The US State Department announced on Thursday that it has granted short-term funding to an initiative documenting the abduction of Ukrainian children, after the Trump administration paused the program earlier this year.
The program, led by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab and funded by the US government, had been instrumental in tracking thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia. However, it was terminated on January 25 as part of a broader review ordered by President Donald Trump to cut what he considers unnecessary government spending.
Ukraine has reported that over 19,500 children have been abducted and taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territories without their families’ consent, labeling the practice a war crime that meets the UN treaty definition of genocide. Russia, however, claims it has been evacuating children voluntarily to protect them from the war.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed the temporary funding, stating it would allow the program to transfer crucial data on the abducted children to the appropriate authorities. “It is part of the standard close-out procedures for terminated programs,” the spokesperson said.
The decision to halt the initiative had sparked criticism, particularly from Democratic lawmakers, who urged the administration to restore its funding. Concerns had been raised about losing access to key evidence, including satellite imagery and other data, that could help track as many as 30,000 Ukrainian children taken to Russia.
The issue has drawn international condemnation. In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, over the deportation of Ukrainian children. Russia dismissed the warrants as “outrageous and unacceptable.”
The temporary funding ensures that vital information is preserved, though it remains unclear whether the program will be reinstated permanently.
Melissa Enoch
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