Twenty-Five Prominent Individuals Denounce Being Targeted As “Putin Agents”

On July 14, Kiev’s “Center for Countering Disinformation”, a Ukrainian government agency, published a list of 79 prominent international figures, whom they accuse of being propagandists for Russia (see the following item for background information on the Center, which is directly funded by U.S. and U.K. government agencies). The first 30 individuals named are experts from around the world who have spoken at at least one of the Schiller Institute conferences held this year, with SI Chairwoman Helga Zepp-LaRouche being number two. The following declaration had been signed, as of July 30, by 25 of those named, with more signatures expected.

Response to the Ukrainian black-listing

“We, the participants in various conferences of the Schiller Institute, and other individuals named in the Ukrainian list, are accused of promoting “Russian propaganda” on a list posted by the ‘Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation,’ which is officially part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, operating under the authority of the President.

“In times of war, publishing such a list is tantamount to targeting individuals. It is all the more unacceptable that the list agglomerates the names of many speakers, representing top institutions from around the globe, with diverse opinions, who are involved in a dialogue, searching to arrive at peace in the interest of all.

“To assume that such a wide array of speakers are all ‘Putin agents’ and can’t think for themselves, can only be explained by a belief in conspiracy theories, or as mere vulgar propaganda, or both. The key question is whether the listed speakers are promoting viewpoints consonant with the truth.

“Normally, this would be up to an audience to decide. But the U.S./NATO efforts to blacklist those that would offer any “alternative narrative” on Ukraine, until now, remains unchallenged.

“So, hats off to Ukraine for providing a handy list of speakers who voice different ideas.

“Those interested in finding out the truth will now be better able to compare the official story — the ‘narrative’ — with an uncompromised critique, determine which can bear close scrutiny, and decide for themselves which analysis is closer to the truth.”

Among the signers, whom our readers will likely recognize, are Ray McGovern and Kirk Wiebe, both members of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), as well as Col. Richard H. Black (ret.), Lt. Gen. Leonardo Tricarico, former chief of staff of the Italian Air Force, German Dr. jur. Wolfgang Bittner, and Danish journalist Jens Jorgen Nielsen. A full list of the signers is available here.