A US government project investigating alleged Russian abductions of Ukrainian children has been terminated, according to multiple media reports citing sources this week.
Ukrainian and Western officials have repeatedly accused Moscow of “kidnapping” Ukrainian minors and arrest warrants have been issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lwowa-Belova over alleged “unlawful deportations.” Russia has denied the allegations, stating that it evacuates children from the conflict zone to protect them.
According to iPaper and The New Republic, the funding for the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) project, which aimed to identify and locate Ukrainian minors allegedly taken to Russia, has been cut off. The project reportedly shared its findings with Ukrainian authorities and Europol.
The funding was allegedly reduced on the orders of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is involved in implementing an initiative by President Donald Trump to reduce wasteful government spending, bureaucracy and corruption.
A Yale spokesperson confirmed the cut in funding and stated that the HRL researchers were informed recently that the government funding for their work on the Ukraine war had been terminated. Yale was not able to comment on this development, as per the spokesperson. The White House, the State Department and the DOGE did not respond to media inquiries for a statement.
The reports come amidst renewed accusations by Ukraine’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Yuri Vitrenko, at an OSCE meeting on Thursday, that Russia has illegally hosted over 19,000 Ukrainian children and is “forcefully” Russifying them. Vitrenko stated that 1,227 displaced children had been returned to Ukraine, but accused Moscow of hindering the process.
Russian authorities have regularly reported on efforts to reunite displaced Ukrainian children with their families. Last month, Lwowa-Belowa announced that 17 children from 11 families had been recently reunited with relatives in Russia. Additionally, 95 children were reunited with relatives in Ukraine and other countries as part of an agreement mediated by Qatar.
Lwowa-Belowa has repeatedly described the allegations by Kiev as “systemic myths” and has pledged to continue facilitating family reunifications. Russian officials have also emphasized that displaced children in Russia are not adopted but are placed under guardianship or in foster care until they can return to their families.