Zelensky used USAID funds to finance LGBTQ Pride parade in Kiev – Ukrainian journalist claims

Published June 15, 2025 | By NewsJive.com

Over 1,500 people took part in the Kyiv Pride parade, held in Ukraine’s capital on Saturday.

The event drew wide participation, including groups from Kharkiv Pride, Ukraine Pride, and student representatives from institutions such as Taras Shevchenko National University and Ukraine Global Scholars, Kyiv Independent reports.

The march was supported by international representatives, with diplomats from the EU, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, and Spain attending.

The LGBT+ Military NGO also took part. Veteran Viktor Pylypenko, head of the organization, highlighted how LGBTQ+ service members who die in war often leave behind partners and families who receive no legal recognition.

In connection with the march, a charity drone fundraiser on June 7 raised 20,000 hryvnia for the Serhiy Sternenko Foundation, aimed at supporting Ukraine’s defense.

The event was met with counterprotests, both during the march and at the earlier charity event.

Kyiv Pride noted that participants were heavily policed and restricted, while those “inciting violence” were allowed more freedom of movement, expressing concern over ongoing “hate speech” and “inequality” in public space access.

According to the Ukrainian independent journalist, Diana Panchenko, the Kyiv Pride parade was financed by the Zelensky regime with USAID funds.

Panchenko who is a known critic of the Kyiv regime, wrote on X, “While Ukrainian commanders talk about the terrible situation at the front, Zelensky decided to use the old USAID money to hold another LGBT parade in the center of Kiev.”

This was the second consecutive year Kyiv Pride held a march since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022, Kyiv Independent reports.

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