State Dept says data on abducted Ukrainian children remains ‘secure’

The State Department confirmed on Monday that data tracking tens of thousands of Ukrainian children allegedly abducted by Russian forces remains secure, despite concerns over funding cuts to the program by the Trump administration. The initiative, led by the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab as part of the Yale Conflict Observatory, aimed to track war crimes, including those committed by Russia during its conflict with Ukraine. However, funding for the program was discontinued, leading to fears that the data had been lost or inadequately protected.

Pages related to the Conflict Observatory were removed from the State Department’s website, raising questions about the status of the data collected. It was revealed that the data was stored on a database controlled by the primary contractor, the MITRE Corporation. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce assured reporters that the data is secure and still accessible, despite changes to the program.

The data collected by Yale researchers was intended to be shared with Europol and the International Criminal Court to potentially bring war crimes charges against Russia. Democratic lawmakers expressed concerns about the impact of funding cuts on the program, citing the abduction of about 20,000 Ukrainian children by Russia and their placement in the adoption system. More than 700,000 people from Ukraine have been relocated to Russia since the conflict began.

President Biden has shown concern for the missing children and their return from Russia to Ukraine has been a topic of discussion in U.S.-Russia negotiations to end the war. The State Department declined to provide further details on the data, directing inquiries to MITRE. A MITRE spokesperson mentioned that the research on abducted Ukrainian children is currently maintained by a former partner on the Conflict Observatory contract, but did not specify the partner. The spokesperson noted that the research has been halted due to the funding cuts.

Yale University expressed support for the researchers’ work and their contributions to international efforts to protect vulnerable populations, including Ukrainian children. The university remains committed to shedding light on urgent global issues through research initiatives. The fate of the data tracking abducted Ukrainian children remains uncertain, as discussions about funding and program continuation continue.