Zelensky’s Press Secretary Reveals All: Cocaine, Cover-ups, and the Only Obstacle Preventing Peace

32:49I don't name the people, okay? But he had good connections with the United States, and that's why Zelensky appreciated him. And there was this absolutely ridiculous story that, you know, Ukrainian ministries get very low salaries, like$12 ,000 per year. Yeah. That's why there is corruption there, right? Yes. And he said, look, I don't need much, but I will need like$5 ,000 per month, so$60 ,000 per year. Yep. Like, you know, really didn't want much, but that would guarantee that he did not make corruption. Zelensky, of course, promised him in his first interview and obviously did not do anything for that.

33:30So the minister just started writing himself premium bonuses. And opposition was attacking him like, oh, my God,$5 ,000 per month for the minister. That was such a scandal. You know, Zelensky obviously didn't like that. so when the first government was dismissed this guy was invited and Zelensky said look I like how you work you have good relations with the west maybe you want to continue in the other government but you cannot have five thousand dollars of official salary because it causes so much scandal and when the guy entered the room there was president Zelensky here Mr. Yermak here and another person whom I know here and there was a bag of dollars on their table and the guy said I can't give you$5 ,000 of official salary, but I will be giving you$5 ,000 of money every month.

34:20So you can get your salary, but it's not going to be official, okay? Which means if Zelensky knows it, it's not corruption. Of course. You see? Does he take, do you think Zelensky and his family have gotten rich since the war began? They have always been rich. He's playing this poor guy in this cheap sweater. he is rich obviously um look i don't know where the money goes but i was meeting one veteran of politics who has known zelensky for dozens of years and the first thing he asks me where is the money what he's like i know zelensky for many years he has never lifted a finger for free he would never do anything for free so you know i'm not a law enforcement it's something for the law enforcement to prove.

35:09But I've just told you already two stories, right? There was another story from another minister who just called us recently. And he said, when he was on the position, those very close people to Zelensky were actually taking percentage from some governmental programs. I mean, illegal percentage. And he told Zelensky that they are taking really too much already like really they're insisting on very big amounts and zelensky smiled and said good job guys good job guys and he was not joking the minister says he was not joking he was really happy it was happening and then the minister thought oh we're not going far with this yeah he resigned later now in the government there are very few people who are professionals they are there but very few mostly Zelensky puts there loyalists who will never say no and who create the agenda that absolutely is out of mind he just wants something like if he is writing his script you know of the servant of the people and then he just wants he he demands this and people go and you know they just make up some reports and he goes with this reports and says that this is true that this is how it works unfortunately he's a PR guy and PR only PR he's not the the guy of substance who does he listen to who are his advisors Yermak you said was the chief of staff for years I don't know that he still is but he's identified in the west as Zelensky's closest friend and advisor is that true and who is who is Yermak uh Mr.

36:58Yermak started his career at the strip club uh i'm sorry ago yeah like not stripper but as a lawyer um at a strip club yes a lot that was a strip club where there were a lot of those people who later would become uh uh politicians in the pro-russian uh party and uh he was a lawyer there and i was talking to a first employee of year my first employee or said he had so many ambitions and he had no absolutely talents for those ambitions that's that's just you know a quote uh yeah so he started like that and he met there a lot of people who would later join into politics um at the strip club yeah it was very famous strip club uh it was 90s i think or early 2000s then he was working for a a store of luxury brands that mostly are brought not officially via smuggling.

37:58And that's where he also met a lot of rich people, oligarchs, and 95th Quartal is also buying clothes there. So officially, Mr. Remark says that he was a lawyer at one of the biggest Ukrainian channels. And that's where he met Zelensky. He used to be a general producer of that channel, but I'm not sure where they met. But so it's possible that they just met through, you know, some other entertaining stories. Yermak also made some movies about smuggling, which is very symbolic for me since he used to work in that business. He was involved in some dark affairs of mafia stuff on the level of Kiev city.

38:37And that's how, you know, he knew a lot of politicians. And from the point of view of not politics, but how the things can be done, he could be helpful to Zelensky. Their relations was very strange, very different, very, very difficult, very strange. Yermak knows that he is personally a narcissist. and he knows that Zelensky is a narcissist and these are two malign and paranoid narcissists. Oh my God, what am I saying? But that's true. Yermak and Zelensky are both malign narcissists. Yermak and Zelensky are both malign and very paranoid narcissists who are both on defensive mode. They're both paranoid.

39:27Yermak more. How paranoid? Oh, Jermak, he just creates the stuff from nowhere. He's just like, you don't need to do anything while he can come up with something. I don't know. It's really some kind of a sick mind to be frank. And it was some kind of a symbiose. And Zelensky had the vision and Jermak had the tools to implement the vision. It was not about politics or policies. It was more about what they wanted for themselves.

40:04It's important to say that sometimes Zelensky didn't know how to make what he wanted, how to make it work. Yes. So he was just saying the desires and Jermak was finding the way. What do you think? And often it was happening that Zelensky then says to do this, but Jermak calls and says, don't do this because he's doing this in this way. And in general, that was so chaotic. Like no professional could work there. I'm saying that it's not possible because they're just like keeping saying different things, keeping changing the strategies, keeping changing the moods, keeping changing everything all the time.

40:45and they create this feeling that there is so much work and everybody works, works, works, but nothing is done. Sounds awful. It's really strange, but I'm not the one who knows that. What do you think Zelensky wanted? What were his goals? Well, I definitely know that he thought he came forever. His first chief of staff said it once. He laughed to the minister and said, we came forever. So he liked being the dictator. Well, he is a dictator. The borders are closed now for four years. It's illegally. The human rights violations is enormous. The persecution of the people. In 2024, when Donald Trump came to power, there was a member of parliament who wrote on Telegram, Zelensky, now we need to stop this war.

41:43and yes you will lose the next elections but stop this war like trump will push you stop this war and uh he was in jail in three days he's still in jail and i talked yeah and i talked to security services and they said he he never talked to russia since 2021 no connection but he is uh accused in treason and there are a lot of people who are people are persecuted um obviously there are dirty campaigns everyone who criticizes Zelensky is just pro-Russian Russian pro-Kremlin you're pro-Kremlin I will be pro-Kremlin after this interview you know I believe that American special services do their job well and if there were any pro-Kremlin payments or contacts obviously they would know that right yeah so in general this is it but you know for me personally the situation in the country is inhuman because i never would think that my country would be the one where people are grabbed on the streets and forced to the front lines i never would think that we all agree and stay silent to the fact that zelensky uses frontline as the punishment like he uses the war as a punishment political punishment yeah he even was uh open about that He was saying if somebody does something bad, we need to punish them and send to the front line.

43:15That was his statements. But there are people who are sent there just because they're critics of Zelensky, you know. Do you know anyone who's been sent for criticizing Zelensky? There were people from the security services who were sent publicly, and there were a few people who were sent there. What's it like, the front line? There are different front lines. Some people find Frontline, you know, in a cozy place, just wearing the uniform and playing the role of some bloggers. But I know people who survived when their units were killed. It's terrifying. My mother was treating soldiers who were sent in bad uniforms during winter to another site.

44:02And their fingers and limbs were cut off because they were frozen. And every year Ukrainians are collecting money for their uniforms, you know, necessary stuff. Women are cooking food for the soldiers. No, I'm not kidding. There are a lot of volunteers. But the West has sent hundreds of billions of dollars and they don't have gloves or food? Well, they have, some of them have food. Some of them are looking for more, you know. And yeah, usually people are collecting even money for weapons or for starlings. What about all the hundreds of billions from the West? Yeah, you need to track it. You need to track it.

44:40But look, there is a scandal right now in Ukraine when the Minister of Energy was fired. And it is now known that he helped money laundering$112 million. And those money should have been used for the shield for energy sector. And it's a huge scandal in Ukraine. There is proven stuff by the law enforcement. and behind the whole scheme is the guy who worked with Russian mafia. That's amazing. You should go and look into it, but there is the whole scheme with the offshore companies with the names behind, and the Minister of Energy himself got$12 million for this, so it's around 10%, and 10 % is usually paid for those who help establish the scheme, right?

45:32So where is the 90 %? that is the question I'm just I know I've said this before but I'm amazed that more people from Zelensky's government haven't come forward to say this in the West in English why is that because people are afraid what are they afraid of on Netflix there is a movie a series how to become a tyrant I didn't know about that unless one governmental official came to me and said, I watched that series. It's what's happening in the country. And it was before the war. I mean, light scale war. Everyone is afraid Zelensky has no limits. That's the problem. I'm sitting here because I know that he is in a weak point today.

46:22And I know that there are a lot of people in his government and in his vertical of power who want peace. And I didn't want to put shit on him. I'm sitting here because I want peace too. And this guy is going to come up with any condition. He's going to change the positions all the time just to prolong this war and to get more money. He doesn't want to have political suicide. Finishing war for him is a political suicide. You see? I do. So I'm sitting here having this belief that if he is furiously ordering the people to arrange something against me, maybe in this vertical of power would be people who will not agree now.

47:09But even two years ago, they would do whatever he want. What do you think he would do to you for saying this if he could? Look, I'm risking everything. I cannot return to Ukraine after this interview, okay?

47:29I know people who get threats. A month ago, there was a banker in Milan who fell out of the window. In Milan? Yes. Milan, Italy. Yes. And Italy is investigating it. but there was one guy a story that nobody paid attention to who died when Zelensky was traveling to Mr. Biden in September 2023 the guy used to be a governor of my region Herson region where I'm originally from if you think about the governors they are usually very rich local very successful strong people who have their people everywhere, have established processes, have a lot of money. It's very strange that he died behind garages by making suicide of poisoning himself.

48:27And I talked to one very deep insider and top position in security service. And the guy told me this is a very strange death because this guy was negotiating with Russians. He was getting his orders from Yermak, I know the middleman, and then he was passing some information to Russians when Russians were occupying Kherson and then back. And then when Zelensky travels to Biden, this guy makes suicide behind garages. And security service explains that he had a depression. He had depression. He had depression. A rich guy, strong guy, used to be a governor. He had depression and he decided to poison himself behind garages.

49:17I mean, this all just doesn't come together. No, it doesn't. So people who work for Zelensky believe that if they were to criticize him, they could be killed. Or jailed. Or jailed. I told you just about the member of parliament, but there are also those people who sit there for years and the courts cannot, the general prosecution cannot prove the guilt that they're accused in. It's also treason, you know, collaboration with Russia. How do you prove that? It's for, yeah, and it's for criticism. It's just, you know, political fight, nothing more. What are jails like in Ukraine? Oh, they're awful.

49:57Oh, they are awful. A lot of people in one place. Now, by the way, there was the news that diseases are being spread. It's very cold. The food is terrible. It's a terrible place to be. It's not like in American jail. No, it's a terrible place to be. so ukrainians can't speak up for fear of being imprisoned or killed but why do you think western media hasn't spoken up here i would like to say uh the thing that the freedom of speech in ukraine is in bad shape but i believe that it improved when donald trump came to power for the second term because there are more and more news coming up and despite that some journalists are also sent to the front lines or attacked still you know there are materials that are coming up and when this freezing winter was happening terrible winter when people were freezing their homes without light without water their whole is a revolution on instagram Ukrainian Instagram started.

51:11And I wanted to tell you two trends, just two of multiple trends that are happening on Instagram right now that will show you that Ukrainians are suffering under Zelensky. They don't support what Zelensky is doing. One of the trends is they are burning the books with Zelensky's speeches in their fireplaces or fires saying, huh finally we figured out why we needed those the second thing is very politically incorrect and i'm very sorry you're in a safe place don't worry okay i'm very sorry but um i try to describe the desperacy and the dark humor that ukrainians use a driver is parking on the parking lot for a place for a disabled person.

52:00And another person is coming with a telephone asking, why did you park on the place for a disabled person? And the driver responds,

52:12I'm going to vote for Zelensky for the second time. You mean mentally disabled? Yes. So these are trends. This is not like one reel, two reels. These are trends, and they're going viral and this is the way how people are trying to shout out we are desperate please stop this war please stop this nonsense please stop this autocracy there is no reason why to fight this war it's senseless you see people lost all sense of this war like if this war is for nata or against NATO expansion, then Ukraine has no chances to be in NATO. If Putin conducts this war against Zelensky, then Zelensky is the main beneficiary of this war.

53:02If this war is for returning territories, then we have been losing territories for three years. If this war is for democracy, then we have no democracy in the country now. People in the frontline regions, they tell terrible things. One person told me, I don't know what we are fighting for. What's the difference between Ukraine and Russia right now? There is autocracy there and autocracy here. There is no anything that would be democratic now. So what's the fight for? This is not what I'm saying. This is what people from different regions are saying. And I believe that Zelensky had two chances of finishing this war in 2022 two chances now he says that 90 of ukrainians will not forgive him giving up donbass where does he come from with these numbers like there are no such numbers realistically no such numbers and i was talking to people who represented ukraine at negotiations in Istanbul in 2022.

54:09Yes, the famous negotiations where they came pretty close. Oh, they were almost done, yeah. And I was explained in details that they agreed for everything. And furthermore, which is very important, they said that Zelensky personally agreed to give away Donbass. And I was shocked. At that moment, it was a shocking news. And I said, really, did he? And the guys told, of course he is. He is okay with that because he will stop the horror of war. He agreed for giving away the territory because that would mean the war is over. And now he is standing in front of millions of audiences telling, I cannot give away Donbass.

54:54You see, he is inconsistent. He is changing the positions all the time. The second time when he could and the office of the president planned he would finish the war was the end of 2022. And as I read the New York Times, who actually confirmed my insights that the Biden administration decided to go with his plan to continue that war. That was Mr. Blinken who was advising, you know, if Ukraine wants to fight, then Ukraine needs to fight. Despite all the evidence that we could not win that war. Of course not.

55:36You know, there is this thing also, everything that is said against Zelensky is being pro-Russian. And now, you know, this Mr. Johnson, Prime Minister Johnson thing. Boris Johnson from the UK. Yes, Boris Johnson is a big friend of Zelensky. He's an evil man.

55:56So remember Bucha. Bucha is a small town in Kiev region, and it was occupied by Russia. And there are a lot of terrible things and terrible deaths happened there. And Zelensky came to Bucha after it was deoccupied on April 4, 2022. And I remember him standing in front of the journalist, and he had this terrible face and terrible look. And it felt like he went through pain while seeing all those bodies there. But he was asked if he was going to continue the negotiations with Russia. And he said, yes, yes, I am going to continue. That's fixed on a camera. He was going to continue. And then, you know, they had all the agreement by positions about Donbass, about language, about many, many things.

56:51They agreed upon everything. And then Boris Johnson came. And now it is sad that this is Putin's lies. but this story was told by ukrainians it was not told by russians ukrainians who were trying to bring peace knew that boris johnson influenced the decision and zelensky was promised to have everything weapons influence fame you know and he will fight russia and he will be a great hero and that's everything that zelensky wants he doesn't care about people he cares about staying in power He cares about being the great hero in the history. So I believe there were two moments where he could finish this war, but he chose the war of attrition.

57:39I don't know how 25 million of Ukrainians who stay in the country can have war with attrition with Russia that has the population of 140 million people. with Russia who, by the way, in four years has not even borrowed for this war. And Ukraine has the debt of 100 % of GDP. With Russia that awaits sanctions, still tries to sell, you know. And Ukraine has no market economy. I mean... Russia is so much bigger than Ukraine that Ukraine could never win. It's just too big. Russia's too big. You know, the New York Times wrote a story that was scandalous in 2023. And the title was, Ukraine will need to choose between people and territories.

58:27And we are indeed choosing. And our leader is choosing territories. But it's not, I mean, look, I'm not an expert at all on Eastern Europe. But I have Wikipedia. I just look up landmass population, industrial capacity. You don't need that much information to know. This country cannot beat that country in a land war. It was obvious. Yes, I don't understand. I think it's obvious for Zelensky too, but he thrives on this war. He thrives on this war. Why would he finish it? Well, because it's destroying his country. I don't think he thinks about that. In 2024, I was talking to a very smart guy who knows Russia and knows Ukraine very well.

59:07He used to be an advisor to the president. He's an American, by the way. And he said to me that Zelensky would finish the war until the end of 2024. And I said, no, he won't. He said, why? He's losing territories. Russians will go to Dnipropetrovsk and other regions, Borizia, Odessa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernyiv. He names all those regions of Ukraine. And I'm like, this is not the reason for him to stop. And the guy could not understand. Like, he could not. He's like, but why? You're going to lose the territories. You're going to lose more. And I'm saying, this is not how he thinks. he he he imagines the lives like his thinking is limited with thinking of what he sees of his beautiful golden office you know and and and the guy was like okay they're in Zaporizhia I'm like not a reason they're in not a reason they're there they're there and then the guy says okay there needs to be somewhere a point where he will understand that Russians are winning maybe when russians are with the guns in his office i'm like yeah that's where he will understand so it sounds like he doesn't care very much about ukraine never cared he never cared he never cared about the people that's the point there are you know there are i tried to come up not only with the insights i think the things that i told you are quite terrible but this is who he is but let's just check the facts online At the Munich conference, Zelensky insisted that ceasefire is the condition for peace, for negotiations, and for elections.

1:00:49He is keeping pushing for ceasefire, again, knowing that Russia is against ceasefire. It's like the NATO story, right? If you go online and check his speech for the UN General Assembly September 2024, he was saying that no ceasefire is possible. that it's very irresponsible to ask Ukraine for a ceasefire, that a ceasefire will lead to a frozen conflict, and he was going against a ceasefire all the time. Then, second thing, in June 2024, there was a peace summit where Ukraine presented Zelensky's peace formula. There were 160 delegations coming from different countries, And I truly believe that those delegations wanted to discuss peace.

1:01:39There were discussions about energy security, returning children, and something else. And Switzerland suggested that they invite Russian delegation, maybe even Vladimir Putin. And office of the president was very much against it. And Office of the President of Ukraine even organized a media campaign saying that it is absolutely morally impossible to talk to Russia, to Putin. We need just to pressure no negotiations with Russia. You see, at the same time, when he was presenting the formula of peace, Ukraine was organizing the Kursk region operation. And how do actually you offer the world to have peace and at the same time are planning operation to invade Kursk region?

1:02:28You see, these are very inconsistent things. Then after his just formula where he suggested one things, he offered victory plan where he suggested completely different things. Then in November 2024, he said that he would agree for temporary occupation of some territories if another government-controlled territory of Ukraine will be included in NATO. Then in several days, he said that he was misinterpreted. I'm telling you so many examples when he has been changing the conditions, preconditions to end this war. Because he doesn't want to end the war. Because he doesn't want to end this war. I counted with my insights around seven attempts to finish this war, where he used different mediators.

1:03:17He used different countries. We promised those mediators. He promised those countries, those leaders, that he would start negotiations, that he would agree for conditions. And he always lied. But it's – I'm not giving him a pass. I'm not making excuses for Zelensky. but ukraine has got you know 100 debt to gdp ratio limited industrial capacity like it can't fight a war without western aid period and so it's france uk united states that are paying for all this why would the western countries want to keep the war going obviously they do this is a very good question to be frank i think that uh the approach that donald trump team offered is a very constructive approach in any way ukraine wouldn't survive without aid but one thing one thing is to plan the investment right to boost businesses to provide jobs to play taxes to to recover economy and to have returnings right and another one just to to provide the money for the war and And I believe that the governments gave so much money and some of those governments, they just cannot back up now.

1:04:40They cannot say that we gave those money for a dictator because they're afraid about their ratings and their own situation. Right now, some of the Europeans were saying, Ukrainians, members of parliament, that Ukraine was undermining them because of corruption. Ukrainians are begging, please just open your eyes. Help us stop this war. It's not about your ratings. It's about people pain with blood. Of course. But it sounds like that's not going to be possible as long as Zelensky is there. The war won't end as long as he... I don't believe that he will finish this war. I don't believe... No, it sounds like it.

1:05:19If there are seven attempts to finish the war and his only position has been the war needs to continue, he's clearly not the guy to end the war. So how do you get Zelensky out? That's a good question, and I'm not the one to answer it. Well, there are no elections, so. But we are in a legal trap here. And the last time when he was planning elections, he actually didn't want to leave the martial law and wanted to have one-round elections so that he can manufacture them. And this is the article on a very reliable Ukrainian media outlet. the journalists talk to insiders from the office and from the parliament.

1:05:58Just another example, look, there was this Munich security conference and Zelenskyy assaulted the Prime Minister of Hungary, Mr. Orban. That's so interesting. I'm saying so many bad things, I feel so bad about that. But just like if you're a rational person, think about this. The leader of Ukraine standing in front of all the leaders and keeps assaulting one of the European leaders. In a week, this European leader will need to vote for a 90 billion loan for Ukraine. And obviously, Orban just blocked everything. And everybody is like pointing fingers to Orban, how bad Orban is, how bad Orban is.

1:06:44Perhaps he is. I'm not justifying Orban here. but if you are a leader of a country how on earth are you assaulting a person from whom you will need a support of 90 billion of a loan without which ukraine just cannot go further so that's a great question and i watch him do the same thing to donald trump absolutely but can i finish what is that yeah can i finish this moment the thing is that um the conflict that has escalated recently is about a pipeline, oil pipeline. Hungary was getting Russian oil through Ukraine and it's damaged. And Zelensky made this, again, performance, huge performance, as if he is a brave hero who is fighting against Russian oil, Russian gas, all Russian, etc., etc.

1:07:29At the same time, Ukraine on technical level is repairing the pipeline. The European Commission is insisting that we do it as fast as possible. And Ukraine is sending the explanation to the European Commission. You know, it will take some time, but we are offering you another pipeline so that there is no energy crisis. So the work is there, right? And Zelensky is just performing some stuff in his head. And the other important moment in this. Do you know that this was France, not Hungary, who bought the biggest number of Russian energy products last year, including Russian LNG that it's selling to Germany?

1:08:10So why doesn't Zelensky go against Macron? I don't understand that. Well, it's a great question. I'm aware of this. And Donald Trump, you know, I was watching that thing, that Oval Office situation.

1:08:28For me, it was so painful. It is so painful. Every time when I'm posting on my Twitter videos of ruined Ukrainian cities, every time I have this quote from Zelensky, we've got beautiful cities, come and see. I'm like, how you can say that these ruins are beautiful cities? The thing is that many people who know Zelensky, They characterize the situation that this is what's happening behind the camera usually. Such historical behavior, no control of emotions, this manipulation, attempts to prove himself. This is Zelensky. This is how he looks all the time. Is he a drug user? This is an open secret.

1:09:24the thing is that I've never seen him taking drugs however for writing my book I met a lot of people who confirmed that they saw him taking drugs in different clubs and only one saw him taking drugs in 2021 I learned who is the supplier from 95th Quartal and I met that person you met Zelensky's drug dealer? I'm not saying he's a drug dealer. He's a guy from 95th Quartile. What's 95th Quartile? 95th Quartile, it's entertaining company of Zelensky. 95th Quartile, where he comes from. It's the guy who is an actor. And he behaved really in a strange way. His eyes and his behavior. Is Zelensky using cocaine?

1:10:17Again, I have not seen that. So the thing is that all these people are talking about cocaine. Yes. The second thing is every time when we were preparing to the interview, you know, I was reading the notes, explaining who is the journalist, what he needs to say, the messaging, the questions. He does not like reading, to be frank. Usually he's more, you know, like tries to listen to you. and then he takes his like 15 minutes in the bathroom. And I'm telling you that I was always surprised that he was going out a different person, like really always a different person. So you'd be briefing him. Then he goes to the bathroom, he spends there 15 minutes and he's going out energized, full of, you know, action, ready to say everything.

1:11:14Sniffing. so i don't want to say something that i didn't see but but i met too many people i met doctors i met you know people who spend time with him in the clubs and i talked to the people who has been knowing him for like 20 25 years and they say he's a cocaine and also i don't know if you followed that, but there was an allegation, accusation, that he's a cocaine user during his electoral campaign. And that's why he invited his opponent, President Poroshenko, at that moment, to take analysis on drugs. And he went to the clinics of his friend. And when the analysis was presented, it happened that the analysis was dated by different date when he gave those analysis.

1:12:10That was a big scandal. I mean, this is everywhere. The allegation is everywhere. There are many people who saw. For a long time. For a long time, yeah. And, you know, there is this very strange behavior, obviously. You know, there are a lot of things that point out to it. But I personally have not seen that. But you spoke to his cocaine supplier from 95th Quartile. Not for the book. I met him in the office of the president. I didn't know about cocaine back then. But I was very surprised of his behavior. his eyes were sparkling and he was so happy and slow and he was trying to make some jokes that i didn't understand i was like this is a strange guy and i didn't know what he was doing there because he didn't have any position he just came to the office of the president what's slensky's wife like?

1:13:09You know, many people who know her, respect her. Many people were saying that she was the only human who stayed nearby him. She really didn't want him to go for the second term. She even said this publicly. But I believe she changed. And I don't know if she still has that positive influence on him that she used to have but zelensky never thought that women are equally important he is the one who respects his woman but not as she if she is like really equal that if it makes sense it does once i was in this very weird situation i was in many weird situations with zelensky it's just a norm but there was this situation where there was his friend from 95th Quartal and Zelensky, we were three of us.

1:14:10I don't know for which reason this guy started telling a very funny to his mind situation that Olena Zelenska was running after Zelensky for eight years to make him marry her. And he was a strong guy. He didn't want to marry. ha ha ha it was so funny well definitely Zelensky was smiling a lot and he liked the story I still don't understand what was funny about that I think Zelensky is a smart person but she does not care and doesn't know anything about politics and she doesn't want to be involved she tried to stay human I'm not sure what worked out when did you leave the country country ukraine i would prefer not to talk about that okay i stayed in the country in 2022 oh we were shelled by the way when russians were living butcher we were shelled it's just pure luck that he didn't hit the house we were my husband went to the front lines we stayed in 2023 majority of 2024 beginning of 2025 and i had so multiple sources that were saying that zelensky is not going to finish this war people are going crazy there i was going crazy you're like in the closed cage you're being shelled and bombed you can die any moment from Russian drone or Russian missile at the same time you can't do anything there are no economic opportunities there is no freedom of speech anything you do can be you know treated in a different way the country is full of bans everything is bent there are strange rules like there is this very strange rule that all the all the cars need to stop at 9 a.m on the roads to listen to the hymn.

1:16:16It's just, yeah, like if you drive and then there is 9 a.m. and there is Ukrainian hymn, you need to stop it. There is really strange agenda and it looks like surreal. The country, I don't recognize Ukraine anymore. Everything is banned? What does that mean? Like, he uses bans. Like, there is this culture that he developed, the culture of banning, canceling people, artists, you know, poets, churches, writers, you know, like anything he can connect to Russia somehow. Sometimes it doesn't have any connection to Russia. It always makes us weaker. Sometimes these are Ukrainians from the past, but yeah, they used to live under like Russian Empire or the USSR.

1:17:06There is this whole culture of cancellation. He counsels bloggers, journalists, not personally, but he has this tendency, he has these orders. Like for instance, in late 2023, I learned from the security service that Zelensky collected his guys and told them that they needed to go against critical bloggers. At the beginning of 2024, there were like purges of bloggers. Bloggers were called to the security service having conversations why they did that, why they said that, that they will be accused of being pro-Russian. There was a bunch of bloggers that went against the war and they said we don't need the borders of 1991.

1:17:49We want to stop this war and all of them were called for a security service. One guy needed to leave the country. He was threatened. You know, every story can become a bigger story. It can become a story with security service. You see? It can become a story of a treason. By the way, the cases of treason rise multiple times in four years. Multiple times. Treason is just another punishment. You see? He sounds like a Bolshevik. In many ways, it feels like it's the USSR that we read about. In many ways, it is. So, just to restate the question, is there any way to get rid of Zelensky? that's a good thing you know the problem uh how to do this in a legal way and who is going to be next who's going to be who's going to fight with Zelensky on the electoral field and how to restore the electoral field in general you see yes and there are so many questions there that are not being solved at all and i'm not sure he wants to solve them so one big question to all the ukrainians and westerners who have resources who have the power who are strong enough is actually how to make it in the legal field how to finish this yes and that's the answer to your question why are ukrainians silent rich people are afraid of been sanctioned.

1:19:24By the way, it's also a legal instrument that Zelensky uses. He sanctions his own citizens and it's absolutely anti-constitutional. How can you sanction your own citizens? Yes, he uses, he sanctions his own citizens. That's pretty public and on his website. I don't know. He comes up with the reasons. Working for Russia or whatever. And what happens when you're sanctioned? Your businesses can be closed, your accounts frozen. The former president is sanctioned. So he says he cannot use his money anymore. So just to go back to something you said earlier that I should have followed up on. When you were working for Zelensky, he told Putin, I think you said it was 2019, that Ukraine would not join NATO.

1:20:18Then you fast forward a couple of years, three years, and he's telling the world that Ukraine does plan to join NATO, which you said is impossible. But what do you think changed his mind? What changed?

1:20:34Well, I definitely know that he wanted to influence the American administration. He really did want. Influence the American administration in what way? Yeah, I mean, he wanted to get something. He wanted to get some support, friendship, you know, to get something. I remember the interview. I remember whom that interview was given when he first said, why are we not in NATO? So it was a TV interview, and I was preparing messages. It has never been in messages. We never discussed that, actually. It was not at the table at all. and he was sitting there and the journalist asked him so what would you tell or ask biden about and he said why are not we in nato and i started like looking at the messages and there is no this nato thing he just came up with that and zaleski is the kind of person if you applaud he's gonna continue and there were a lot of nationalists who applauded who felt oh that's great stuff guy do it and so he saw the applause he saw the reaction and since his ratings were dropping down you know and there was positive feedback he just started pushing through this agenda you know again i read the book uh about biden and there was the description of the meeting in 2021 that was after i left a few months and it happened that zelensky insisted on this nater issue from biden thinking that that was only Biden who was the obstacle to this.

1:22:13And if Biden said that there will be NATO, he didn't want to listen to any arguments, any facts, nothing. And then when Biden said, look, there is no consensus for this, the guy said, but NATO is an outdated organization, and it's going to fall apart. Germany and France are going to leave NATO now. And as the journalist explains, even those who really liked Zelensky they were blown up by this they they thought he went too far but this is you know this is who is Zelensky he's always escalating he's always demanding he's always proving himself you know I was talking to one guy who used to work under two or three presidents and he said me that he's telling everyone that these two guys Zelensky and mark they are just six-year-olds he meant because they were six years in power now they are seven year olds and i myself was thinking that they behave more as teenagers but we never had argument that they behave as adults you see so i believe that zelensky if that journalist who wasn't inside at the white house says that zelensky thought biden was weak i believe zelensky thought biden is weakened he can pressure and get the NATO thing because Zelensky actually doesn't have much understanding of how things are working in his own government and globally why are there so many Americans always in Ukraine always Americans in Ukraine American officials are always talking about Ukraine no offense to Ukraine but it's a very small country it's a very big world but the US government was very focused on Ukraine for a long time there were always journalists in and out of their think tank people and out of their US military.

1:24:00What was that? Well, I think we are lucky that there are journalists there. But it's a small country, you say, but it's comparatively big. It's a large land mass for sure, but so is Kazakhstan. Oh, yeah. But in Europe, it's like the second biggest country in Europe. Well, if you don't count Russia, it's the biggest. Yes, second one. And so I've never understood. You should ask Americans why they're there. Well, I've never understood it. I mean, I think money laundering was part of it, for sure. I think Americans, I mean, the former president's son was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.

1:24:35I never, did you know that? You know that I was a co-author of that very famous article about Hunter Biden. And after that, Biden's administration didn't give interview to the New York Times. And I think that was a very infant behavior from the communications people. I was just a freelancer in Ukraine. If for six years after that, the biggest democratic president doesn't provide interview to the biggest democratic media because of some freelancer, you know, having evidence of, you know, some connected topics, that's really ridiculous. I remember that piece. That was with Ken Vogel, I think. And Yulia Mendel.

1:25:11Yep. Who's you? So for whatever it's worth, for those who don't remember the piece, can you just summarize it? Tell us what it was about, what it said. It was long ago, but yeah, Hunter Biden was invited to be on board of energy company that was owned by a big oligarch who is accused in money laundering and, you know, big guy, really, mafia guy. And there was a general prosecutor who opened 11 criminal proceedings against this company. And Hunter Biden figured somewhere that he was somewhere there. But I was talking to a general prosecutor and he told me that he reopened the cases, but he could not prosecute Hunter Biden because Hunter Biden is an American.

1:26:02And as Ukraine, we just cannot do that. But that was the whole story about, you know, that Hunter Biden was on the board. And obviously, it was not liked by Biden administration very much. And that was a huge scandal. And I did just my job, you know, I talked to the general prosecutor, I, I went to two different people, I asked the questions, I read and translated the law, you know, I verified the information. I mean, Ken was doing major job, I was helping him. and the New York Times stands for that piece. So why should I be feeling bad about that? Well, I don't think you should be at all. What was your reaction from the Zelensky government to you when that piece came out?

1:26:50Oh, first of all, that was the transition moment. Yeah, I bet. I'm sure it was.

1:26:58So he never actually reacted much. It served more like a concern for him. He didn't understand much what was happening. He just asked what was the buzz about. His people asked me. I said, well, there was this piece, you know, I checked it. The New York Times stands for that. That's it. So they had just the concern what was happening. But it was 2019 before Biden came to power. Right. To be frank, yeah, I know that for Americans, it's a big story about corruption. for me as a Ukrainian I still cannot understand what would have happened that Biden administration would allow Zelensky to continue this war I agree it's just like it's very hard to talk because you don't understand what's happening really when people are being hunted by drones when people wake up to death and destruction when they're being abandoned when they're being searched by law enforcement of their own country, when they don't have heat or light or water, when they have no almost money and they have no help and they're not hurt and they cannot leave their country, it's such a trap.

1:28:14And this has been happening for four years of a large scale and for many for 12 years. And the only solution that is being presented today is just to say that Putin is a monster. well maybe he is his army is doing terrible things but here is the point keeping just offending Putin we reach nothing and my point is we need to do something at the country we need to do something to start taking the decisions we need start putting people first and what I see from Zelensky is just, yes, I'm taking care about the people. Yes, people are first. And then always there is but. And after this but, there is the whole bunch of misleading information.

1:29:11I don't believe that President Zelensky is really very constructive, let's say so. I believe he has some kind of mental challenges. And so when I'm thinking about his meeting with Biden, who has been proved by Alex Thompson and Jake Topper had really already mental problems. I'm thinking, where did this world come to? that there is one person leader with mental challenges and another person with mental challenges actually deciding on the fate of the 40 million nation or 37 million nation. You see? I just don't believe that Ukraine is just being destroyed. I believe that Ukraine is in the world of extinction.

1:30:02We have huge brain drain, enormous problems with the demography. do you know that that was the Ukrainian who actually made the program to send the first person to space Yuri Gagarin now children in Kharkiv region in the 4th grade cannot read you see my nation is being deteriorating yes so there is no but in this case people either go first or they go first and then but, but, but, but but a lot of conditions, why not to stop this war? And you ask me why all those think tankers and journalists come to Ukraine. I think they come to every country. And they were interested in the relations with Russia.

1:30:49But unfortunately, there is this, I think, absolutely destructive contribution to very unhealthy nationalism that has become a shield for the beneficiary group in the country. Of course. That's, of course, happens every time. I just know a lot of the policymakers in the United States who promoted this war. And I think that some of them wanted to destroy Ukraine. I think that, I'm sorry. It's very inhuman. The propaganda that we hear, it's very inhuman. It's very cynical. I mentioned to you this stuff about Russia is collapsing. This is like already a Twitter joke. Russia is collapsing for the fourth year in a row.

1:31:35Mark Ruta said a few weeks ago that Russia is in super bad shape you need like 3-4 months of war more to win where does he come from that? tell this to a Ukrainian who is dying tell this to the mother who buried her son or a child tell this to a father who lost 3 children and wife under shelling it's impossible to explain to the people how politicians come up with the conditions to justify this absolutely unjustified war. Because it's not their country and they don't care. It's evil. I couldn't agree more. Many Ukrainians believe this already. Many Ukrainians. And again, I'm not justifying Putin here.

1:32:18I agree. It's just like repeating that he is a monster. It doesn't help the situation. No, I agree. It's like telling us that Iran's going to get a nuclear weapon in three weeks. telling us that for 25 years at a certain point. I don't believe you. So you have asked to end with a message to the Russians, to Vladimir Putin, Russian president, in Russian. And of course, I can't understand Russian. But you've done us, I think, us, the United States, a great service by this interview. And so I would be happy to turn it over to you to speak directly in Russian to the Russian president. Thank you. Of course.

1:32:59It's actually quite a moving moment. Shall I look there? Look there.

1:33:16Vladimir Vladimirovich, I don't have your life experience. I don't understand how you see this world. but I'm not a member of the United States, I'm not a member of the West, I'm not a member of the Zelensky, I'm not a political opponent, I'm not a threat, I'm a Ukrainian woman from the Ukrainian province of Herson.

1:33:49You say that you are a God-man. But what is happening in Ukraine is not a relationship with God, a relationship with humanity. You say that you want a world. It is the only thing that you can do right now. The world is the only possible thing that makes them победители. In this war there is no победителя. The countries are not winning. Slavians are not winning.

1:34:28I am from Herson. I think your army tells you only about the best things. Only about the побед. But in Jersey on a drone's surface, it seems that a war is spread. There is this national truth.11

1:34:53hospital Renee with my mum worked with sick, she she got out. She talked about the phone, and the rear drone grenade was worn and damaged it. She was pain. and along with her This year, my decades more mother told me to practise in theffeaum. She came in the village, where I became born in the day. And she was rupees for their business, so she turned home. And she killed it on the hook. We recently saw a video, where evakuated strange guys. How the ground was on theilers of oldOUFs sleeping. the people in Kherson and in front of the Ukraine are the most important people, who have no money to travel.

1:35:47Your army posts a video about how it is on people with drones. But should be some of the areas of humanity. one of your commands, one of your commands can stop it. You say that you want peace. But if you stop it, you will not be able to stop it. Even if you want peace, no one will say anything. But people will know that when the world will come. I pray every day, I pray that the world will come. We will need to all the people who will be able to restore the human body. And why would you not start doing this now? You are going to pray in the church, you are praying. But when it will be explained to God, why your army is looking for the people, for the people, for the people, for the people, for the people, for the people, for the people, for the people, for the people.

1:36:50What is it? How to explain it? If you really want peace, one of your words, one of your words, and this drone-like safari will stop. And let's not say no one. But people will know that that the world is the only possible solution today for the strong.

1:37:21I don't know, Do you hear me? But you need to stop it It went too far It's unhuman It's so cynical It's so stupid and low You can stop it

1:37:53about the war.

1:37:56Well, I appreciate everything you've done, and I hope this is widely seen. Well, thank you very much for giving me the platform and for allowing to have this frank conversation. I feel like I took a lot from myself and that my silence could be a contribution to this war, but now I feel like I did something real and good. Thank you. I think you did. Thanks very much. Thank you. We'll see you next time.