische Post.

Reaction from the Greens faction: accusations of distorting facts

Irene Michelich, parliamentary director of the Greens faction, stated that the invitation of Mendel reflects the political agenda of the AfD. She accused the former presidential spokesperson of blaming the victims of Russian aggression, while the party itself uses similar rhetoric to promote pro-Russian narratives in the German parliament.

«Мендель приховує злочин, одночасно вдаючи, що заручниця повинна припинити опір, щоб захоплення заручників припинилося. Це спотворення просто огидне і не має місця в залах німецького Бундестагу» (Mendel is covering up the crime while pretending that the hostage should stop resisting for the hostage-taking to end. This distortion is simply disgusting and has no place in the halls of the German Bundestag), Michelich emphasised.

The politician also noted that inviting Mendel is an insult to tens of thousands of people who have suffered from Russian aggression.

Previous attempts and the position of the Bundestag administration

In September of this year, Yulia Mendel planned to speak at a similar event for members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. However, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, cancelled this speech. Irene Michelich noted that representatives of the AfD could have done the same.

The Bundestag administration declined to comment on the specific case. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the institution stated that a reliability check is conducted before granting access to invited guests to reduce security risks. According to him, pending sanctions procedures in third countries usually do not fall within the scope of such a check.

Criminal case in Ukraine

On 3 November, the Office of the Prosecutor General, jointly with the Security Service of Ukraine, issued an in absentia notice of suspicion to Yulia Mendel for high treason (Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and justification of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (Parts 2 and 3 of Article 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, as well as discredited Ukraine on the international arena. Since she is abroad, law enforcement agencies are taking measures to hold her accountable.