Having long witnessed the phenomenon of USAID-backed 'color revolutions' in neighboring and regional former Soviet satellite countries, Russia has been closely following the Trump administration's efforts to fully dismantle the United States Agency for International Development.
Head of the recently established US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, has been spearheading this, saying on Monday that "We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper. Could gone to some great parties. Did that instead." And now Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has weighed in with a message and a warning.
The former Russian president and top national security official expressed hope that the US deep state won’t consume Elon Musk after shutting down the long-running agency known for having funded regime change operations abroad for many decades.
"Smart move by Elon Musk, trying to plug USAID's Deep Throat. Let's hope notorious Deep State doesn't swallow him whole," Medvedev wrote on X.
Ironically this came the same day that never-Trump neocon and intellectual architect behind Bush's disastrous Iraq war issued a tweet declaring his preference for the deep state, and he was being quite literal.
"The deep state is far preferable to the Trump state," Kristol said, in a rare moment saying what many other career government operatives are thinking, or saying the quiet part out loud.
Interestingly Medvedev also took the opportunity Monday to blast Ukraine and President Zelensky over alleged 'missing' USAID funds meant for Kiev. According to Russia's RT:
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s recent claim that he is unaware of the whereabouts of more than $100 billion of Western aid funds allocated to Kiev is a “brazen and cynical lie,” former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has suggested.
In a Telegram post on Monday, Medvedev, who now serves as the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, accused Zelensky and his associates of embezzling significant sums. “In a fit of candor, the Bandera regime’s boss admitted that he and his cronies had siphoned off $100 billion,” he stated.
Zelensky had told the Associated Press in an interview published the day prior that Ukraine received just over $75 billion in military and other types of assistance, despite $177 billion in military aid had been approved under Biden.
"When it is said that Ukraine received $200 billion to support the army during the war – that’s not true. I don’t know where all that money went. Perhaps it’s true on paper with hundreds of different programs – I won’t argue, and we’re immensely grateful for everything. But in reality, we received about $76 billion. It’s significant aid, but it’s not $200 billion," Zelensky said, in remarks that have raised eyebrows.
There may also be serious questions from the new Trump administration over the line about not knowing where all that money went. Time for a full stoppage at least until there is a thorough US-sponsored audit? Medvedev has alleged, "The hundred billion lined the pockets of all kinds of kleptocrats from Washington to Kiev."