Iuliia Mendel, former press secretary to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks with Rosemary Barton Live about the shift in momentum in the war as Ukraine retakes part of its territory from Russian occupation. She also offers her thoughts on why Zelenskyy has emerged as the key leader in Europe.

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

In Depth: How Zelenskyy is winning the 'perception war'

Funnel cake, almost seven months into Russia's war on Ukraine and momentum is shifting on the ground successful counteroffensive in the East have forced Russian troops to retreat. Allow Ukraine to regain occupied territory and well, the Kremlin remains defiant, there are signs inside. Russia of growing up is addition to the war-cry Emoji. Middle school earlier this week President, Vladimir zelensky visited recaptured Town sending a strong message to Vladimir Putin. well, because it's our land and it's our people Yulia Mendel worked closely with elensky before Russia's full scale Invasion. She served as his press secretary and spokesperson from 2019 to 2021 for first book. The fight of Our Lives was published this week. I spoke to her before I left for London. Yulia Mendel, thank you for joining us. Appreciate it. Well, thank you for having me. It's my pleasure, we will talk about your book of course but I want to start with sort of where we are in the conflict if we can what seems to be. Or it seems to look like a shift in momentum in the war at particularly Ukraine's counter-offensive. They they've managed the country's managed to retake part of that occupied territory and I wonder what what you think of that recent success. What it tells you Well Rosemarie, of course for Ukrainian seats already celebration because we show to the world and we prove to ourselves that we can keep the Russians out of our country. But at the same time, we all understand that the war is not over, because there are a lot of Russians, are everywhere in the east, in the south of the country. And they keep on doing that are awful. Things are the process of occupation. We saying that I showed you our partners that we are quite dirty minds and that our army, and our government will be working and we'll be fighting to the very edge for our freedom, and our democracy. And this is already a call for international Partners to stay. United them to stay strong around, your praise to the very end. Let me ask about about strength because president zelensky visited one of those recaptured City this weekend, is someone who worked so closely with him. I wonder how you think he is holding up after Conflict that has gone on longer, certainly than most people suspected. It would let you know that he is just an ordinary person. And probably, that's what makes him a leader and that would help him with the contras. The war war is not the condition that did, you know, it's probably. Where is the condition that defines a person? At the same time, I can share that in my book. I explain the situations that will blow them out of the last date was a priority to go to Don Bosco the region in his face and your gray in the trash invited back in 2014. And she never was afraid to go to the front lines or even to the zones of traveling to stay with the soldiers to handshake with the soldiers. It was so important for him to show that they are leader is with them. So I knew that you would stay with his people and in the country when Russian spy protein to keep. And when the Drive to personal life, but when you talk about what kind of leader he is, he is, of course, word of that the symbol of in many ways, democracy, in, in Ukraine, and the future of what democracy might be. You, you write in the book about him in the chaos of War. He knew exactly what to do. He became our national protector. Do you think that is surprising for ukrainians and for others to see someone who was an actor or comedian become someone who was took so naturally or seems to have taken? So naturally to this role of protector, I know it's all. That was such a major wrong way, but probably you are, right? That's actually what he's done and what was my fault for him? I know that he has be in there had been underestimated before before at least his new role, a lot. Probably because of his background in entertainment business and that he was very famous. As a comedian at the same time, people, rarely pay attention to the fact that he is a lawyer by degree and that she has been one of the biggest businesses in the country and that was built by meritocracy, actually by his balance and got in early to sell dance. He actually cut off his private contacts with Russia, and already stood up for his own team, and decided to build a business in Purcell that you pray. So I think that's was actually the spear where he also saved himself as a professional and what I noticed. And what I described in my boat is he that he is the kind of person. That the more you press him, the more, he resists, what, what are the things you talked about? And it's because of your position is about Russian disinformation. And Ukraine has actually done a remarkable job pushing back on Russian disinformation, but if someone's whose job it was to try and communicate the facts and the truth. What was that? Like and how did it affect you personally, because you ride in the book, it at about how it did. And I'd love for you to share that. Well, he's the golden champion of lies and propaganda and its negative practices through television. But also through internet trying to make impacted the society is trying to play with the fears with the emotions, trying to undermine people and to divide societies person when I experienced bad being at a secretary to the president, because I was traveling on the attic in many ways. From Russia or like from some opposition and be frank the ways and now that you exist online and often I do not recognize that that's how they fully change the personality. But they were attacking me, not to not to attack me as a secretary secretary, they were attacking every member of the Landscapes team trying to undermine the president and the first couple of your prayers. And in this way to undermine the image of your praying, of course. Well your book is of course I think you're more broadly about the Battle for democracy and in that you write as well, we thought naively that once we achieve democracy, it would just have its own momentum. We were wrong. It's a very powerful statement because it does show that that is not something that you can just have and then hope you to hold on to. What do you think is the future for democracy in Ukraine? What kind of work has to be done to for it to? Oh, and evolve Yulia? Well, I think that's where he's at. The rise of Technologies. Democracy is all around the world started being undermined by, also lies, and by information attacks, because the information was a weaponized by many countries that are led by dictators, that information is actually used to to the attic. Right? So what I'm trying to focus on the, in the bulk of the fight of Our Lives. That democracy is not given by the default democracy, something that we need to learn, and that we need to continue strengthening during our lives and that actually democracy in the goats So many actors at it, who will respect at all that at sea or something and will stands for each dual. Their last. It's not something that he's just Enchiladas and, you know, we can enjoy, we must stand Farid. And that's why when I'm talking about the title, that will decide of Our Lives. I mean, a lot of fights about lies the fight against corruption the fight against all the guards, the fight against this information or are you hopeful for, for Ukraine, for the future of Ukraine. Ukraine is the biggest Eritrea freedom on the biggest democracy in post-soviet region. And that's actually why we are fighting. And that's why Russians were so surprised because they saw that ukrainians, I just like others that, you know, we will dance, we will stay, you don't victimized. But ukrainians are not victims. Definitely, we are Target's for Russians but we are Fighters and that's what we are showing right now on the battlefield. Thank you so much for your time Rosemarie. It was my honest. Thank you a lot.

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Ukraine Invasion