The State Department no longer funds an initiative that documented alleged Russian war crimes in the conflict with Ukraine, it was reported Tuesday.

The initiative, which had been led by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab,  populated a database detailing the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, The Washington Post reported.

Researchers and experts last month learned that the State Department had terminated the lab's contract, a move that came at the direction of Trump appointee Peter Marocco and the Department of Government Efficiency.

Upon getting that news, researchers lost access to such information as satellite imagery and biometric data tracking the identities and locations of as many as 35,000 children from Ukraine, the Post reported.

"We have reason to believe that the data from the repository has been permanently deleted," a group of lawmakers led by Ohio Democrat Rep. Greg Landsman warned in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the outlet said. "If true, this would have devastating consequences."

"This vital resource cannot be lost."

Lawmakers also said that if the initiative's database were relocated rather than deleted, the contents may have become compromised and inadmissible in court.

News that the program's funding had ended came on the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a proposal by President Donald Trump for Russia and Ukraine to stop hitting each other's energy infrastructure for 30 days.

Trump and Putin held a lengthy phone conversation as the White House pushes for Russia to sign off on its 30-day ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said any deal to end the war must include Russia's return of missing Ukrainian children and accountability for those responsible for their abduction.

The Post reported that the ending of the war crimes initiative means the Trump administration will not transmit evidence to prosecutors pursuing multiple criminal cases, including the International Criminal Court’s 2023 indictment of Putin for what it has called the "unlawful transfer" of children from occupied areas of Ukraine.

It was reported last month that the U.S., under President Donald Trump, had dramatically shifted its stance on the war, offering an olive branch to Russia in hopes of negotiating a peace deal.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

• Russian Woman Tries to Adopt Abducted Ukrainian Child
• Russia Working on New Children Exchange With Ukraine