INVESTIGATION OF THE UNHCR IN UKRAINE 🇺🇦
In 2022/23, the 🇸🇪 investigative TV show Kalla Fakta (Cold Facts) investigated the (🇸🇪) UNHCR’s aid to Ukraine. What they found was, diplomatically put, concerning. Here follows a 🧵summarizing their findings. It is well worth the read.
In 2022/23, the 🇸🇪 investigative TV show Kalla Fakta (Cold Facts) investigated the (🇸🇪) UNHCR’s aid to Ukraine. What they found was, diplomatically put, concerning. Here follows a 🧵summarizing their findings. It is well worth the read.
🧵 There are numerous accounts from Ukrainians and others on the ground in Ukraine that the big humanitarian aid organizations are ”invisible” or ”just not there”. They might be just right.
🧵 The Swedish people have donated billions of 🪙 for Ukraine, and the Swedish UNHCR is the winner with SEK 1,5 billion (~ $150 mn) (early 2023). In addition, they were granted SEK 235 million (~ $23 mn) in tax funds from the 🇸🇪 Foreign Ministry and Sida (Swedish Aid Authority).
🧵 In their commercials the UNHCR claim the help reaches its destination, directly or with the help of NGO’s and the 🇺🇦 authorities.
But when Kalla Fakta request an account of how the donations have been used, they get defensive and, quote …
But when Kalla Fakta request an account of how the donations have been used, they get defensive and, quote …
”feels that especially one of the reporters is not suitable to investigate the UNHCR.” We will return to this remark later on.
The organization doesn’t want to share how they work ”behind the scenes”, so the KF team decides to analyze their commercials at their own accord.
The organization doesn’t want to share how they work ”behind the scenes”, so the KF team decides to analyze their commercials at their own accord.
🧵🇸🇪 UNHCR have produced hundreds of ads and infomercials about the war in Ukraine where the majority are recorded outside of Ukraine. KF chooses to focus on what is presented as documentary, people who the UNHCR are helping on site in 🇺🇦.
🧵 KF finds that five people have become distinctive poster names. They set out to locate them.
🧵 CLAUDIA
🇸🇪 UNHCR have used a photo of Claudia where she poses with a blanket with the UNHCR logo. With the help of an interpreter they call Claudia. When asked if Claudia remembers this photo she replies ”Oh, that must have been taken in 2019 or 2020. […]
🇸🇪 UNHCR have used a photo of Claudia where she poses with a blanket with the UNHCR logo. With the help of an interpreter they call Claudia. When asked if Claudia remembers this photo she replies ”Oh, that must have been taken in 2019 or 2020. […]
🧵 It was a picure taken for the management team, as I recall it.” It turns out, the picture was taken already back in 2018. At the question whether she was asked for her permission to use the picture on social media, her reply is ”No. No. No.”
🧵 When asked if she is OK with the picture being used, Claudia says ”To be honest, no I’m not.”
🧵 YURY AND OKSANA
The couple had just finished building their new house which took them 13 years when the Russian full-scale war began. The house was completely destroyed in a missile strike in March 2022. The KF team visits the site in November 2022.
The couple had just finished building their new house which took them 13 years when the Russian full-scale war began. The house was completely destroyed in a missile strike in March 2022. The KF team visits the site in November 2022.
🧵 The UNHCR visited the family three times. The third time, Filippo Grandi, the big boss of UNHCR, came to visit. He promised them help rebuild their house. It never happened.
🧵 The couple have never heard of that their pictures occur in commercials on social media. They thought they were taken for an article in order to show the world what is happening in Ukraine. ”To understand that the material is used to collect & earn money… we had no idea!”
🧵 The UNHCR helped with a temporary refugee housing, a small tent with paper thin walls. ”It was useful during the summer”, they say, ”but it’s impossible to live in during wintertime, it’s like a freezer.”
The KF team’s conclusion is, that the UNHCR went there to film and collect material in order to appeal to people's empathy and rake in donations, not to help rebuild the bombed village. The village still looks like this 👇🏼.
🧵 The UNHCR claims that Yury and Oksana had signed a contract which states what the material they collected can be used for their work. When KF asks the UNHCR to share the signed contracts, they claim Yury and Oksana don’t wish to share it.
🧵 The team contacts the couple who say yes, of course, we want to see those contracts, too, to make sure those are our signatures.
The KF team are never provided with the alledged contracts.
The KF team are never provided with the alledged contracts.
🧵 GREGORYI
Gregoryi is an elderly man who lives the Bucha area with his wife. His medical condition is bad so his wife speaks for him. ”They came & asked all these questions and asked if they could take pictures. What the pictures were for, I have no idea”, says Gregoryis wife.
Gregoryi is an elderly man who lives the Bucha area with his wife. His medical condition is bad so his wife speaks for him. ”They came & asked all these questions and asked if they could take pictures. What the pictures were for, I have no idea”, says Gregoryis wife.
🧵 They are asked if the UNHCR have presented them with some sort of contract, asked permission to use the photos, or offered them help. The reply is no, no and no.
🧵 VALENTYNA
Unfortunately, the KF team doesn’t manage to locate her whereabouts. She is nevertheless frequently used as a poster face by the UNHCR.
Unfortunately, the KF team doesn’t manage to locate her whereabouts. She is nevertheless frequently used as a poster face by the UNHCR.
🧵 ”MEDYKA REFUGEE CAMP, POLAND”
In a video purportedly shot at the Polish-Ukrainian border shows footage of refugees standing in line at a refugee center. Only, it’s not Medyka in Poland, it’s Palanca in Moldova. Anna Vynnyk, a 🇺🇦 volonteer in Odesa helping refugees, confirms.
In a video purportedly shot at the Polish-Ukrainian border shows footage of refugees standing in line at a refugee center. Only, it’s not Medyka in Poland, it’s Palanca in Moldova. Anna Vynnyk, a 🇺🇦 volonteer in Odesa helping refugees, confirms.
🧵 ”This is not a refugee center, it’s a taxfree shop on the Moldovan side. There has never been a refugee center there. I don’t understand why they have published this.”
The UNCHR didn’t go there to help people, they went there to get material for their ads.
The UNCHR didn’t go there to help people, they went there to get material for their ads.
🧵 The Swedish Representative UNHCR in Ukraine, Karolina Lindholm Billing, claims their help has reached 4,3 million Ukrainians. Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly requested to take part of where the funds go, but to no avail.
🧵 In the first three months of the full-scale war, 71% of the global donations went to the UN. At the same time, reports show that only a fraction of the actual aid came from UN organisations.
The vast majority comes from smaller, local help organizations.
The vast majority comes from smaller, local help organizations.
🧵 Yet only 0,003% of the UN donations for Ukraine have been redistributed to local organizations.
🧵 KF sets out to follow the money trail. How much has been spent on salaries, rents, administration? For months, the team requests detailed information. When the team informs that they will publish the fact that, as the UNHCR have repeatedly failed to share data on budgets, …
🧵 they cannot publish the accounts of the donations and what they are actually spent on, something happens.
Åsa Widell, responsible for the 🇺🇦 account at the 🇸🇪 UNHCR office & former manager at TV4 who owns Kalla Fakta, wants to get in contact with the publisher of Kalla Fakta.
Åsa Widell, responsible for the 🇺🇦 account at the 🇸🇪 UNHCR office & former manager at TV4 who owns Kalla Fakta, wants to get in contact with the publisher of Kalla Fakta.
🧵 She refuses to reply to KF’s emails so contact takes place over the phone. ”I find that especially one of the reporters are not suitable to investigate the UNHCR.” That’s Carolina Jemsby whos husband worked for the org 7 years ago & who didn’t get his contract extended.
🧵 This obviously raises some concern with the TV4 team. They hand over the recorded conversation and emails to an expert in freedom of speech, one of the constitutions of Sweden.
His interpretation is that is could be a covert attempt to influence an upcoming publication.
His interpretation is that is could be a covert attempt to influence an upcoming publication.
🧵 At the time of the KF reportage, Lindholm Billing had a monthly income of SEK 350.000 or $35.000, far more than the Swedish Prime Minister.
Åsa Widell is the General Secretary of the Swedish UNHCR since 2018 to this day.
END
Åsa Widell is the General Secretary of the Swedish UNHCR since 2018 to this day.
END
@threadreaderapp please unroll.
Addition:
In a follow-on interview, Åsa Widell says she regrets contacting the chief editor of Kalla Fakta. She also emphazises that the 🇸🇪 UNHCR is a stand-alone foundation which ”are not part of the global UNHCR organization” and receives no governmental financial aid. 🤔
In a follow-on interview, Åsa Widell says she regrets contacting the chief editor of Kalla Fakta. She also emphazises that the 🇸🇪 UNHCR is a stand-alone foundation which ”are not part of the global UNHCR organization” and receives no governmental financial aid. 🤔
@threadreaderapp Addition:
In a follow-on interview, Åsa Widell says she regrets contacting the chief editor of Kalla Fakta. She also emphazises that the 🇸🇪 UNHCR is a stand-alone foundation which ”are not part of the global UNHCR organization” and ”receives no governmental financial aid.” 🤔
In a follow-on interview, Åsa Widell says she regrets contacting the chief editor of Kalla Fakta. She also emphazises that the 🇸🇪 UNHCR is a stand-alone foundation which ”are not part of the global UNHCR organization” and ”receives no governmental financial aid.” 🤔
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