Canada is committing up to $24 million to support “elections and democracy” in Ukraine, including money to counter Russian disinformation, as tensions between Russia and the West continue to rise.
Up to $2.5 million is going towards “countering disinformation,” specifically from Russia. A background document provided by Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office expresses Canada’s position bluntly: “Russia’s objective is to disrupt the stability of the Ukrainian state and throw into question the very legitimacy of democracy in the eyes of Ukrainian citizens.”
Freeland made the funding announcement in Milan, Italy on Thursday at a conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. It comes as a naval standoff between Russia and Ukraine continues in the waters off Crimea, the territory Russia annexed in 2014 — and as democracies continue to grapple with foreign attempts to influence voters via social media.
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