The decision by President Donald Trump's administration to freeze foreign funding is starting to have a serious impact on efforts to investigate war crimes in Ukraine related to the Russian invasion, eight sources and a Ukrainian court document seen by “Reuters“ reported News.bg.
The funding freeze has led to the loss of dozens of jobs and the blocking of millions of dollars in aid.
Since the start of the war in February 2022, Ukraine has launched more than 140,000 investigations into alleged war crimes, but the freeze on key projects related to these investigations could slow the process. Among the initiatives affected is the Advisory Group on Crimes Against Humanity in Ukraine (ACA), which provides expert support to Ukrainian authorities. The frozen funding for six US projects, valued at $89 million, includes not only war crimes investigations, but also important initiatives such as evidence preservation, anti-corruption efforts and judicial reforms.
Sources say five of these projects have already been affected, with the suspended payments affecting areas such as battlefield evidence preservation and legal reforms. The $47 million frozen was earmarked directly for war crimes investigations, including those funded by USAID and the Bureau of International Investigation.
Experts and human rights organizations working to collect evidence of crimes have also felt the effects of the funding freeze. The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union reported a loss of about 75% of its annual budget, leading to the closure of some regional offices.
Despite the serious consequences, representatives of the Ukrainian justice system and NGOs assure that efforts to investigate war crimes will continue, with Kiev seeking alternative sources of funding.