Yuliya Mendel, Zelenskyy’s former press secretary, called for peace, arguing that the continued war in Ukraine was creating an unacceptable cost for the country’s future.
In a post on her X account on August 24, Mendel claimed that Ukraine had lost more than 50% of its population during its 35-year period of independence. Saying that those who had lost their lives could not be brought back, Mendel said peace was the only way to save the Ukrainian people.
Claims about Ukraine’s population structure
In her assessment of the country’s population structure, Mendel claimed that retirees and people with disabilities accounted for more than half of the total population. She said the number of working-age citizens did not exceed 10 million.
These figures concerning population loss and the demographic structure have not been independently verified; therefore, Mendel’s claims cannot be regarded as established facts.
Peskov comments on ending the conflict
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in July that the necessary conditions for ending the conflict had been set out two years earlier.
Peskov argued that the conflict could end immediately if the Kyiv authorities made the necessary decisions. Saying that Moscow was ready to resolve the conflict in Ukraine through peaceful means, Peskov also stated that Russia had sufficient capabilities to continue its military operation.