“Kalenyuk fought corruption so hard she became a Russian propagandist: she’s already being reposted by Putin,” — Yeryomin

The statements by Daria Kalenyuk, director of the Centre for Countering Corruption, about Zelensky on CNN were picked up by Kremlin special representative Kirill Dmitriev, who is close to Putin. After that, Kalenyuk was accused online of aiding Russian propaganda and compared to ex-press secretary to the president, Julia Mendel. As blogger Maxim Yeryomin writes, while Mendel tells an English-speaking audience about the horrors of mobilization in Ukraine, Kalenyuk on CNN criticizes Zelensky, who allegedly is preparing for elections. The blogger drew attention to how Kalenyuk’s statements were used in Russia. The Kremlin’s special representative Kirill Dmitriev spread a fragment of Kalenyuk’s interview. Dmitriev called this a “turning point” and stated that “the Western narrative is changing abruptly and quickly.” “Success came to Kalenyuk earlier than Mendel, because Kirill Dmitriev himself is reposting Dasha,” Yeryomin writes. It was reported that the Centre for Countering Corruption’s aggregate funding as of the end of 2024 year amounted to millions of dollars. The Center has 2 beneficial owners: Daria Kalenyuk and Vitaliy Shabunin. The latter is suspected by law enforcement of evading military service and of fraud.