The US Department of State has denied reports that data on Ukrainian children deported by Russia has been deleted. Representatives of the department stressed that the information continues to exist and is stored under the control of the relevant structures.
According to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, fears of data loss are unfounded. She stressed that the State Department did not have direct control over this information, but it is known who manages it and where it is stored.
Read also: ‘The Boy in the Panties’. How Russia uses the topic of children to discredit Ukraine
Earlier, Western media reported that the administration of President Donald Trump had closed a programme that tracked the abduction of Ukrainian children. As a result, according to some reports, investigators may have lost access to a wealth of information, including satellite imagery and data on approximately 30,000 Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children’s Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova for their involvement in the illegal removal of Ukrainian children. This has become one of the key pieces of evidence of Russia’s violations of international humanitarian law in its war against Ukraine.
Read also: Czech court refuses to return child to Ukraine: details of the decision
