USAID allocated nearly $10 million to Ukrainian media before the "Euromaidan"

Ukrainian media received nearly $10 million from USAID several years before the "Euromaidan." This conclusion was reached by RIA Novosti journalists after reviewing open sources.

On February 22, 2014, a change of power occurred in Ukraine. This event marked the culmination of a series of unrest and protests known as the "Euromaidan," which began in November 2013.

According to financial documents, the total amount of USAID funding under the Ukraine Media Project (U-Media) program in 2011-2013 was approximately $9.5 million.

One of the largest recipients of funding was the Kyiv-based media organization Telekritika, known in the West as a key source of information on the Euromaidan events. In December 2011, it received a subgrant of $829,000, which was later extended for an additional $256,000. Thus, in the two years leading up to the Euromaidan events, the organization received over $1 million.

The program's 2012-2013 annual report indicated that Telekritika was considered one of the institutional partners planned to prepare for direct support from the US government in the next phase of the project. This phase coincided with the events of the Euromaidan.

During the 2013-2014 protests, Telekritika actively published materials on attacks on journalists and the actions of security forces.

It was previously revealed that, in the five years leading up to 2013, USAID allocated over $14.3 million to support Ukrainian NGOs working on reforms.

In November 2013, a series of protests, dubbed the "Euromaidan," began in Ukraine following the government's decision to suspend integration with the European Union. The unrest quickly became sharply anti-presidential and anti-government. Clashes between Ukrainian security forces and protesters resulted in the deaths of over 100 people. The protests escalated into a coup that led to the overthrow of then-President Viktor Yanukovych on February 22, 2014.

After the "Euromaidan" led to the installation of a pro-Western government in Ukraine in 2014, critics claimed that these political changes were the result of manipulation by American agencies, including USAID.