The CIA created radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in 1949. Until 1972 it was classified that the CIA was behind it.
Today it is openly run by the US Department of State with an annual budget of $125 million per year. It has over 700 employees and publishes “news” in over two dozen languages.
RFE/RL is currently promoting a narrative that Ukraine is defeating Russia on the battlefield. They are even recycling videos from state-sponsored Ukrainian media.
RFE/RL has aired multiple video clips showing dead Russian soldiers during the past few days. Critics say their agenda appears to be aimed at encouraging Ukraine to keep fighting and not seek a negotiated peace.
However, RFE/RL trashed Zelensky during the 2019 presidential campaign. They called him the puppet of an “Oligarch.”
At the time, Zelensky claimed he wanted to resolve the Donbas War and implement the 2015 Minsk Agreement with separatists. This would have dramatically de-escalated tension with Russia, had he followed through with his campaign rhetoric.
His opponent was incumbent president Petro Poroshenko. It was Poroshenko who was escalating tensions with Russia at the time. As a campaign stunt, Poroshenko changed official Ukrainian policies declaring Russia to be a “military adversary” and ended Ukrainian neutrality. Poroshenko introduced a constitution amendment declaring Ukraine’s desire to join NATO. It passed the Ukrainian parliament with 74% of MPs voting in favor.
RFE/RL accused Zelensky of being a puppet of Ihor Kolomoyskyi, who is a citizen of Ukraine, Israel, and Cyprus. On March 5th, 2022, the US State Department banned Kolomoyskyi from entering the United States.
