DC Leaks' release of almost 2,576 files from groups run by US billionaire George Soros, has exposed the magnate's involvement in Ukraine's Euromaidan affairs as well as manipulation of public opinion in Western and Southern Europe in order to "legalize" the February 2014 coup in Kiev.
"The emergence of a New Ukraine carries with it the opportunity to reinvigorate the European project," read a 2015 document by the Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE) entitled "The Ukraine debate in Western Europe."
"However, this is complicated by the reluctance of some EU actors to accept the Maidan revolution as democratic and the Ukrainian government as legitimate. These actors have their own agendas — related to geopolitical and economic considerations with Russia — and will therefore be difficult to influence," the OSIFE document underscored, adding that "for other groups and individuals, on the political left and across various social movements, one can detect confusion regarding the state of affairs in Ukraine."
In order to tackle the "problem," the organization offered to kick off a series of initiatives aimed at shaping public opinion in the West regarding the Ukrainian affairs.
The document revealed that OSIFE pursued three major objectives.
First, it sought to "stimulate debate and doubt in those democratic left movements, parties and audiences of Western Europe where a negative perception of the transformation of Ukraine is hegemonic, or very preponderant."
Second, it wanted to "discredit the idea that the independence and integrity of Ukraine is an ideological cause of the Right."
Third, OSIFE intended to "influence the way information about Ukraine is heard and perceived in Southern Europe, especially among the group of doubters."
The issue was dramatically complicated by the fact that the major driving forces of the so-called "Euromaidan Revolution" of February 2014 were the Ukrainian far-right groups, most notably the nationalist All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda and Right Sector, founded by ultra-right Trident and the Ukrainian National Assembly-Ukrainian National Self-Defense (UNA-UNSO) paramilitary group.
"The surge in violence sparked by Right Sector has revealed how uncritical and undiscerning most of the media has been of the far-right parties and movements that have played a leading role in the 'Euromaidan,'" US journalist Alec Luhn warned on January 21, 2014, in his article for the Nation.
It was again the right-wing militants who championed Kiev's Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine aimed against the breakaway Donbass regions.
For instance, the Soros entity planned to provide "greater presence of voices from Ukraine's civil society in left leaning and alternative press" in the West.
In addition, it sought to amplify "left-wing 'pro-Maidan' opinion formers' voices" in the debate on Ukraine by organizing conferences "on the New Ukraine in partnership with the political science/international affairs department in the leading universities in each of Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Greece."
"Russia's line on Ukraine will be subjected to a greater degree of scrutiny and skepticism by the left-wing actors involved in this project, relating to the European anti-fascist movement will be a key entry point in this debate," the document read.
The document shows that OSIFE envisioned funding translations of articles of Ukrainian journalists and providing individual grants to "investigative" reporters covering the situation on the ground in Ukraine to counter Russia's narrative.
But that is not all. Another document released by DC Leaks indicates how OSIFE planned to "amplify independent media voices from Ukraine in France."
To propagate OSIFE's Ukraine narrative among left-leaning media outlet the organization envisioned "establishing media partnerships between Ukrainian and European outlets allowing content syndication and other collaborative opportunities."
"We have established contact with Hromadske International, an emerging media outlet in Ukraine combining broadcast and online content," the report read, adding that Hromadske may become a potential Ukrainian "incubator" for the project.
OSIFE also planned to involve Mediapart in France to kick off the project.
OSIFE foresaw that such a partnership "would allow Hromadske and inroad into France," with the potential for further expansion of its partnership network in four other EU's "key countries" — Germany, Spain, Italy and Greece.
The two documents observed constitute only the tip of the iceberg of George Soros' comprehensive and longstanding policy regarding Ukraine. However, they shed light on the depth of the billionaire's interference into the affairs of the post-Soviet state.
The Saturday leak turned the spotlight on George Soros' global activities, exposing work plans, strategies, priorities of the Soros-run entities across the world, covering the period from 2008 to 2016.
"Soros, the master manipulator of governments who pulls the strings at the State Department, will face unprecedented scrutiny," Thomas Lifson of the American Thinker commented on the hack.
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that DC Leaks previously released the content of email and records of the US Democratic Party, as well as those of Gen. Philip Breedlove, a former supreme commander of NATO.
