Kateryna Chornovol19:06, 10.02.25

Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has opened more than 140,000 cases of Russian war crimes.

The freeze on foreign aid funding by the Trump administration has begun to impact international efforts to hold Russia accountable for war crimes committed by its troops in Ukraine.

This was reported by Reuters , citing eight sources and a Ukrainian document seen by journalists. It is noted that since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has opened more than 140,000 cases of Russian war crimes.

At stake, according to a Ukrainian document seen by Reuters, are six projects by the Prosecutor General’s Office worth $89 million. Funding for at least five of those projects has already been frozen. They have worked on issues ranging from preserving battlefield evidence to anti-corruption initiatives and reforming Ukraine’s prosecution system.

Two of the projects listed were funded by USAID, three by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and one directly by the U.S. State Department. Of the total, $47 million was allocated directly to holding the occupiers accountable for war crimes.

It is noted that the impact of the Trump administration’s decision on the investigation of Russian war crimes in Ukraine has not been previously reported. Among the consequences is the termination of the work of almost 40 experts provided by Georgetown University’s International Criminal Justice Initiative. One of the sources involved in providing external legal experts to Ukraine said that “some partners no longer have money to pay their staff.”

Another source said an adviser in the Attorney General’s Office had been placed on leave and a project to support victims of war-related sexual violence had also been suspended.

Ukrainian non-governmental organizations have also been hit hard, with two of them telling Reuters that their work to collect testimonies from victims and document damage may be at risk or already frozen.

(C)UNIAN 2025