Yale's data on stolen Ukrainian children may have been 'permanently deleted' when axed by Elon Musk, as revealed by this paper last week.
US politicians and leading Christian groups have condemned the Trump administration’s decision to axe the programme rescuing Ukrainian children stolen by Russia.
Outrage over the decision has spread across both sides of the Atlantic since The i Paper revealed last week that the world-leading unit at Yale University which tracks down Ukrainian children abducted by Russia has had its funding cut as part of Elon Musk’s clamp down on government spending.
It is also now feared evidence of potential war crimes documented by Yale investigators has been deleted when their programme was shut down.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has accused Vladimir Putin and Russian children’s commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, of the deportation of children, which is a war crime. The Kremlin denies wrongdoing, claiming the adoptions by Russians are to help “abandoned” children.
The uncertainty of the fate of the files has pushed both Congressmen and a prominent Evangelical group to publicly criticise the President’s spending cuts and the termination of the Yale programme.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - FEBRUARY 24: People from U.S.-based nonprofit organization avaaz light candles beside teddy bear in Schuman Roundabout, the heart of the EU district on February 24, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. According to the report, children from 4 months to 17 years old have been kidnapped, with many placed in Russian re-education camps and some forcibly adopted by Russian families. Others have even undergone military training. The goal appears to be replacing any childhood attachment to Ukraine with a love for Russia.(Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
Campaigners light candles beside teddy bear in Belgium in solidarity with Ukranian children taken to Russia.
A letter from US politicians to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent alleges that the database of evidence amassed by the Yale Humanitarian Lab may have been destroyed.
“We have reason to believe that the data from the repository has been permanently deleted,” the letter written by a group of Congressmen and led by Democrat Greg Landsman stated.
“If true, this would have devastating consequences.”
Published in The Washington Post,the letter stated the data is a “vital resource” that “cannot be lost”.
The letter comes as Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of the Yale Humanitarian Rights Lab (HRL) speaks for the first time since the programme was axed.
He told The i Paper exclusively that the issues at play were bigger than politics.
Raymond said: “Children abducted in conflict should never be a political football.”
The contents of the letter signifies the first time US politicians have formally spoken out in anger over the fate of the Yale programme.
In the letter, the US politicians also raised fears that if the database has been retained but moved, its worth as digital forensic evidence in court may have been compromised.
Their anger and concern was echoed by a prominent Evangelical Christian voice.
U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured), in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 13, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
President Donald Trump is now being criticised by previously supportive Evangelical Christians over the matter.
Galen Carey, vice president of government relations at the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), told The Washington Post: “The abduction of children strikes a nerve that I hope will help awaken more Americans to the horrors of the Russian invasion and occupation of parts of Ukraine.
NAE are among the groups that backed some of Trump’s policies, although they have also offered some criticism.
“I hope, too, that the funding cutoff will be seen as a mistake and quickly corrected,” Carey added.
The news comes 24 hours after Foreign Secretary David Lammy received two questions on the floor of the Commons raising concerns about the fate of the programme’s evidence.
He said: “We keep this issue absolutely in our sight. It cannot be a negotiating tool in any future discussions that we have with Mr Putin.”
UK politicians are demanding the UK and its allies should work together to rescue Ukrainian children stolen by Russia.
Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat Leader, joined the calls of condemnation of Musk’s decision to axe the Yale programme.
He said: “Putin’s kidnapping of innocent Ukrainian children is barbaric. It’s a war crime for which he must be held accountable.
“By axing funding for work to find these children, Elon Musk is aiding and abetting Putin’s sickening child abductions. Shame on him.
“The Prime Minister must urgently call on Trump to restore funding to rescue these children from Putin’s clutches and bring them home.”
The UK Government may be asked to step in to make up Yale’s funding shortfall, it is understood.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said it is “working to assess the implications of the US funding pause across development programmes”.
The White House and Yale University did not respond to requests for comment.
Yale University spokesperson previously said: “Researchers at the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) were notified recently that government funding for their work on the war in Ukraine has been discontinued. HRL investigates and addresses humanitarian crises worldwide, using data and analysis from open-source and remote sensing.
“While we are not in a position to comment on the State Department’s decision, we do recognise the importance of HRL’s work and its contributions to international efforts to protect vulnerable populations, including Ukrainian children. Yale remains supportive of its researchers pursuing work that sheds light on urgent global issues.”