‘It’s a Conspiracy Theory’ – US Denies Deleting Data on Abducted Ukrainian Children

The US State Department has denied reports that data on Ukrainian children abducted by Russia was lost or deleted. During a press briefing, spokesperson Tammy Bruce responded to claims suggesting that the database created by the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) may have been lost.

“What I can tell you is that the conspiracy theory or fear about data being deleted is untrue. That is false. The data exists,” Bruce said, adding, “It was not in the State Department’s control. It was managed by the people running that framework, but we know who is responsible for the data and the website. We are fully aware that the data exists, has not been deleted, and is not missing.”

On Wednesday, Kyiv Post reported that the HRL task force based at Yale University, which worked to locate Ukrainian children deported to Russia, was disbanded as the latest organization to suffer from sweeping cuts to federal funding.

Meanwhile, multiple media reports suggested that its experts have lost access to critical information, including satellite imagery and biometric data, which helped track the whereabouts of approximately 35,000 abducted Ukrainian children.

HRL officials expressed concern that its databases may have been deleted in the rush to comply with the Trump administration’s directive. If the information was not deleted but relocated, it may have been compromised resulting in its digital evidence being declared inadmissible in any future legal action.

Today, more than 1.6 million Ukrainian children remain under Moscow’s control - both in the occupied territories and because of deportations to Russia. These children face systematic Russification, militarization, and ideological indoctrination, as Moscow tries to erase their Ukrainian identity.

Kyiv Post reached out to its own sources related to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “Bring Kids Back UA” initiative, but they refused to publicly comment on the issue.

With tactics that include forcibly taking children from orphanages, killing parents, splitting up families during filtration processes, creating unbearable living conditions in occupied areas, and brazenly kidnapping children from their homes and schools, it’s more than a tragedy; it’s a deliberate attack on Ukraine’s future, the “Bring Kids Back UA” initiative website says.