Reuters: U.S. Freezes Funding for War Crime Investigations in Ukraine

Investigation programs into alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine face jeopardy due to the suspension of U.S. financial support. The U.S. has paused funding for five out of six projects aimed at gathering evidence and reforming the Ukrainian prosecution system, reports NewsBox.

The U.S.-funded programs related to investigating potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine are on the verge of closure. According to Reuters, based on eight sources and Ukrainian financial documents, the discussion involves six initiatives overseen by Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General, with a total budget of $89 million. At least five of them have already lost U.S. support.

The primary portion of the funds—$47 million—was specifically allocated for investigating war crimes. Other projects included work on preserving evidence from conflict zones, anti-corruption initiatives, and prosecution system reforms.

Two programs were funded by USAID, three by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and one by the U.S. State Department.

The halt in funding has resulted in the loss of jobs for 40 staff members at Georgetown University's International Criminal Justice Initiative. Activities of a project providing assistance to survivors of wartime sexual violence have been temporarily suspended as well.

Representatives of the organization collecting evidence of war crimes and training lawyers stated that unless financial issues are addressed within the next three months, they will have to reduce personnel.