4 February, 12:09
Let’s start with the main point: thank all the gods that the right-wing in Ukraine hasn’t become what people have grown tired of calling “grant-eaters.” Not because they didn’t deserve financial support. No, it’s just that the right-wing failed to break into that main grant sect—the sect of familial budget-slicing from foreign patrons.
Grants: A Badge of Loyalty, Not Professionalism
The problem with USAID and other grant funds is that grants are viewed as a prize to be fought over. No, it’s not about supporting active reformers. It’s money for those who have managed to integrate into the grant party scene.
Who gets in? Oh, it’s a special caste of professional grant-eaters: not always professional, but definitely well-connected in the grant-family circuit.
Now, there’s an open call for a grant from "Creative Europe"—up to €2,000,000! Could this be the moment when journalism in Ukraine gets better? No, friends. Another newsroom full of regulars from LGBT parades will get it, where leftist doctrine is the unspoken rule of etiquette.
Fortunately, grants have bypassed the right-wing. Try finding a right-winger in the "Soros-sector"—don’t waste your time. Sternenko? Having nothing in common with right-wing ideology, this individual remains on permanent "informer" status.
Promoting Foreign Ideas for Money: A Norm or a Problem?
One infamous journalist, who rose to notoriety after supporting Yanukovych’s power grab, received over 3 million hryvnias in 2024 for a great accomplishment—slandering the Armed Forces of Ukraine and interfering in the work of lawyers.
The grant addiction has long proven to be more than just financial dependence. It’s a tool of influence on Ukraine’s domestic politics. We see how grants push ideas that have nothing to do with national interests or common sense. Just look at the list of grant recipients: half of them specialize in dividing society under the guise of "fighting for minority rights" or "combating discrimination."
While ordinary Ukrainians fight to survive, our so-called "activists" discuss the latest projects on tolerance and gender equality, all while filing their monthly reports to Western sponsors.
What Should Be Done?
We need to follow the example of developed countries that have long understood the threat of foreign influence. The United States, France, Japan, Germany, and others have already implemented strict laws regulating foreign agents. Ukraine must also immediately tighten control over all organizations receiving grants from foreign governments or funds.
If this isn’t done, instead of a strong and independent society, we will end up with even more grant-eating, substituting real reforms with the simulation of vigorous activity.
So, friends, remember: not everything that glitters is gold, and not every million-euro project benefits the country, especially when those behind it have never had our interests at heart.