US funding freeze hinders investigation of Russian war crimes - Reuters
Illustrative photo: US decision to freeze foreign aid affects investigations into Russian war crimes (Getty Images)
The US decision to halt funding for foreign aid programs has impacted the investigation of war crimes committed by Russian occupiers in Ukraine, Reuters reports.
According to sources, at least five projects funded by the US and operated by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office have been frozen. These initiatives covered a range of issues — from preserving battlefield evidence to anti-corruption efforts and reforms in Ukraine’s prosecution system.
Reuters specifies that two of these projects were funded by USAID, three by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and one directly by the State Department.
Such programs provide an opportunity for the detailed documentation of reports on atrocities committed on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Sources told Reuters that the freeze has forced nearly 40 experts from Georgetown's International Criminal Justice Initiative to stop their work.
The funding cuts have also affected non-governmental organizations. Representatives from two NGOs told Reuters that their efforts to collect testimonies from victims and document war-related destruction might be suspended or have already been put on hold.
War crimes committed by Russian forces
Previously, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated that at least 79 executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war had been recorded in the past six months.
Additionally, on January 23, Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets revealed that a video had surfaced online showing Russian occupiers executing six Ukrainian prisoners of war at once.
