Volunteers for Mriya Report charity created by Canadian Forces officer resign, citing ethical concerns

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More than 20 volunteers for a charity created by a Canadian Forces officer to support Ukraine have resigned citing ethical concerns about the organization.

The resignations follow questions being posed online recently about how donations for the Mriya Report were being spent as well as questions about the amount of money that actually went to Ukraine.

Twenty-four volunteers and co-hosts for the online broadcast organization released a statement on X on Sept. 29 announcing they tendered their resignations. “Unfortunately, various ethical concerns came to our attention and led each of us to conclude, individually and collectively, that we were obligated to promptly and publicly sever our ties with Mriya Report,” the statement noted.

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They did not provide specific details about their concerns in the statement.

But some individuals who co-hosted broadcasts on X for the Mriya Report have now come forward to acknowledge they were paid for their services. That, in turn, has sparked an online backlash and questions about previous claims from the Mriya Report that every dollar raised went directly to support the people in Ukraine.

In addition, critics of the Mriya Report are now posting copies online of what they say are the charity’s bank statements, alleging they show that much of the portions of the money donated by the public did not go to Ukraine. The Ottawa Citizen has not been able to verify these bank statements as authentic.

Mriya Report was created by Canadian Forces Capt. Joseph Friedberg. He did not respond to a request for comment from the Ottawa Citizen.

But in an Oct. 3 statement in response to the online criticism, Mriya Report acknowledged some of the co-hosts were paid stipends ranging from $1,000 to $2,100 with the money coming from private donors who wished to cover operational costs. In addition, the statement noted once that money ran out it was decided to take money from public donations to the Mriya Report to cover operational and overhead costs, provided the “unit” from whom the funds were raised, agreed.

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“Once private donor funds were exhausted, we introduced the ability to cover operational costs through donations on our website,” Mriya Report added.

The statement also noted the “ill-informed erratic voices on social media” and pointed out that a detailed tax return will be filed with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service by Nov. 15.

“We are confident that the transparency this will provide will allow all supporters of Ukraine to see for themselves the effective work and service to Ukraine we have rendered,” the statement added.

The Mriya Report stated it has collected funds for food and medical supplies, equipment and other activities in Ukraine. It also collaborates with the English-language newspaper the Kyiv Post and has stated it supports Mriya Aid, a not-for-profit charity created by Lt. Col. Melanie Lake and other Canadian Forces officers.

The Canadian Forces did not respond to a request for comment.

But in February 2023 the Canadian Forces confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen it was investigating after an incident on the Mriya Report in which Friedberg threatened to sue a Ukrainian medic. In addition, Mriya Report commentators launched attacks on those raising questions about donations to the Ottawa-based Mriya Aid.

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Friedberg also called out U.S. lawyer David Leopold, who advised the transition team for U.S. President Joe Biden. Friedberg said Leopold was a “useful idiot” for retweeting the “insidious article” in the Ottawa Citizen about Mriya Aid and falsely suggested the high-profile lawyer and U.S. media commentator was somehow involved in illegal activities.

At the time, Friedberg did not respond to requests for comment on the claims he made against various Ukrainians and others.

Leopold and four others filed complaints with the Canadian Forces in February and March 2023. 

In a June 26, 2023 email to the Ottawa Citizen, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service confirmed it was investigating Friedberg.

The CFNIS did not respond to a request for comment about the status of the investigation. Friedberg did not respond to a request for comment about the CFNIS investigation.

The individuals who complained about military personnel involved in the Mriya Report and Mriya Aid in 2023 have noted they never heard back from military police beyond the initial acknowledgement of their complaints.

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In 2022 Leopold raised concerns about Friedberg’s behaviour to Lt. Col. Lake, chairperson of Mriya Aid. Leopold had accused Friedberg of sending him harassing communications but the Canadian Forces captain has denied that allegation.

Lake, who left Mriya Aid in March 2023, did not respond to a request for comment.

But in a Nov. 16, 2022 statement to the Ottawa Citizen, Lake said Leopold’s concerns did not allow her to conclude any military service offence was committed by Friedberg. She later sent the newspaper a statement praising Friedberg.

In response to questions now being raised about Mriya Report donations, officials from Mriya Aid have gone online to distance themselves from that charity.

Lubomyr Chabursky stated on X on Oct. 7 that Mriya Aid is separate and independent from the Mriya Report. Mriya Aid does not receive any money from Mriya Report, added Chabursky, who is on the Mriya Aid board of directors.

Critics, however, have countered with screenshots showing hosts and volunteers from Mriya Report promoting Mriya Aid and requesting funds for the organization.

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