Department of State remains at risk of losing official records related to Embassy Kyiv’s operations—such as key communications with Ukrainian counterparts and senior officials Audit of U.S. Embassy Kyiv, Ukraine, Records Retention for Electronic Messaging

 

 

(U) Audit of U.S. Embassy Kyiv, Ukraine, Records Retention for Electronic Messaging

01/31/2025 09:26 AM EST

(U) What OIG Found 

(U) Embassy Kyiv did not implement adequate measures to preserve federal records created using eMessaging platforms. Although Embassy Kyiv distributed a Management Notice in April 2024 reminding staff of federal records retention requirements, it did not institute additional measures to ensure staff preserved records created or received using eMessaging applications. 

• OIG also found that many Embassy Kyiv personnel reported using the eMessaging platform Signal to conduct official Department business but did not consistently preserve correspondence in accordance with federal requirements.   

(U) This occurred, in part, because Embassy Kyiv records management officials did not prioritize Department requirements for preserving records. 

For example, Embassy Kyiv officials 

• did not consult the Bureau of Administration or obtain its authorization to use Signal, 
• did not assess the extent to which Signal was being used by embassy personnel to conduct official business, and 
• did not issue a Management Notice to remind staff of federal records retention requirements when using eMessaging applications until April 2024, even though Signal had been adopted for use at Embassy Kyiv in August 2022.   

(U) Embassy Kyiv personnel also did not consistently preserve electronic messages (eMessages) because current guidance for preserving and protecting Signal messages used for official business is insufficient. 

• According to both Department and Embassy Kyiv personnel, Department procedures for preserving Signal messages are burdensome and do not fully address the technical limitations and information security vulnerabilities that personnel encounter when they attempt to preserve messages.   

(U) Until limitations in preserving Signal messages are addressed, the Department remains at risk of losing official records related to Embassy Kyiv’s operations—such as key communications with Ukrainian counterparts and senior officials—contrary to record-keeping requirements.  

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