The assertion that Ukraine has been left without school textbooks following the closure of a USAID program is a manipulation. In reality, the USAID program was implemented as planned, and textbook provision continues through funding from Ukraine’s state budget. Such disinformation is intended to sow panic and erode public trust in both Ukrainian authorities and international partners.
Russian news outlets and pro-Kremlin Telegram channels are circulating false reports alleging that Ukraine ran out of school textbooks after the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) ceased operations. These claims cite former U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as allegedly stating that USAID planned to fund the printing of over three million textbooks for Ukrainian schools in 2024. According to the disinformation narrative, Ukraine was left without new textbooks after Donald Trump supposedly canceled all USAID contracts and grants in 2025.
In fact, this information is false. Here’s why.
It is true that U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced in June 2024 that the U.S. government, through USAID, would support the printing of over three million textbooks for primary school students in Ukraine. The statement followed a Russian missile strike on the Factor-Druk printing house in Kharkiv—one of the largest printing facilities in Europe—highlighting the urgent need for international support to ensure Ukrainian children could continue their education despite the ongoing war.
“These textbooks will be produced in Ukraine and delivered to more than 12,000 schools across the country. Our message is clear: We will continue to stand with the Ukrainian people as they defend against Russia’s barbaric war of aggression,” Sullivan said in his statement.
The claim that the USAID program was never implemented is false. In October 2024, Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science confirmed that the United States had funded the production of textbooks for 1st and 2nd grade students, with a total value of $8.4 million.
“We are providing 1st and 2nd grade students with textbooks supported by the U.S. This includes more than 3.2 million copies of subjects such as ‘English,’ ‘German,’ ‘French,’ ‘I Explore the World,’ and ‘Art,’ with a total value of $8.3 million,” the official statement reads. USAID’s administrator confirmed that all textbooks were scheduled for delivery to schools between November and December 2024. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, the new textbooks will reach approximately 20% of Ukrainian schoolchildren.
The textbook funding program also included significant support from Ukraine’s state budget. Costs related to the development, printing, and delivery of textbooks to general secondary education institutions are financed through an educational subvention. On June 11, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved key funding decisions for general secondary education, including textbook provision. Notably, a special fund was established under the Ministry of Education and Science, reallocating 350 million UAH to the “Nationwide Measures in the Field of Education” program. Under the new system, textbooks will be delivered directly from publishers to schools, streamlining distribution and improving access.
Similar false narratives circulating in Russian media and Telegram channels aim to discredit international support for Ukraine and sow distrust in the country’s education system. This propaganda seeks to depict the Ukrainian government as incapable and entirely reliant on foreign aid, while disregarding factual evidence of state budget allocations and successfully implemented educational projects.
Previously, StopFake analyzed Kremlin narratives falsely asserting that anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the Ukrainian government are “targeted against children and education.”
