U.S. foreign aid money is flowing into Ukraine to fund a network of anti-disinfo watchdogs and journalists, who are helping the government demonize opponents, pass censorship laws, and smear pro-peace Americans as Russian agents. New investigation🧵
USAID funded Ukrainian media are helping Facebook remove alleged Russian disinfo content. The same groups, without evidence, claim Americans favoring a diplomatic solution to the conflict — Jeffrey Sachs, John Mearsheimer, Glenn Greenwald, etc — are Russian propaganda agents
USAID and NED, which spun off from the CIA, openly touts investments in Ukraine media w/ helping fuel the pro-NATO revolt in Ukraine in 2014 & w/ helping win the current information war against Russia today. Yet the “independent” media the US funds is highly political.
Ukraine’s “Detector Media” is a media outlet that routinely attacks foreign & domestic voices critical of Zelensky as Russian agents. Far from indy media, USAID grant contracts for DM call it “effective PR” to "bolster international support for solidarity with Ukraine."
In December 2022, Zelensky passed the On Media Law, giving power to a board he controls to ban media without court order, a measure widely condemned by independent journalists. USAID contractors and media provided cover to support the law, calling it vital for EU integration.
A leaked planning doc from U.S. contractor Zinc Network, via its Open Info Partnership, which coordinates pro-NATO NGOs, states that it counts even factual information that overlaps with Russian narratives as “disinformation.” In other words, truthful media can be censored.
The leaked Zinc Network doc explicitly names a number of U.S. and UK voices as par and parcel to Kremlin propaganda, including @VivekGRamaswamy, @MaxBlumenthal, @RepAndyBiggsAZ, Ellie Cook. A former official with the group similarly called for YouTube to remove @aaronjmate.
@VivekGRamaswamy @MaxBlumenthal @RepAndyBiggsAZ @aaronjmate There’s a lot more in the investigation I published today on my ‘stack. I don’t have a paywall on this piece but you should still subscribe to support my work. The link is in bio.
Here's a direct link to the story leefang.com/p/us-funds-ukr…
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