Review of the U.S. Agency for Global Media Response to Russia’s 2022 Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

Summary of Review
OIG conducted a review of the United States Agency for Global Media’s (USAGM), Voice of America’s (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL), and the Open Technology Fund’s (OTF) response to Russia’s February 24, 2022, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. OIG’s objectives for this review were to assess the extent to which USAGM and its broadcasting networks responded to program content and delivery, human resources, security, budget execution, and strategic planning challenges associated with Russia’s 2022 invasion consistent with applicable guidelines.

On March 4, 2022, eight days after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s government passed a law making distribution of “false information” about the armed forces—including calling Russia’s war against Ukraine a war or an invasion—a crime punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment. Russia’s authorities blocked VOA and RFE/RL websites and initiated bankruptcy proceedings against RFE/RL’s limited liability corporation in Russia for failure to pay fines. VOA and RFE/RL, citing threats to staff, suspended operations within Russia the same month. However, to continue providing objective, factual news information to audiences in Russia and Ukraine, VOA and RFE/RL took steps to expand operations in countries neighboring Russia, establish new offices in Latvia and Lithuania, enhance Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian language programming, and expand content delivery methods.

OIG found that early and continuous planning by USAGM, VOA, and RFE/RL, with assistance from OTF, ensured content availability for audiences following the 2022 invasion. Broadcasting networks maintained, and in some cases expanded, content to Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking audiences in the wake of the invasion. For example, USAGM data indicated that about 10.6 percent of the Russian population received USAGM broadcasting content in July 2022, up from 8.9 percent in July 2021.

Additionally, OIG determined that VOA and RFE/RL adequately prepared for and executed the relocation of staff members to safer locations at the onset of the war. Furthermore, RFE/RL made progress toward opening offices in Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine and updating security processes to address threats to staff. However, networks grappled with hiring and vetting delays in setting up the new offices. OIG identified potential vulnerabilities related to the RFE/RL employee vetting process and found that two 2017 OIG recommendations,¹ both relevant to this review, had yet to be implemented by USAGM. OIG also found that personnel shortages and crisis operating conditions resulted in lapses of editorial policy adherence for VOA’s Russian Language Service website.

OIG found that USAGM entities generally repurposed available funding to address Ukraine requirements, rather than using Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act funding, in part because USAGM did not clearly communicate the process for distributing supplemental funding to grantee organizations. Finally, OIG determined that USAGM and its entities generally complied with strategic planning processes and incorporated performance metrics across networks to measure their progress against goals.

This report includes four recommendations to improve USAGM and network compliance with federal standards and regulations. In its comments on the draft report, USAGM concurred with all four recommendations. OIG considers all four recommendations resolved. USAGM’s response to each recommendation and OIG’s reply can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. USAGM’s formal written response is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix E.

^{_{1 OIG, Inspection of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (ISP-IB-17-21, May 2017).}}