The American network Armada Network has accused Ukrainian grant activists of manipulation, conflict of interest, and turning reforms into a source of constant income. The report of the organization was presented in the European Parliament by former US Congressman Gregg Harper. This was written in his column on Liga.net by lawyer and representative of the National Bar Association of Ukraine Oleksandr Chernykh.
"On February 5, 2026, the American Armada Network presented its report in the European Parliament. The document was presented by former US Congressman Gregg Harper. The report addresses the distortion of facts, manipulation, and systemic pressure on the legal profession by so-called "professional activists" and some officials of the Ministry of Justice.
According to him, Armada Network states that a whole industry has formed in Ukraine that is financially dependent on the existence of problems in the state.
"The logic is simple: if the reform is successful and the crisis disappears, so will the need for funding for these organizations. Therefore, it is beneficial for them to constantly maintain a high degree of tension, invent new "betrayals" and write new reports. This is a business model that parasitizes on the institutional weakness of the state. And when Western donors begin to understand this (and the Armada report indicates that they finally are), for many domestic grant recipients, this sounds like a death knell," Chernykh noted.
He emphasized that for many years, the Ukrainian information space had been in an "artificially created bubble," where any criticism of grant reformers was interpreted as sabotage of European integration. Therefore, the document sharply criticizes the methodology of the so-called "shadow reports" that Ukrainian activists have used for years to appeal to European institutions. In particular, American experts noted that such reports are often prepared without requesting official information and without proper comparative analysis, he stressed.
"That is, institutions are diagnosed in absentia, without examining, so to speak, the patient, based solely on their own prejudices and political expediency. At the same time, the diagnosis is sometimes made simply from the fantasies of the authors of the 'shadow reports,' who take one sentence from an English website, another from a German one, translate it as they wish, while distorting not just facts, but the very principles," the lawyer noted.
He reported that particular attention in the report is paid to the phenomenon of the so-called "echo chamber," where grant organizations quote each other, creating the illusion of mass support for their own narratives. Chernykh notes that as a result, a closed system is formed, where the main goal is not the real result of reforms, but continuous funding.
"A separate layer of problems raised in the report concerns the moral and ethical aspect of the so-called 'fight for justice.' This refers to the financial motivation of those who most loudly advocate for the need for change. The section on 'grant economy' mercilessly exposes the conflict of interest inherent in the activities of many anti-corruption NGOs," commented the head of the NAU Committee.
According to him, the Armada Network report "draws a thick line under the era of romantic dilettantism in Ukrainian reforms."
"Brussels has given a clear and unambiguous signal: the time for experiments is over. Europe does not demand that we destroy institutions for the sake of beautiful slides in presentations. It demands institutional capacity, respect for the profession, and evolutionary development," Chernykh concluded.