diff --git a/ee/app/services/audit_events/repository_download_started_audit_event_service.rb b/ee/app/services/audit_events/repository_download_started_audit_event_service.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index 5607e74258b392a8c39daf028a961416e10fd085..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/ee/app/services/audit_events/repository_download_started_audit_event_service.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-# frozen_string_literal: true
-
-module AuditEvents
-  class RepositoryDownloadStartedAuditEventService < CustomAuditEventService
-    def initialize(author, entity, ip_address)
-      super(author, entity, ip_address, 'Repository Download Started')
-    end
-  end
-end
diff --git a/ee/config/audit_events/types/repository_download_operation.yml b/ee/config/audit_events/types/repository_download_operation.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8eefb88dbd2a1ab80a0e7a62d016e1d08d10d1b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ee/config/audit_events/types/repository_download_operation.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+name: repository_download_operation
+description: Event triggered when a Git repository for a project is downloaded
+introduced_by_issue: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/374108
+introduced_by_mr: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/111218
+feature_category: compliance_management
+milestone: '15.9'
+saved_to_database: true
+streamed: true
diff --git a/ee/lib/ee/api/helpers.rb b/ee/lib/ee/api/helpers.rb
index cf2151e27cb10534b04e8cb856976a68f7a4fdb7..17570479bbe9d7385c3899fde3ce7abf1b54776b 100644
--- a/ee/lib/ee/api/helpers.rb
+++ b/ee/lib/ee/api/helpers.rb
@@ -119,11 +119,17 @@ def send_git_archive(repository, **kwargs)
         result = ::Users::Abuse::ProjectsDownloadBanCheckService.execute(current_user, repository.project)
         forbidden!(_('You are not allowed to download code from this project.')) if result.error?
 
-        ::AuditEvents::RepositoryDownloadStartedAuditEventService.new(
-          current_user,
-          repository.project,
-          ip_address
-        ).for_project.security_event
+        project = repository.project
+        audit_context = {
+          name: 'repository_download_operation',
+          ip_address: ip_address,
+          author: current_user || ::Gitlab::Audit::UnauthenticatedAuthor.new,
+          target: project,
+          scope: project,
+          message: "Repository Download Started",
+          target_details: project.full_path
+        }
+        ::Gitlab::Audit::Auditor.audit(audit_context)
 
         super
       end
diff --git a/ee/spec/services/audit_events/repository_download_started_audit_event_service_spec.rb b/ee/spec/services/audit_events/repository_download_started_audit_event_service_spec.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index b49032769d896989ca16f13a3bf73fa4f19620e5..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/ee/spec/services/audit_events/repository_download_started_audit_event_service_spec.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-# frozen_string_literal: true
-
-require 'spec_helper'
-
-RSpec.describe AuditEvents::RepositoryDownloadStartedAuditEventService do
-  describe '#security_event' do
-    include_examples 'logs the custom audit event' do
-      let(:user) { create(:user) }
-      let(:ip_address) { '127.0.0.1' }
-      let(:entity) { create(:project) }
-      let(:entity_type) { 'Project' }
-      let(:custom_message) { 'Repository Download Started' }
-      let(:service) { described_class.new(user, entity, ip_address) }
-    end
-  end
-end