Kiev’s Infamous Hit List Is Back, Targeting the Schiller Institute

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) posted once again on Dec. 20 a list of Western figures it charges with promoting “Russian propaganda”. Number one on the list is Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and head of the international Schiller Institute. The people named are accused of such alleged “crimes” as publicly advocating a peaceful settlement to the conflict, pointing to NATO’s role in provoking the war, or merely promoting “Russian culture”. The CCD designates people holding such views as “information terrorists”, to be tried as terrorists would be.

The Center’s activities, however, are not really Ukrainian. Although it officially operates under Kiev’s National Security and Defense Council, it is advised, financed, and supported by NATO, the United States and UK governments, as well as the EU, and basically acts as an “information warfare” unit of NATO.

This is the third time the CCD has posted such a hit list. The first, which was published last July 14. named 71 people, the first 30 of whom have been speakers at various Schiller Institute international conferences (including Helga Zepp-LaRouche as number two). Following the international protests spearheaded by the Schiller Institute as well as diplomatic pressure, that list was removed from the website on Aug. 11. It was re-posted in early October, with a few more names added to bring the total to over 90 (moving Zepp-LaRouche up to first place) – and was removed around Nov. 6. The most recent posting has been shortened to 42 people.

In addition to that list, the CCD has also issued, as of this writing, six “infographics” of those named, posted on Instagram. The first was devoted to Helga Zepp-LaRouche for promoting “Russian-sounding narratives in theWestern information space”. The narratives it cites include saying that “NATO provoked Russia” and ignored Putin’s 2007 warning against NATO expansion, or that “the West made a huge mistake by not listening to Russia about its security concerns”. The others singled out for infographics are former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter; RT journalist Caleb Maupin; CATO Institute researcher Doug Bandow; Fox News host Tucker Carlson; and independent journalist Eva Bartlett. More are promised.

Although the U.S. State Department officially claimed last Autumn that it had stopped funding the CCD, a forum the Center held on Nov. 30 was publicly sponsored by the State Department’s USAID (Agency for International Development).