Amsterdam: Kyiv authorities allocate $3.5M to U.S. lobbyists to destroy UOC

Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Photo: savetheuoc.com

"I'm just furious that at such a critical moment, when Ukraine's frontline youth needs help more than ever, Kyiv is spending nearly $4 million on a PR campaign in Washington to cover up its abuses against the Church," wrote American lawyer of the UOC Robert Amsterdam in his X (formerly Twitter) on April 16, 2024.

The international human rights advocate published a press release on the scheme used by Ukrainian state agents to disguise the persecution of the UOC in their country.

According to Robert Amsterdam, Ukraine's decision to spend $3.5 million of U.S. taxpayer funds on PR is shameful.

"Reckless and irresponsible" spending on Washington lobbyists is an insult to all Ukrainians, especially those fighting on the frontlines, the lawyer added.

As the UOJ wrote, recently Ukrainian structures have hired a number of firms and individuals associated with the Republican Party for lobbying activities in the US. The fact that Ukrainian organizations are hiring these structures is also indicated by information from the U.S. Department of Justice and reports in the American media. This was reported by "Strana.ua" with reference to its sources in the political circles of Ukraine.

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