Ben Swann and Elizabeth Lane examine how a Ukrainian government-backed project offered US veterans $10,000 per video to push pro-Kiev messages<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s government-backed United24 project offered former US service members thousands of dollars to produce pro-Ukraine videos for American audiences, RT\u2019s America Now has found. The offers targeted veterans whose military backgrounds could make the message seem more credible to viewers.
\nHost Ben Swann and investigative journalist Elizabeth Lane examined how the project, launched by Vladimir Zelensky in 2022 to raise support for Ukraine, approached former personnel, including special operations veterans with YouTube channels and other media platforms.
\nAccording to veterans who reached out to Lane, United24 offered around $10,000 for each video, plus $40,000 in advertising support. There was no stated limit on the number of videos they could make. The project would also provide scripts and guidance, while the veterans would ultimately deliver praise for Ukraine and Zelensky in their own words.
\nSome creators who agreed to the deal were reportedly creating up to five or six videos a week, making nearly a quarter of a million dollars a month, Lane found.<\/p>\n
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The men who spoke with Lane said they themselves had turned down the money, recognizing that they were being asked to present paid propaganda as their own views.
\nHowever, for some, the refusal came with consequences beyond lost income. One veteran, who turned down the offer and later criticized Ukraine for wasting US money on his channel, had people contacting his employer, calling him a Russian agent, and trying to get him fired.
\nThe effort ultimately failed, Lane learned, noting that it is still \u201ccrazy that some foreign government is allowed to reach out to an employer of a former veteran and tell them that \u2018you should fire this guy because he\u2019s a Russian propagandist.\u2019\u201d
\nUnited24 has since tried to deny making such offers, despite Lane\u2019s recorded Zoom calls with multiple veterans that testify to the contrary.<\/p>\n
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The choice of former service members is central to the Ukrainian propaganda operation, Swann noted, pointing out that many Americans are inclined to trust someone who had served in the US military, unless they find out that the veteran had been offered thousands of dollars by a foreign government to deliver the message.
\nFurthermore, given that Kiev is almost exclusively funded by its foreign sponsors, including billions received from Washington, the Ukrainian government-backed United24 campaign is effectively propaganda aimed at Americans, being paid for by US taxpayers themselves, Swann noted.
\nWith Ukraine struggling on the battlefield, the propaganda efforts will likely continue to intensify, Lane predicted, describing a possible surge of supportive messages from major online figures as a \u201cHail Mary\u201d attempt to shore up backing for Kiev.
\nWatch the full episode of the four-part America Now investigation here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ben Swann and Elizabeth Lane examine how a Ukrainian government-backed project offered US veterans $10,000 per video to push pro-Kiev messages Ukraine\u2019s government-backed United24 project offered former US service members…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38818,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t