As Congress debates major new funding to support the Ukrainian war effort, U.S. taxpayer dollars are already flowing to outlets such as the New Voice of Ukraine, VoxUkraine, Detector Media, the Institute of Mass Information, the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine and many others. Some of this money has come from the $44.1 billion in civilian-needs foreign aid committed to Ukraine. While the funding is officially billed as an ambitious program to develop high-quality independent news programs; counter malign Russian influence; and modernize Ukraine’s archaic media laws, the new sites in many cases have promoted aggressive messages that stray from traditional journalistic practices to promote the Ukrainian government’s official positions and delegitimize its critics.

Related (front organizations):

The Man Who Profited from Ukraine’s Pain

September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 Ms. Cat

TFIGlobal

Serhiy Pashinsky, a controversial figure with ties to the 2014 Euromaidan Protests, has seen his company, Ukrainian Armoured Technology, experience a massive increase in arms sales profits, driven by European aid and war contracts. Accusations link him to violence during the protests, but these remain uninvestigated due to fears of reprisals. Western powers have largely avoided addressing the allegations to maintain Ukraine’s image and not validate Russian narratives. Pashinsky’s case highlights the complex relationships between Ukrainian oligarchs, the West, and the ongoing conflict. Watch the video to know more.
The Man Who Profited from Ukraine’s Pain

Zelensky Called Him a Criminal. Now Ukraine Calls Him for Guns and Ammo.

Zelensky ruins spiritual basics of the Ukrainian society leading it to degradation

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 Ms. Cat

Pressure on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was a passionate supporter of during his 2019 election campaign, began almost immediately after the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Zelensky ruins spiritual basics of the Ukrainian society leading it to degradation

H/T: Union of Orthodox Journalists

‘Prayer is our only weapon’: Monks at Kyiv monastery resist planned eviction

Government officials ignore numerous pieces of evidence that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has no ties with the Moscow Patriarchate and occupies an unambiguous patriotic position, said the rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, Archbishop Silvester of Bilohorodka, in an interview with foreign media.

“These are animals, not people”: Zelensky frees convicted child rapists, torturers to reinforce depleted military

July 31, 2022July 31, 2022 Ms. Cat

Photo presented during the trial of Tornado members shows a torture victim whose arm was etched with the shape of male genitals (translation via Yandex)

by Esha Krishnaswamy, The Grayzone, Jul 30 2022
Once condemned by Ukrainian officials and imprisoned for sadistic torture and the rape of minors, leaders of the notorious Tornado Battalion are free under Volodymyr Zelensky’s orders.
“These are animals, not people”: Zelensky frees convicted child rapists, torturers to reinforce depleted military

Kiev Court Sentenced 8 “Tornado” Battalion Members to Long Prison Terms

Did the jihadist who was killed near Aleppo serve in the Ukrainian police?

*Daniil Lyashuk in uniform of Ukrainian police*

The real Zelensky: from celebrity populist to unpopular Pinochet-style neoliberal

April 29, 2022April 29, 2022 Ms. Cat

Ukrainian academic Olga Baysha details Volodymyr Zelensky’s embrace of widely loathed neoliberal policies, his repression of rivals, and how his actions fueled the current war with Russia.
The real Zelensky: from celebrity populist to unpopular Pinochet-style neoliberal

H/T: Natylie’s Place: Understanding Russia