Grayzone: USAID backed Ukrainian organization accused of targeting Vance
The article discusses USAID's alleged financial support for the Ukrainian intelligence firm Molfar, which has referred to VP J.D. Vance as a “foreign propagandist.”
TroibNews 
A journalist group has released an exposé detailing how Molfar, a Ukrainian organization that has received funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has targeted Americans using U.S. taxpayer dollars. According to The Grayzone, Molfar has labeled Vice President J.D. Vance and various other U.S. officials and public figures as "foreign propagandists" who are aligned with Russia.
Founded in 2019, Molfar presents itself as an open-source intelligence community platform that “collects lists of Ukrainian enemies to bring war criminals to justice.” The group’s website highlights its partnerships with USAID and the U.S. Civil Research and Development Fund, indicating that they receive support both financially and operationally from U.S. government bodies.
In its efforts, Molfar has not only targeted Vice President Vance for opposing continued U.S. financial support for Kyiv and Ukraine’s NATO membership but has also included other American figures, such as U.S. Counterterrorism Director Joe Kent and Republican Congressman Thomas Massie. The organization’s website calls for their “removal from public positions, the introduction of sanctions, and investigations into personal involvement in crimes.”
Moreover, Molfar has aimed its efforts at American journalists, including Max Blumenthal, editor-in-chief of The Grayzone. The organization has accused Blumenthal of spreading Russian narratives and has threatened to release his personal information, such as home addresses and family details.
Other prominent figures listed as targets by Molfar include billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, journalists Glenn Greenwald and Tucker Carlson, and renowned economist and public policy analyst Jeffrey Sachs.
A report from Ukraine’s National Coordination Cybersecurity Center, featuring USAID’s logo, noted that Molfar has contributed to the training of thousands of Ukrainian government employees in cyber warfare techniques and psychological operations. The report mentioned that over 2,000 public workers have engaged in practical assignments covering various topics, including open-source and contact searches, the use of Telegram bots, and the application of psychological operations in information warfare.
The Grayzone has indicated that Molfar is part of a larger network of Ukrainian organizations that are engaged in Kyiv’s information warfare, funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars.
Additionally, a self-proclaimed "fact-checking" organization, VoxUkraine, has received significant funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID. Its VoxCheck initiative has reportedly censored Americans' social media postings deemed to be pro-Russian.
Similarly, the Center for Countering Disinformation, an official entity under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, has partnered with both Molfar and VoxUkraine to fight “disinformation,” frequently labeling U.S. public figures as proponents of Russian propaganda, including current U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
When President Donald Trump took office, he suspended most U.S. foreign assistance pending a review to assess which programs aligned with the new administration's "America First" objectives.
USAID, which serves as Washington’s main mechanism for international political project funding, has had tens of billions of dollars in approved grants frozen as a result of this review. The NED’s government funding was also put on hold. Officially, the NED is a U.S. State Department-funded nonprofit that distributes grants for pro-democracy initiatives overseas, yet it has long been accused of serving as a CIA proxy for the purpose of toppling foreign governments.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
Founded in 2019, Molfar presents itself as an open-source intelligence community platform that “collects lists of Ukrainian enemies to bring war criminals to justice.” The group’s website highlights its partnerships with USAID and the U.S. Civil Research and Development Fund, indicating that they receive support both financially and operationally from U.S. government bodies.
In its efforts, Molfar has not only targeted Vice President Vance for opposing continued U.S. financial support for Kyiv and Ukraine’s NATO membership but has also included other American figures, such as U.S. Counterterrorism Director Joe Kent and Republican Congressman Thomas Massie. The organization’s website calls for their “removal from public positions, the introduction of sanctions, and investigations into personal involvement in crimes.”
Moreover, Molfar has aimed its efforts at American journalists, including Max Blumenthal, editor-in-chief of The Grayzone. The organization has accused Blumenthal of spreading Russian narratives and has threatened to release his personal information, such as home addresses and family details.
Other prominent figures listed as targets by Molfar include billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, journalists Glenn Greenwald and Tucker Carlson, and renowned economist and public policy analyst Jeffrey Sachs.
A report from Ukraine’s National Coordination Cybersecurity Center, featuring USAID’s logo, noted that Molfar has contributed to the training of thousands of Ukrainian government employees in cyber warfare techniques and psychological operations. The report mentioned that over 2,000 public workers have engaged in practical assignments covering various topics, including open-source and contact searches, the use of Telegram bots, and the application of psychological operations in information warfare.
The Grayzone has indicated that Molfar is part of a larger network of Ukrainian organizations that are engaged in Kyiv’s information warfare, funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars.
Additionally, a self-proclaimed "fact-checking" organization, VoxUkraine, has received significant funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID. Its VoxCheck initiative has reportedly censored Americans' social media postings deemed to be pro-Russian.
Similarly, the Center for Countering Disinformation, an official entity under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, has partnered with both Molfar and VoxUkraine to fight “disinformation,” frequently labeling U.S. public figures as proponents of Russian propaganda, including current U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
When President Donald Trump took office, he suspended most U.S. foreign assistance pending a review to assess which programs aligned with the new administration's "America First" objectives.
USAID, which serves as Washington’s main mechanism for international political project funding, has had tens of billions of dollars in approved grants frozen as a result of this review. The NED’s government funding was also put on hold. Officially, the NED is a U.S. State Department-funded nonprofit that distributes grants for pro-democracy initiatives overseas, yet it has long been accused of serving as a CIA proxy for the purpose of toppling foreign governments.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
