United to win: USAID to send Skydio drones to Ukraine to support documention of war crimes

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the supply of nine autonomous Skydio drones for documenting war crimes.

The USAID press service reported that the drones will be handed over to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. Skydio 2+ is equipped with 4K cameras and will be used to capture photos and videos to document war crimes.

"They will help the Prosecutor General's Office document more than 115,000 cases of destruction of civil infrastructure, as well as evidence of human rights violations in frontline communities and liberated territories," the statement says.

Background 

Currently, two Ukrainian human rights coalitions, with the support of USAID, have documented more than 40,000 cases of Russian war crimes since February 24, 2022, when Russia started the full-fledged invasion. USAID also participates in joint visits to record war crimes with the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine.

On July 18, during her visit to Ukraine, USAID chief Samantha Power announced the allocation of $250 million to help Ukrainian farmers suffering from the blockade of grain exports amid Russia's full-scale invasion.

She also announced allocating more than $500 million in humanitarian aid and handed over $2.3 million worth of equipment to the State Emergency Service.