Nicolas Cinquini

I am flabbergasted and yet, a difficult audience. The Ukrainian democratic government, its State security agency (SBU), have listed and publicly reported, on an official website, 78 foreigners so far, analysts, journalists, politicians, scholars… who are accused of promoting narratives consonant with Russian propaganda. These lucky winners are for example

• Jeffrey Sachs, US citizen, scholar, economist, consultant within the United Nations,
• Rand Paul, US citizen, ophthalmologist, politician, senator,
• Douglas Macgregor, US citizen, retired colonel, author, consultant,
• Alice Schwarzer, German citizen, journalist, feminist militant,
• Rolf Mützenich, German citizen, politician, member of the Bundestag,
• Glenn Greenwald, US citizen, lawyer, author, journalist.

The website is representing the Center for countering disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. Let us not be catechumens. To list and monitor foreign contradictors is a legitimate activity for the Ukrainian intelligence. But the weird stuff is the publication of the list. That’s intimidation, an attempt of censorship, not polite, when the subjects are citizens of allied countries.

The Ukrainian authorities are pretty arrogant. When the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany states publicly that the Kanzler is an offended liver sausage, his words are not my concern. I am not Olaf Scholz’ debtor. But when Alice Schwarzer is publicly reported as a political enemy, Scholz is paid for being concerned.

I was surprised when on social networks, Ukrainian nationalists, at various moments, threatened me, that the SBU would punish me. In such a case, I would be glad to be their servant. But I am concerned about the political opponents in Ukraine.