USAID did not track the use of Starlink terminals by the Ukrainian military

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) did not track the use of Starlink terminals provided to Ukraine. Almost half of the devices ended up in Russian-controlled territories.

This is stated in the report of the agencyʼs internal inspector.

Following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, USAID partnered with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to provide Ukraine with 5 175 Starlink terminals to support critical civilian services and internet access. Of these, 1 508 were purchased by USAID and 3,667 were donated by SpaceX.

The draft agreement on the transfer of the terminals prohibited their use for military purposes. The terminals were transferred for use in hospitals, schools, and other civilian institutions. But soon after the war began, reports emerged that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were using Starlink for military operations.

The USAID Office of Inspector General declared in 2024 that it would begin an audit of Ukraine’s use of Starlink terminals. The purpose of the audit was to “determine the extent to which USAID has mitigated the risk of misuse” of the terminals the agency transferred to Ukraine.

The report states that USAID did not monitor the location and use of Starlink terminals until the inspection began in 2024.

USAID noted that tracking the terminals after their transfer to Ukraine was impossible due to dangerous combat conditions and the emergency situation caused by Russian strikes on communications systems.

At the same time, the inspection did not consider the use of terminals by Ukraine for military operations.

The audit also found that almost half of the active terminals are located in territories fully or partially occupied by Russia. However, the report does not specify how these terminals got there, who owns them, or for what purpose they are used.

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