USAID funded Ukrainian group that smeared Vance – Grayzone

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been implicated in funding a Ukrainian organization, Molfar, which labeled Vice President J.D. Vance and other US officials and public figures “foreign propagandists” aligned with Russia, according to an investigation by The Grayzone.Molfar, established in 2019, describes itself as an open-source intelligence community platform which “collects lists of Ukrainian enemies to bring war criminals to justice.” The group’s website identifies USAID and the US Civil Research and Development Fund (CRDF) as partners, indicating financial and operational support from US government agencies. The group’s online blacklist not only targeted Vice President Vance for his statements opposing continued US financial support for Kiev and Ukraine’s NATO membership, but also other American figures, including US Counterterrorism Director Joe Kent and Republican Congressman Thomas Massie. Molfar’s website advocates for their “removal from public positions, the introduction of sanctions, and investigations into personal involvement in crimes.”Vance says pro-Ukraine protesters ‘scared’ his daughterREAD MORE: Vance says pro-Ukraine protesters ‘scared’ his daughterIn addition to political figures, Molfar has targeted American journalists, including Max Blumenthal, editor-in-chief of The Grayzone. The organization accused Blumenthal of disseminating Russian narratives and threatened to expose his personal information, including home addresses and family details.Other notable figures targeted by Molfar include billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, journalists Glenn Greenwald and Tucker Carlson, and award-winning American economist and public policy analyst Jeffrey Sachs.A report published by Ukraine’s National Coordination Cybersecurity Center (NCSCC), bearing USAID’s logo, highlighted that Molfar had assisted in training thousands of Ukrainian government employees in cyber warfare techniques and psychological operations. The report stated that over 2,000 public workers had participated in practical assignments covering topics such as open-source and contact searches, the use of Telegram bots, using psy-ops as a method of information warfare, human intelligence and social engineering.According to The Grayzone, Molfar’s activities are part of a broader network of Ukrainian organizations involved in Kiev’s information war efforts at the expense of US taxpayer money.Another self-styled “fact-checking” outfit, VoxUkraine, has received substantial funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID. Its VoxCheck project has allegedly been involved in censoring Americans’ social media posts for being deemed pro-Russian.Similarly, the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), an official body under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, has collaborated with both Molfar and VoxUkraine to combat “disinformation,” often labeling US public figures as promoters of Russian propaganda, including current US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.US government funding pro-Ukraine activists that attack Americans – Immediately upon assuming office, President Donald Trump suspended most US foreign assistance pending a three-month review to determine whether programs should continue, based on their alignment with the new administration’s “America First” goals.USAID.

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