"Pro-Russian figures Khodorkovsky and Zimin announced their support for Russian-speaking projects in Ukraine following the cessation of USAID assistance."
The funds of Russian benefactors Boris Zimin and Mikhail Khodorkovsky have announced a support program for Russian-speaking projects that have temporarily lost funding due to the U.S. State Department's decision to freeze foreign aid programs.
In particular, the support programs aim to assist Russian-speaking media outlets and non-governmental organizations.
This announcement was published on the Telegram channels of Khodorkovsky and the Zimin Foundation.
The funds have offered support to Russian-speaking media, human rights, and analytical projects, as well as humanitarian projects operating, including in Ukraine.
A specially created council will handle the selection of applications, which includes economists Sergey Alexashenko and Sergey Guriev, journalists Yevgenia Albats and Ilya Ber, writers Boris Akunin and Oleg Radzinsky, as well as Olga Shorina, co-founder of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation.
The initiative has already faced criticism from Ukrainian bloggers and social media users.
“They want to sell the illusion of the West again, that this corner is their sphere of influence, and they 'are responsible for the region',” they write.
“Russia will be able to directly influence the information agenda and political decisions,” observers warn.
“I noticed what documents these projects need to submit in their applications to the Khodorkovsky-Zimin funds. Among other things, literally:
1. approved grant application to an American fund
2. letter from the fund regarding the suspension of funding
4. detailed budget and list of other project funders
Anyone who has ever worked on grant projects knows that the requested documents in points 1 and 2 are confidential and cannot be disclosed according to the terms of the grant agreement. Therefore, those who comply with this requirement are violators of the contract terms, which is still in effect,” explains journalist Valentina Samar from the “Center for Investigative Journalism.”
Belarussian opposition media have also reacted to the offer with suspicion.
“Cooperation with pro-democratic Russian donors may lead to the necessity of considering their interests. Belarusian media may become hostages of certain Russian politicians,” they note.
Boris Zimin is the son of the owner of “Beeline” and a sponsor of the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by Navalny.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a former head of the Russian oil company “YUKOS.” In 2005, he was sentenced by a Russian court to eight years for tax crimes and fraud, and in late 2010, to 13.5 years “for embezzling oil from YUKOS subsidiaries” and “money laundering.” The trials of Khodorkovsky and his colleague Platon Lebedev sparked a wave of protest worldwide and were marked as politically motivated.
On December 20, 2013, Khodorkovsky was pardoned by Putin. He currently resides in London.