Musk spreads fake news about alleged USAID funding celebrity visits to Ukraine

Billionaire Elon Musk has retweeted a fake news story on X purporting to be from E! News claiming that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been funding visits of western celebrities to Ukraine, the Center for Countering Disinformation reports via Telegram.

The US presidential administration has recently furloughed approximately 100 USAID employees and is exploring possibilities for restructuring the agency. USAID has been providing financial support for various global programs, including women’s healthcare in conflict zones, clean water access, HIV/AIDS treatment, energy security, and anti-corruption efforts.

The Center confirms that no such story exists on E! News’ official platforms, indicating the content originated from Russian disinformation creators.

The disinformation center warns that spreading such falsehoods undermines support for Ukraine among world leaders and cultural figures.

“Despite X being blocked in Russia itself, Russian propaganda actively uses this social network to spread its own narratives,” the Center emphasized.

Currently, the disinformation tweet, reposted by Elon Musk, has 3.6 million views, 25,000 likes, and 12,000 retweets.

The community note under the tweet noted that the posted video “has been fabricated to appear as though it came from ENews,” but there is no evidence that ENews ever reported this. Additionally, Ben Stiller has also “explicitly denied this allegation, stating his trip was entirely self-funded.”

Elon Musk has been linked to multiple instances of amplifying pro-Russian narratives and contacts with Russia, including maintaining direct contact with Putin, questioning Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, promoting “exit strategy” rhetoric aligned with Russian interests, sharing Kremlin-produced memes mocking Zelenskyy, and exerting political influence in ways that benefit Russia. His actions have drawn criticism for echoing propaganda and undermining Ukraine’s position in the ongoing Russian invasion of the country.

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