A review by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) found that it did not track the use of 5,175 Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine. Nearly half of them ended up in areas fully or partially occupied by Russians.
A review by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) found that it did not track the use of 5,175 Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine. Nearly half of them ended up in areas fully or partially occupied by Russians.
Reuters reports this, citing a report by the agency’s internal oversight body. The USAID inspector general found that the agency did not monitor the terminals of Elon Musk’s satellite internet service because it accepted a higher risk of misuse due to the «complex military situation» and Ukraine’s urgent need for them.
«As a result, USAID did not know where the terminals were located or how they were being used», — the report states.
USAID said that tracking the terminals after their transfer to Ukraine was unrealistic due to the dangerous conditions of war and the «unprecedented emergency» caused by Russian strikes on communications systems.
«The primary goal was to restore vital connectivity for critical government services such as health care, municipal emergency shelters, and local government,» the USAID letter, which is included in the report, said.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, USAID entered into a partnership agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to supply Ukraine with 5,175 Starlink terminals to support critical civilian services and internet connectivity. USAID delivered 1,508 terminals it purchased and 3,667 units donated by SpaceX to Kyiv.
The report stated that USAID did not «fully minimize» the risk of misuse of the terminals and that more than half of the «active» units «were located in territories that Russia fully or partially occupied.» The report did not specify how these terminals ended up in these areas, who owned them, or for what purposes they were used.
Ukraine has repeatedly indicated that Russian occupation forces are using thousands of Starlink terminals, but Elon Musk has rejected these accusations.
Bloomberg reports that the terms of the Starlink agreement with Ukraine prohibited «military use» of the terminals. They were intended for use in hospitals, schools, communications, and other civilian purposes.
But soon the Ukrainian military began using Starlink to pilot drones and direct artillery strikes against Russian military equipment, vehicles, and mobile command centers.
Ukrainian officials have acknowledged that the terminals were used in military operations, while Starlink’s parent company, SpaceX, and its CEO Elon Musk have condemned the military use of the terminals.
