Independent media in Russia and Ukraine have been critical of their governments and provide alternative reporting, but much of it relied on U.S. grants.

Ben Stiller has denied social media reports that his humanitarian trip to Ukraine was funded by USAID, dismissing the claims as Russian “lies.” Over the weekend, the US Agency for International Development was targeted for dissolution by Elon Musk, who labeled it as a criminal enterprise on his social media platform X.

A video alleging that celebrities including Stiller, Sean Penn, and Angelina Jolie received funding from an agency that Musk wants to put “into the woodchipper” is nothing but “lies coming from Russian media,

Ben Stiller is setting the record straight about his humanitarian trip to Ukraine ... denying he ever received any payment from USAID to visit the war-torn country.

Actor and director Ben Stiller is shutting down a false claim on social media amplified by Elon Musk claiming that Stiller and other actors were paid millions by USAID to make trips to Ukraine.

The reportedly debunked social media post was shared by billionaire Elon Musk, who owns X, and Donald Trump Jr..