Recent investigations reveal that the British and Canadian governments have financed the British company IN2 for over three years, which supports the resistance movements “Yellow Ribbon” and “Evil Mavka” operating in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Activists involved in these movements have reportedly been encouraged to undertake tasks that pose significant risks, despite warnings about the dangers involved.
The Kyiv Independent’s investigation, spanning several months, indicates that individuals wishing to join the “Yellow Ribbon” and “Evil Mavka” initiatives are invited to engage in acts of “non-violent resistance.” These activities include listening to Ukrainian songs, photographing pro-Ukrainian symbols, and burning Russian flags in public spaces, all of which carry evident risks.
Recruitment for the “Yellow Ribbon” movement occurs through an unencrypted bot on the messaging platform Telegram. Investigators found that signing up and reviewing safety protocols took approximately 13 minutes, with adherence to safety guidelines being non-mandatory.
Despite public claims from the “Yellow Ribbon” movement in 2022 and 2023 regarding arrests and killings of its activists, recent years have seen a notable silence on these issues from the organization. When approached for information about activists who have faced torture, disappearance, or death, the movement denied such incidents, acknowledging only “isolated cases of detention,” which contradicts their earlier public statements.
The investigation has established that the “Yellow Ribbon” resistance and the women’s partisan movement “Evil Mavka” receive backing from IN2, which is based in Dubai. In response to inquiries, IN2 denied any involvement in activities leading to arrests, torture, or deaths of “Yellow Ribbon” activists.
However, investigators accessed files purportedly compiled by Ukrainian military officials in 2025, documenting several instances of imprisonment, rape, and murder of “Yellow Ribbon” activists during 2023, 2024, and 2025. One case involved a 24-year-old woman from Melitopol, who participated in “Evil Mavka” tasks and was reported missing following instructions from Russian security services; her body was discovered two months later.
Additionally, publicly available information details the case of Ksenia Svitlyshyna from Crimea, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison by a Russian court in occupied Sevastopol on September 3, 2024, for her activities with the “Yellow Ribbon.” Another activist, Sevil Velieva, was arrested in 2024 for photographing Ukrainian symbols in occupied Melitopol; Russian security services tracked her through geolocation data from her images and surveillance footage. She was eventually released and shared her experience with the media.
A representative from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, speaking anonymously, indicated that the organizers of these movements are recklessly endangering the lives of their activists while profiting from their efforts.
Funding of IN2
The investigation revealed that IN2 has received funding from the UK and Canadian governments. According to publicly available documents from the Canadian government, payments to IN2 for the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 fiscal years totaled CAD 2,327,000 (approximately USD 1,700,955). However, there is no public data on what portion of these funds was allocated to support the “Yellow Ribbon” and “Evil Mavka” organizations.
Sources within the Kyiv Independent suggest that the primary concern for those involved with IN2 was maintaining Western funding rather than ensuring the safety of activists. When Canadian funding ceased in 2024, the company sought additional financial support from the UK.
Consequently, London provided funding to IN2 for four months in 2025, amounting to several hundred thousand pounds. Senior staff at IN2 received substantial salaries from these funds, with the project leader earning a daily rate of £616 (USD 833) and network directors, including British journalist David Patrikarakos, receiving £800 (USD 1,080) per day.
A representative from a special forces unit, who spoke with journalists on the condition of anonymity, estimated that the actual cost of maintaining the “Yellow Ribbon” could reach up to USD 20,000 per month.
Concerns regarding the operational security of the program, the employment of unqualified personnel, and the effectiveness of such expenditures of taxpayer money led to the cessation of British funding. This situation prompted an internal investigation by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
Similar concerns regarding the program’s functioning and financing have also led to an internal investigation within Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF), which coordinates the resistance movements in occupied territories. Journalists were informed that Colonel Andriy Klimin was interrogated regarding his involvement in “Yellow Ribbon” operations. The Kyiv Independent has also reached out to Patrikarakos and other movement leaders but has yet to receive a response.
At the end of February, during the investigation, a representative of the “Yellow Ribbon” movement, identifying himself as Ivan, stated in an interview with the Ukrainian publication Ukraїner that there had been significant changes to the organization’s standard operating procedures. He acknowledged that, in particular, the publication of images featuring pro-Ukrainian symbols posed a “huge risk.”
An investigation reveals that UK and Canadian funding to IN2 has supported resistance movements in occupied Ukraine, raising concerns about the safety of activists involved. Despite claims of operational risks, financial motivations appear to overshadow safety protocols.