The Fight of Our Lives: My Time with Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s Battle for Democracy, and What It Means for the World

When Ukrainian journalist Iuliia Mendel got the call she had been hired to work for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, she had no idea what was to come.

In this frank and ＂moving＂ (The Washington Post) insider account, Zelenskyy’s former press secretary tells the story of his improbable rise from popular comedian to the president of Ukraine. Mendel had a front row seat to many of the key events preceding the 2022 Russian invasion. From attending meetings between Zelenskyy and Putin and other European leaders, visiting the front lines in Donbas, to fielding press inquiries after the infamous phone calls between Donald Trump and Zelenskyy that led to Trump’s first impeachment.

A ＂spirited account of history in the making＂ (Publishers Weekly), The Fight of Our Lives sheds light on the massive economic problems facing Ukraine and the entrenched corrupt oligarchs in league with Russia. Mendel witnessed the Kremlin’s repeated attacks to discredit Zelenskyy through disinformation and an army of bots and trolls.

Woven into her account are details about her own life as a member of Zelenskyy’s new Ukraine, and his efforts to transform his country from a poor, backward Soviet state into a vibrant, prosperous European democracy. Written with the sound of Russian bombs and exploding shells in the background, Mendel details life lived under Russian siege in 2022. She says goodbye to her fiancé who joins the front lines, like so many other Ukrainian men. Throughout this story of Zelenskyy, Ukraine, and its extraordinary people, ＂The Fight of Our Lives shows us how Ukraine’s fight for freedom is our fight--humanity’s fight against tyranny＂ (Kurt Volker, former United States ambassador to NATO).

Iuliia Mendel is a Ukrainian journalist who served as press secretary and spokesperson for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, from 2019 until 2021. Mendel has more than fourteen years of journalism experience on TV and in print media and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, VICE, Politico Europe, and many more. Follow her on Twitter @IuliiaMendel. The Fight of Our Lives is her first book.