The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation released a list of politicians, academics, and activists who it claimed promote “Russian propaganda.”
The list, published on July 14, includes multiple high-level U.S. figures, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI). The criteria for making the list are not clear, and the agency did not say what consequences, if any, result from being placed on the list. Military analyst Edward Luttwak was placed on the list for suggesting that referendums should be held in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions concerning their relation to Ukraine.
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Some defended actions that landed them on the list, with budget hawk Paul saying his vote against funding for Ukraine stemmed from his desire to prevent the national debt from ballooning.
“While I have repeatedly said my sympathies lie with Ukraine, my loyalty is to the United States. My oath of office obligates me to defend the United States and that includes defending our country from incurring massive new debt no matter how worthy the cause,” Paul told the Washington Examiner.
Others were less than thrilled about their newfound labels.
“From 24th February, Day One of the war, I have relentlessly argued that not just the U.S., U.K., Norway, and others should send weapons to Ukraine, but also the reluctant trio of France, Germany, and Italy,” Luttwak told UnHerd.
“I have personally lobbied defense ministers of NATO countries” to send more weapons as part of the war effort, he said. “I am not exactly Putin’s most faithful agent.”
Political scientist John Mearsheimer was also put on the list for commenting that “NATO has been in Ukraine since 2014” and “NATO provoked Putin.”
“I argue that it is clear from the available evidence that Russia invaded Ukraine because the United States and its European allies were determined to make Ukraine a Western bulwark on Russia’s border, which Moscow saw as an existential threat,” Mearsheimer explained. “Ukrainians of all persuasions reject my argument and instead blame Vladimir Putin, who is said to have been bent on conquering Ukraine and making it part of a greater Russia.”
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“But there is no evidence in the public record to support that claim, which creates real problems for both Kyiv and the West. So how do they deal with me? The answer, of course, is to label me a Russian propagandist, which I am not,” he added.
The Ukrainian government did not respond to a request for comment.
