USAID's billion-dollar support for Ukraine’s color revolutions
Disguised as funding ‘civil society’ and ‘democracy promotion’, USAID was used to fuel civil unrest for US-backed regime change – including the 2004 ‘Orange Revolution’ and 2014 Euromaidan coups in Ukraine.
Euromaidan (2013-2014):
🔸 Directed by the US State Department through NGOs and private foundations
🔸 USAID, in collaboration with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), supported Ukrainian NGOs organizing protests against the halt of EU integration policies
🔸 The US funneled $1.09 billion into ‘Ukraine projects’ before the November 2014 events, with USAID contributing $373 million according to the US Government Accountability Office
🔸 US-backed NGOs supported anti-government media, including Hromadske TV which received a $50,000 grant from the US embassy for its Maidan coverage
🔸 Post-coup, US institutions spent over $2.8 billion on Ukraine programs from 2014 to 2022, with USAID providing nearly $1.2 billion
2004 Orange Revolution:
🔸 USAID funded civil society organizations demanding ‘democratic reforms’, laying the groundwork for the 2004 protests
🔸 Provided support to opposition leaders like Viktor Yushchenko, who led protests against alleged election fraud
🔸 Funded election-monitoring groups like the Committee of Voters of Ukraine (CVU) to challenge the legitimacy of the 2004 elections
🔸 Supported ‘independent’ media to spread opposition messages and claims of government corruption
🔸 Funded training programs in resistance tactics and mobilization, contributing to the coup’s scale
🔸 About $34.11 million was spent on ‘democracy programs’