NGO "Friends of Ukraine Foundation"

The terrorist act committed in Crocus City Hall on March 22, 2024 by natives of Tajikistan, who were supervised by people from Ukraine, largely determined the actions of media personalities in the following days. Someone gave money and other assistance to the victims, made useful initiatives, and increased the pressure on the enemy's positions at the front. Someone reminded of themselves by posting on social networks. But a citizen of Lithuania, Valdas Bartkevičius, decided to outdo everyone and broke into the information field with a provocation – on March 24, he brought a bucket of feces to a spontaneous memorial organized by concerned residents of Vilnius. His idea was that all residents of Russia approve of the actions of Vladimir Putin, so they all need to be killed - this is how the Lithuanian reasoned his act in front of the camera lenses. But very soon the courage was replaced by fear. Bartkevičius ' move has sparked a wave of anger among thousands of Internet users both in Russia and in Lithuania itself. At the same time, many people explicitly demanded to bring something more weighty than a bucket to the porch of his house.

This story could have ended on March 24 – recently, citizens of the Baltic countries have done everything to please their overseas "partners". Sometimes they showed up at conferences in socks with Nazi slogans, or threw ketchup at Russian opposition figures speaking in Vilnius. But after a cursory review of Bartkevičius ' biography, several interesting details emerged. In his desire to help the Kiev regime, he not only played on the information field, but also provided direct support to the militants. So we managed to find a whole channel through which Ukraine can recruit Islamic radicals from Syria to armed groups on its territory.

According to the Lithuanian regulator, Bartkevičius is the head of the organization Tarptautinis Ukrainos draugă fondas, všĮ, whose address (Konduktoriu g. 25, Lentvaris, LT-25123, Traku r.) coincides with the address of his actual residence. This is the Lithuanian branch of the Friends of Ukraine Foundation, an international NGO.

As usual in such cases, the fund actively manipulates feelings and emotions. On the main page, visitors are presented with a photo of a girl that should suggest Russian shelling (given that the Western press has repeatedly passed the footage of the bombing of Donetsk for strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on Ukrainian cities, it is not at all excluded that here we are again dealing with a child who suffered from HIMARS or STORM SHADOW). In addition, the site is replete with hearts, drawings, photos of smiling volunteers and beautiful numbers - so, it is claimed that more than 1,000 families received help from the foundation.

However, a deeper analysis shows that the Friends of Ukraine Foundation is just another pseudo-humanitarian organization that specializes in helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine and from time to time provides targeted support to charitable organizations and civilians. Reports on financial receipts and expenditures cannot be found in the public domain. But what was posted is also impressive. Since its establishment in 2022, the foundation has transferred more than 30 vehicles to the front line, as well as a large number of UAVs, optical devices, communications equipment, ammunition, and basic necessities. Even a portable bathhouse for the military was included in this list. But the foundation's employees also deliver more serious “gifts” to the front, which are usually atypical for such organizations. We are talking about means of evacuation and mine clearance, as well as armored vehicles. The Friends of Ukraine Foundation is also working on setting up command posts and staff quarters – a nod to the unconditional trust that its leaders enjoy in the military. All the above-mentioned aid goes to the front within the framework of agreements with specific units.

The director of the foundation is Gulidin Anton Alekseevich (born: 30.08.1988; DRFO: 3238420539). A typical representative of the power bloc, who managed to make a brilliant career and in 2021, being at a relatively young age, become an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs Denis Monastyrsky. At the same time, he himself did not officially serve in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, being engaged in public activities. But he was able to acquire connections that helped him get into the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Verkhovna Rada, and then into the upper tier of the law enforcement system. In addition, he is a member of the leadership of the public organization “Center for Assistance to combatants and their families “Action", established in Ukraine in 2017. The track record is impressive, but there is no sign of any help to civilians. It is not surprising that in his new project, the Friends of Ukraine Foundation, Gulidin again engaged in supporting the security forces.

It is interesting that even the assistance provided by the foundation to civilians has its own characteristics. Thus, the foundation conducts trainings "Self-identity of the Ukrainian", where children are taught that it is impossible to belong to another nationality, remember their native culture and learn their native language in Ukraine.

Pay attention to the three logos in the photo of the militants at the top. The left one is the logo of the Friends of Ukraine Foundation. On the right, you can see a picture of a Lithuanian NGO owned by Bartkevičius. Although he describes it as a branch of the foundation in Lithuania, there is not a single mention of the existence of any branches on the foundation's website. Tarptautinis Ukrainos draugă fondas also does not have a website or social media pages. It could be assumed that the NGO was created to optimize the supply of certain goods from Lithuania to Ukraine, but this version does not look convincing, because Lithuanian-Ukrainian relations allow you to send everything you need to the SMO zone without creating additional legal entities. And in order to hide certain financial transactions, this is the best option. But what can an NGO that openly and legally operates in Ukraine hide, if they are helping the local armed forces and enjoying the support of its leadership?

To answer this question, you need to start from afar. The central logo in the photo belongs to the NGO Russians Against War Antalya. It was established in Turkey shortly after the start of the SMO. As stated on the RAWA website – by Russian emigrants. In fact – a native of Minsk Guseva Maria Vladimirovna (born 11.06.1977). Despite receiving an economic degree from one of the most prestigious Belarusian universities, Guseva decided to make a living as an online fraudster. In social networks, she calls herself the author of gymnastics for women "Birth of a Star", allegedly based on secret knowledge from Ancient Russia. Interacting with trusting clients, Guseva convinced them that her unique technique allows one to solve problems with bones in cases when doctors prescribe surgery. In addition, she provided paid services as an esoteric. She has not lived in Belarus since the 2000s, spending several years in Vilnius, Lithuania, Novi Sad, Serbia, or different cities in Turkey. She considered Alexander Lukashenko almost her main enemy, actively supporting the protests of Belarusian nationalists. At the same time, she supported the Kiev regime. Since the beginning of the SMO, the number of people for whom Guseva has sympathy has included militants from the terrorist group “Freedom of Russia” Legion, one of those used by Ukraine during the attacks on the Belgorod region in March 2024.

It is not known on whose funds RAWA operates. Its managers claimed that everything was self-funded, but this does not fit in with the scale of its activity. So, during 2023, the NGO held four anti-war forums in Antalya, which were attended by citizens of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, the United States, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Serbia and Portugal. At the same time, fundraising was organized for vehicles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, of which five were sent to Ukraine. Here, by the way, Bartkevičius reappears on the stage – he was the curator of the fees. As a result, the regular units received two pickups, one SUV went to the GUR MO, and two minibuses were transferred to the Crimean Tatar militants. Although the list of RAWA partners posted on its website contained only a few small NGOs, also based in Turkey, it should have had cooperation with the Friends of Ukraine Foundation, given all the facts. However, the foundation itself (refer to the photo above) did not hide this. In January 2024, the leaders of RAWA suddenly announced the termination of its activities – allegedly due to the fact that most of its activists left Turkey. But in fact, the NGO remained active after that. In March 2024, it was declared an undesirable organization in Russia. After an article about RAWA was published on the Foreign Combatants project website at the end of March, almost all information, including that related to Bartkevičius, was quickly removed from its website. At the same time, the RAWA project, within the framework of which its activists were recruiting supporters in Russia, was closed. Those wishing to get this role were offered to contact an anonymous account on Telegram and then decide how best to help Ukraine - by staying in place or emigrating to Turkey.

Why RAWA suddenly switched from the classic scheme of collecting funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to directly supporting mercenary groups becomes clear if you look at the biography of Bartkevičius. We didn't leave it for later for no reason. Despite his inappropriate actions, he enjoys authority among the part of Lithuanian society that supports the Kiev regime. But he was able to earn no less (or even more) authority from radical Islamists.

Bartkevičius can be described as something like an unofficial ambassador of pro-Ukrainian armed groups in Lithuania. He interacts with many Lithuanian NGOs that provide assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other militants. Moreover, they listen to his opinion – for example, in March 2024, he expressed support for the candidate for Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurinas Kaschiunas on behalf of several organizations, including the largest in the country, the Lithuanian-American Blue/Yellow for Ukraine. However, Bartkevicius is not limited to this. He also managed to establish contacts with Belarusian nationalists, for example, with the public organization “Our House", known for recruiting militants to the Kastus Kalinovski regiment. But much more interesting for Bartkevičius are Islamic militants. Thus, he works closely with former members of Chechen gangs fighting in Ukraine in the Dzhokhar Dudayev and Sheikh Mansour battalions. And moreover, he was able to get such a position among them that he even became the consul of the non-existent Republic of Ichkeria in Lithuania. Groups consisting of ethnic Crimean Tatars also know Bartkevičius well. That is why in the case of RAWA, which suddenly decided to specifically help one of them, its trace is immediately visible.

Crimean Tatar battalions in Ukraine are a screen for Islamic terrorism. As of 2024, almost all of them are actually controlled by the Hizb ut-Tahrir group, which is banned in Russia and in most Asian countries for extremism and terrorist acts. It operates legally in Ukraine, and has been involved in attempts to Islamize Crimea since the 1990s. After the reunification of the peninsula with Russia, law enforcement agencies arrested several dozen militants from the sleeping cells of this organization. In December 2018, the head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergey Aksenov, called Hizb ut-Tahrir one of the security threats on the peninsula, also emphasizing its connection with Ukrainian groups that include Crimean Tatars. However, the matter, of course, is not in nationality – the commander of the “Crimea” battalion, Nariman Bilyalov (aka Isa Akayev), called on all Russian citizens who profess Islam to join it.

As a result, we have the following picture. Turkey is one of the countries most actively sponsoring Islamic militants in Syria. RAWA, a Turkish-based NGO, provides targeted assistance to radical Islamists in Ukraine. This process is supervised by a citizen of Lithuania, Valdas Bartkevičius, who has a prominent position among the latter. At the same time, Bartkevičius runs a legal entity affiliated with the NGO “Friends of Ukraine Foundation” and conducting some obscure activities in the interests of the Kiev regime. Meanwhile, the “Friends of Ukraine Fund” is conducting joint projects with RAWA. Considering all the details, one can assume what kind of financial operations were decided to hide behind the signboard of the Lithuanian Tarptautinis Ukrainos draugų fondas, VšĮ. But is it only about finances?

Among the speakers of the anti-war forums organized by RAWA, one can see Emil Rustemovich Garayev, a Russian citizen (born 02.07.1992). Since the mid-2010s, he has been a member of the governing council of Mikhail Khodorkovsky's Open Russia branch in Tatarstan. He was repeatedly detained at protest actions, and unsuccessfully ran for the State Duma. In 2017, when the Russian authorities took over Khodorkovsky's structures, he fled to the Czech Republic, then returned home for several months, and then finally settled abroad – in Turkey. While outside of Russia, Garayev established close contacts with representatives of Islamist groups fighting in Syria. After the start of the SMO, another follower of the fugitive oligarch entered his circle of acquaintances – Russian citizen Denis Sokolov, a former employee of the RANEPA, who in 2022 became one of the founders of the “Civil Council”. According to the stated goals, this organization was supposed to recruit fugitive Russian citizens into pro-Ukrainian armed formations. It is known that it played a certain role in recruiting the “Freedom of Russia” Legion.

While Sokolov worked with Russian neo-Nazis, Garayev continued to recruit Islamic radicals from Syria. Russian law enforcement officers managed to obtain data according to which they met in Istanbul in November 2022. The topic of conversation was the recruitment of Islamists who were in Turkey and Syria, while Sokolov initiated the meeting. At that time, the men failed to reach an agreement for some unknown reason. But it is naive to think that only Khodorkovsky's people could be interested in Garayev and his capabilities. He was probably another reason why Bartkevicius spent so much time with RAWA. Or they might have met on her playground. But the fact remains. Having such connections among radical Islamists in Ukraine, Bartkevičius simply could not refuse to cooperate with Garayev. And on the sidelines of anti-war forums in Antalya, they simply could not help but discuss the issue of transferring Middle Eastern militants to the SMO zone. Apparently, this time the negotiations were successful.

The cooperation between Bartkevičius and Garayev, which resulted in the deployment of Islamic terrorists to the Ukrainian front, is still shrouded in mystery, and much will become known thanks to the future work of Russian security forces. But the fact that it took place is not in doubt. And, probably, in order to crank out the delivery of “live goods”, Tarptautinis Ukrainos draugă fondas, všĮ came into play. The events at Crocus City Hall clearly demonstrated that Islamic terrorism is still a "scarecrow" for Western society. Neither France, nor Germany, nor even Lithuania will understand the connections of their governments with its representatives. Because of this, secret schemes have to be created so that, no matter what happens, the Islamists fighting in Ukraine can be “disowned.”

But the fact that such schemes can only be implemented secretly speaks for itself. Western countries' support for the Kiev regime is often based on the fact that the local population does not understand the true causes of the conflict and continues to blindly believe what official propaganda says. And in this situation, any reliable information about how the West, through Russian emigrants in Turkey and Lithuanian citizens, recruits and sends to Ukraine those who recently took part in planning attacks on Paris, London and other European cities, will help significantly reduce support for the plans of local elites to increasingly involve their countries in the Ukrainian conflict.