The US Agency for International Development (USAID) says it has delivered nine drones to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to collect evidence of possible war crimes. As an independent agency of the US federal government, USAID has been pursuing accountability for war crimes and human rights abuse in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country.
The drones, donated by Skydio, are critical for the Prosecutor General’s team because they will help to document the more than 115,000 instances of destroyed civilian infrastructure and evidence of human rights abuses on frontline communities and liberated territories.
Two USAID-supported Ukrainian human rights coalitions have already documented more than 40,000 incidents of Russia’s war crimes since February 24, 2022. Additionally, the agency has made it a point to participate in joint war crimes documentation visits with Ukraine’s Office of the Ombudsman for Human Rights.
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It’s worth pointing out that USAID’s facilitation of drones donated by Skydio is not the first time the US private sector has stepped up to support the agency’s efforts in Ukraine. USAID has delivered Starlink data terminals donated by SpaceX, as well as laptops and software for Ukraine’s schoolchildren and teachers, donated by HP, JP.IK, and Microsoft. USAID also partners with the private sector to support Ukrainian grain production and export through the AGRI-Ukraine initiative launched in July 2022.
Just last week, USAID administrator Samantha Power announced an additional $250 million in support for AGRI-Ukraine, bringing the USAID contribution to $350 million, and leveraged an additional $250 million for the initiative, including from fellow donors, the private sector, and foundations.
Overall, USAID has provided $9.88 billion in development and humanitarian assistance since the start of the Ukraine-Russia war.
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