The world-leading unit dedicated to rescuing Ukrainian children unlawfully taken by Russia has been disbanded amidst significant cuts to US government spending initiated by Elon Musk, as reported by The i Paper. Thousands of children have been forcibly removed from Ukraine and transported to Russia during the ongoing conflict, in what many are calling a campaign of “unlawful deportation.”
The US government has been financially supporting a specialized team at Yale University that utilized advanced open-source technology to trace the missing children and assist in their repatriation. Unfortunately, this team, which has successfully located hundreds of children, has now seen its funding paused due to Musk’s aggressive budget cuts through the newly established department of government efficiency (Doge).
Peter Marocco, an ally of Donald Trump, has been at the forefront of the cuts to US foreign aid and development programs, reportedly collaborating with members of Musk’s DOGE service in various offices. Although Musk has not directly overseen individual funding freezes, he has been instrumental in shaping the strategy and tone for significant reductions in government spending in Washington.
According to reports, there have been over 19,500 allegations of “unlawful deportation and forced transfer of children,” with advocates asserting that Russia is deliberately taking these children to erase Ukrainian culture and instill a pro-Russia ideology in the younger generation. Mykola Kuleba, founder of the charity Save Ukraine, poignantly stated: “Russia is stealing our future.” So far, around 1,240 children have been successfully repatriated, as reported by Bring Kids Back UA, an initiative launched by President Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at rescuing all children affected by deportation and occupation.
Fate of the Stolen Children Now
When the search team collects evidence, it is forwarded to Ukrainian authorities, who then attempt to bring the children back home. The i Paper has confirmed that the data gathered by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab has played a crucial role in reuniting some families. The recent decision to cut funding could severely undermine Ukraine’s ability to reconnect more children with their families.
A report from the Yale team published in December stated: “Russia’s program of coerced adoption and fostering of children from Ukraine has been intentionally and directly authorized by Putin and senior officials of the Russian Federation.” The International Criminal Court (ICC) has accused Vladimir Putin and Russian children’s commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova of committing war crimes through the deportation of children. The Kremlin, however, denies any wrongdoing, claiming that the adoptions by Russian families are intended to assist “abandoned” children.
The cessation of the Yale unit’s work on Ukraine raises further concerns regarding the Trump administration’s stance toward Russia and poses a potential setback to the already delicate Washington-Kyiv relations. Following Trump’s contentious in-person meeting with Zelensky, the US had initially retreated from Ukraine, ceasing all intelligence sharing. Nevertheless, these tensions have somewhat alleviated amid ongoing ceasefire discussions, with intelligence collaboration reestablished.
Recently, Sir Keir Starmer was asked if he would only commit to deploying British peacekeeping troops if a ceasefire deal included the return of Ukraine’s children and the prosecution of Putin. He responded, “It is an absolutely terrible case of abduction and kidnapping, and when we talk about a lasting, just settlement or peace in Ukraine, this issue must be addressed.” In November, the UK imposed sanctions on 10 individuals connected to the Russian state’s deportation of Ukrainian children.
Who Could Step In
The UK Government may now be called upon to fill the funding gap left by Yale, as discussions continue. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office stated that the Government is “working to assess the implications of the US funding pause across development programs.”
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who recently visited Ukraine, expressed hope that the funding pause was “an unintended consequence of the arbitrary cuts and freezes implemented by Doge.” He urged US authorities to reinstate the funding, and if that does not happen, he called upon the UK government to collaborate with NATO partners to secure replacement funding.
The researchers at Yale utilize open-source information, including satellite imagery, social media, and Russian publications, to identify, locate, and track the whereabouts of Ukrainian children taken to Russia. The evidence collected is then shared with Ukrainian authorities, including Bring Kids Back UA, to aid in locating and repatriating children.
In one of the lab’s final reports before Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, evidence was gathered on 314 children from the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in eastern Ukraine, including one child from the occupied city of Mariupol. Some of these children were found on Russian adoption and fostering websites, while others were reported to be living with Russian families.
Yale is Victim of Doge
The Yale lab is a component of the Conflict Observatory program, which was established with funding from the US State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, aimed at investigating and publishing evidence of war crimes and other atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine. Various organizations have contributed to this initiative in the past.
Musk’s controversial Doge agency, created by Trump, has been tasked with reducing US government employment and other expenditures. However, it has faced criticism for being overly aggressive and detrimental to the government’s functionality. Reports indicate that Yale’s efforts have been on hold since late January, with researchers effectively barred from their work and access to files.
The lab also shares its findings with Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, and the ICC, as part of their collective effort to prosecute individuals and agencies involved in Russian war crimes. The abrupt halt to their activities has left critical evidence transfer to Europol incomplete, and it is understood that the formal evidence-sharing agreement with the ICC has also come to an end. Additionally, the website for the Conflict Observatory appears to have been taken down.
Yale’s researchers discovered that at least two groups of children were transported on aircraft operated by the Presidential Property Management Department in 2022, indicating that “Putin’s own administration provided the resources to transport children from Ukraine before placing them with Russian citizens.”
Labour MP Johanna Baxter, who recently met with Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, remarked, “The kidnapping of 19,546 Ukrainian children is not just a war crime – it is an act of pure evil beyond moral comprehension. Whether by accident or design, the slashing of US funding for the vital work to reunite these children with their families will have catastrophic consequences and risks enabling Putin’s war crimes. There will be no lasting peace without the safe return of these stolen children.”
Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat MP serving on the Defence Committee and the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy, criticized Doge’s approach: “The problem with their method is that they have just switched everything off without a clear understanding of what is worthwhile or not – it’s a blanket approach. Now we’re witnessing a myriad of problems arising from it.”
In 2022, The i Paper reported that Russia had established a tented camp for Ukrainians along the country’s southeast coast, amid allegations of abductions. Satellite imagery revealed the construction of up to 30 blue and white tents in a camp located in the coastal village of Bezimenne, just 11 miles east of Mariupol’s outskirts.
The original US government press release announcing funding for the Conflict Observatory program, which is no longer available on the State Department’s website, stated its mission was to “capture, analyze, and widely disseminate evidence of Russia-perpetrated war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine.” Initial funding of $6 million (£4.6 million) was provided, with further funding anticipated. When The i Paper sought a response from the State Department, it was referred to the White House, which has yet to issue a comment. The i Paper also reached out to Yale University and the Ukrainian foreign ministry for comment, but did not receive any responses. Ukraine’s embassy in the UK declined to comment.
A ‘School Trip’ That Ended With Deportation
By Emma Morgan
Ukrainian parents, separated from their children, have traveled thousands of miles in desperate attempts to reunite their families. Mother Lyudmila Motychak, who journeyed through Poland, Belarus, and into Crimea, recounted how she was misled into allowing her 15-year-old daughter, Anastasia, to participate in a school trip organized by pro-Russian authorities in Kherson and Crimea. She stated, “They assured me that everything would be fine. They claimed there was no war there, that everything was safe, and that they would provide five meals a day, promoting good health, and even boasted about a swimming pool.”
However, two weeks later, Anastasia did not return home, with Lyudmila informed that the trip had transitioned into an evacuation. Anastasia later revealed that she and the other children were coerced into singing Russia’s national anthem and adhering to strict commands. Lyudmila lamented, “They took the children and then expected parents to join them, offering promises of money, homes, and financial assistance. They aimed to persuade people to adopt their ideology, essentially seeking to reshape their way of thinking.”
