Funding Cut Halts Efforts to Locate Ukrainian Children Abducted by Russia
The Yale-based team that helped identify and repatriate over 1,200 abducted Ukrainian children lost U.S. government funding under Musk-led budget reductions.
- The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which tracked and located Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia, has had its funding discontinued by the U.S. government.
- More than 20,000 Ukrainian children have reportedly been abducted by Russia since the 2022 invasion, with many subjected to indoctrination and forced adoption into Russian families.
- The team’s work, which utilized open-source technology and satellite imagery, has helped repatriate approximately 1,240 children in collaboration with Ukrainian authorities and international organizations.
- The funding cut is tied to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, which has been criticized for indiscriminate budget slashing impacting critical programs.
- Advocates and officials warn the decision undermines efforts to address war crimes and risks impeding the safe return of thousands of abducted children to their families.
i 
The Telegraph 
Newsweek 