Rubio denies that US has resumed program to investigate abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied media reports that the Conflict Observatory program to search for children illegally deported from Ukraine by Russia to the occupied territories has resumed its work.
He said this during his press conference, Censor.NET reports.
"The program is not working and has not been restored, it is not funded. It was part of the cuts we made. But we have ensured the security of the data and guaranteed that we have it and can transfer it to any relevant authorities. We will provide a report to Congress and will be able to announce this [decision] next week," Rubio said.
Earlier, The Washington Post wrote that the administration of US President Donald Trump had briefly resumed funding for the Conflict Observatory program, which used satellite imagery, biometric data, and digital forensic tools to track the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to the occupied territories.
The initiative was funded by the US government and led by the Yale University Humanitarian Research Laboratory. According to WP, the Conflict Observatory can work for another six weeks before it completes the transfer of its data to Europol.
As a reminder, Ukraine managed to return 1,247 children who were taken to Russia. However, at least 1.6 million remain under Russian control.
