Fake letter sparks allegations of US meddling in Ukraine

An apparently forged letter purporting to come from the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat appeared to show Washington lawmakers meddling in internal Ukrainian politics.

Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) signature was faked on the letter apparently sent to Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, his office said, in what appeared to be a ploy to bolster Russian media speculation that Ukrainian leaders were doing the bidding of lawmakers in Washington.

{mosads}In the letter, which is written in stilted English on letterhead appearing to come from the U.S. Senate, someone claiming to be Durbin expresses opinions about filling various roles within the Ukrainian government, including the minister of Agrarian Policy and Food and the minister of Energy.

In one passage, the letter claims that “[m]ajority of the Senators agree” that neither men tapped to fill two government-appointed positions “meets the job requirements.”

In other parts, it claims that Yatsenyuk should “invest every effort” to keep another official in place.

Durbin is the co-founder of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and has been a vocal critic of Russia from Capitol Hill. The forged letter would appear to confirm some Russian accusations that the Ukrainian government is a puppet of the U.S.

“Senator Durbin has been outspoken in his criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and supportive of Ukrainian efforts to reform their economy and defend their nation,” Durbin spokesman Ben Marter said in a statement to The Hill. “This letter is a forgery and was obviously written by somebody with a tenuous grasp of the English language.”

Durbin’s office has referred the issue to both the FBI and the CIA, Marter added.

As one evidence of the forgery, the letter lists Durbin’s title as “assistant minority leader,” though his actual title is assistant Democratic leader.