Social media has been set on fire by a video claiming that USAID, the primary aid arm of the American government, has paid Hollywood celebrities huge amounts of money to visit Ukraine. The viral video has even been shared and supported by popular figures, such as Elon Musk. But the video, unfortunately, is fake and bears all the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign, which the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) previously explored. Olga Robinson, a member of BBC Verify, has spoken about why this video is untrue.
According to the BBC, the video has “re-emerged,” and the initial one was posted in 2014. Joel Harding, who was an expert on Russian disinformation campaigns, commented that the video was a “classic example” of disinformation and propaganda from Russia. The video is, in fact, an example of what is known as “stochastic terrorism,” where certain messages are spread in such a way that random events are encouraged and incited as a result.
The video is not legitimate, and USAID has stated that it has no budget to pay celebrities to travel to Ukraine. The clip is made up of several individual clips, each one pieced together to concoct a complex and seemingly factual narrative. It is believed that Russia’s interest in generating this content was likely fueled by their desire to destabilize the Ukrainian government.
The video is seemingly an attempt to manipulate the thoughts and beliefs of some, and therefore to alter future events. Robinson stressed that at times like these, it is crucial to fact-check and validate any information obtained before sharing it with others – no matter how intriguing or fascinating it may be. The consequences of unquestioningly believing false information can be catastrophic
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