WP: The US temporarily extends investigation into mass abductions of Ukrainian children by Russia

The US has temporarily reversed its decision to suspend the Conflict Observatory initiative, which monitored the mass deportation of Ukrainian children.

This is reported by The Washington Post, citing congressional aides familiar with the matter.

This initiative, funded by the US government and led by the Humanities Research Laboratory at Yale University, helped track thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

Conflict Observatory tracked the deportation of children using satellite imagery, biometric data, and other digital tools, which was used as evidence, including at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In mid-March, WP wrote that the Trump administration had terminated this initiative and thereby prohibited the transfer of evidence to prosecutors in criminal cases, including the illegal transfer of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine.

The decision has now been reversed, but only temporarily — Conflict Observatory can operate for another 6 weeks before it completes transferring its data to Europol. The Trump administration was persuaded to make this decision to continue funding the initiative for a certain period by a diverse coalition of supporters, including Democrats and Republicans in Congress and evangelical Christians.

The researchers hope that European governments will continue to join in funding the initiative.

When the US reported that it was halting the initiative, it also said that all the data would likely be deleted. Quiet Professionals, the company responsible for the database, decided not to delete the observatoryʼs database, although the State Department had not given any instructions. This was reported by two people familiar with the matter, WP writes.

• The US began investigating Russian war crimes in May 2022. Experts have prepared 13 public reports on Russiaʼs aggression in Ukraine, as well as six ICC indictments against Russian officials, including Putin.
• The International Criminal Court is the only court in the world with the right and jurisdiction to prosecute heads of state for the most serious crimes. The ICC is investigating the forced deportation of Ukrainian children and Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure. On March 17, 2023, it issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian children’s rights commissioner. They are accused of overseeing the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, a war crime.
• Zelensky said that Ukraine will work to return all Ukrainian deported children. Currently, there is no exact number — different information has been received at different times. The most difficult situation may arise with orphans.

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