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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Press Secretary Yulia Mendel sparked controversy over her overprotective effort to prevent journalist Serhiy Andrushko from asking President Volodymyr Zelensky a question.

"Who can explain in what civilized country the presidential spokesperson allows themselves to do this at the moment when a journalist wants to ask the first person a question! How is this called?! Freedom of speech?!" journalist Mikhail Tkach wrote on Facebook.

"Ukraine's Zelenskiy is giving media interviews in NYC. But this is how his press team treats reporters in Kyiv. Watch as Zelenskiy's spox @IuliiaMendel grabs & shoves reporter Serhiy Andrushko of @RFERL/@cxemu. Mendel did this to me at YES forum after Zelenskiy agreed to answer Q," RFE/RL's journalist Christopher Miller wrote on Twitter on September 26, posting the relevant footage.

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