The Ukrainian government, using the services of non-governmental organizations, is concluding expensive contracts with US lobbying firms to support draft law No 8371 aimed at banning the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was reported by Strana.ua.

It is reported that the non-governmental organization from Ukraine “Kyiv Global Outreach” hired a well-known lobbying firm from Washington DCI Group. As O’Dwyer’s publication notes, this company has strong ties to the US Republican Party.

“This one comes as the Republican Party’s support for arming Ukraine in its fight against Russia wanes. DCI’s contract calls for helping to “rebuild and maintain strong public support for Ukraine” in its fight against Russian aggression, as well as supporting policies that strengthen Ukrainian security and conditions for peace. The contract runs from Feb. 26 through the end of the year. Its value is $3.6 million. DCI managing partner Justin Peterson, who worked on the presidential campaigns of Elizabeth Dole and George W. Bush, is heading the Ukrainian direction”, – the publication writes.

Kyiv Global Outreach itself is described in Impact Management Group’s application as follows: it engages in analytical, educational and advocacy activities aimed at “effectively meeting and protecting Ukraine’s national interests, both internally and externally, in order to preserve democratic values and ensure the country’s innovative, industrial and economic development”.

According to “Strana”, one of the key goals of such activities of lobbying companies in the U.S. is also the promotion of the bill № 8371, which is criticized by representatives of the Republican Party of the United States. For this purpose, hired lobbyists plan to launch websites and other information resources in the U.S. with relevant content.

“The second task, is “advocacy” among the American establishment and the media for the bill to ban the UOC, which is currently being considered in the Rada. In this regard, it is noteworthy that Kyiv Global Outreach has hired another lobbying firm, Madison Strategies LLC, whose website states that it provides consulting services “for conservative candidates and situations throughout the United States.” The U.S. Department of Justice filings from this firm say they plan to distribute informational materials on behalf of the client, including maintaining websites and social media pages. However, it is clarified that these resources are still in “development. Probably, the site meant the resource “Defenders Of Faith And Religious Freedom In Ukraine” (Defenders Of Faith And Religious Freedom In Ukraine). In any case, the “About Us” section of the site contains data of Madison Strategies LLC and a brief biography of its Harry Marks. The lobbyists call their mission “to protect the right to peacefully practice Christianity in the chosen temple and protect religious freedom from Russian aggression in Ukraine”, – said in the publication.

We will remind, earlier Ukrainian political scientist Kost Bondarenko said that during the years from 2020 to 2024 the Office of the President of Ukraine paid for information campaigns in Western countries to maintain the image of Ukraine and promote the interests of the state. One of the areas that the Office of the President of Ukraine was working on was also discrediting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Western media.