Pro-Russian Sources Cite Fabricated Letter to Claim Zelensky Diverts USAID Funds to Pay for Negative Press Coverage of Trump
The document, which appeared to be printed on official Ukrainian letterhead, is doctored
What happened: Pro-Kremlin sources are circulating an image of a letter supposedly sent from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office urging Western journalists to publish negative content about U.S. President Donald Trump — and offering to pay them for the anti-Trump coverage.
A closer look: On March 6, 2025, a Russian-influence site called Clear Story News (NewsGuard Trust Score: 7.5/100) published an article claiming that Zelensky, using funding from the U.S. Agency of International Development, “started paying journalists in Western media who are tasked with creating a negative image of Donald Trump and his team to launch a new RussiaGate.” (“Russiagate” refers to investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which Trump and his supporters have dismissed as a media-driven hoax.)
The article included an image of a supposed letter sent to the leader of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, by Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stating, “I demand to develop a plan to create a negative image of U.S. President Donald Trump. Provide media coverage of the campaign in controlled mass media both within the country and abroad. Provide a calculation for the allocation of budget funds by March 7, 2025.”
One week later, an article on another apparently Russia-backed site, USATimes.news (whose domain was anonymously registered on Jan. 29, 2025) published the false claim and the purported letter. The article circulated on X and Telegram, including by pro-Kremlin influencer Tim Kirby, an American expat who moved to Russia.
Actually: There is no evidence that Zelensky issued any such order. The letter bears signs of fabrication.
Media verification platform InVID found numerous indicators that the photo of the letter was manipulated, including digital alterations on the seal and signature. Also, the formatting and style of the letter is inconsistent with official letters from Zelensky’s office.
Clear Story News is not an authentic news site and is linked to former Florida deputy sheriff turned Kremlin propagandist John Mark Dougan. NewsGuard has found that the site regularly publishes Russian disinformation and has previously been the source of false claims targeting the West, including multiple claims that Zelensky diverts Western aid to fund a lavish lifestyle. (Reality Check members can read NewsGuard’s Nutrition Label for Clear Story News here.)