22 U.S.C. § 8926a: Supporting the identificatio…

Summary

Requires the U.S. government to help Ukraine find and recover children taken by Russia, help those children heal and rejoin their families, and help hold the people who did this accountable. The Department of Justice and the Department of State can give Ukraine law enforcement and intelligence help. That help can include training and advice, use of biometric ID tools, help collecting and analyzing open-source intelligence, secure communications, and managing databases. The Departments may work with nongovernmental groups and other U.S. agencies, and the National Security Council can coordinate as needed. Within 30 days after deciding to provide any of these kinds of help, the Secretary of State must brief the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on how much will be spent, what type of help will be used, and what technology will be used. The Secretary of State can also fund medical and mental health care, family reunification, and reintegration services (like case management, legal aid, and school placement) for returned children. By 60 days after December 18, 2025, the Secretary must report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on all current or planned foreign assistance programs that will provide those services. The State Department can support the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine and help Ukraine’s Prosecutor General investigate and prosecute these crimes. The Department of Justice can give prosecutorial training and support through its overseas office, coordinated by the Resident Legal Adviser at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. Also by 60 days after December 18, 2025, the Secretary of State and the Attorney General must report to the Senate Foreign Relations, Senate Judiciary, House Foreign Affairs, and House Judiciary Committees on U.S. support for investigating and prosecuting atrocity crimes; and the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury must report to the Senate Foreign Relations, Senate Banking, House Foreign Affairs, and House Financial Services Committees on any differences between U.S., U.K., and EU sanctions for those responsible and on efforts to align those sanctions.

Title 22, §8926a

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Short title

This section may be cited as the “Abducted Ukrainian Children Recovery and Accountability Act”.

(b)Findings

Congress finds the following:

(1)According to a White House press release, dated March 25, 2025, “The United States and Ukraine agreed that the United States remains committed to helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.”.

(2)To implement the commitment referred to in paragraph (1), the United States Government requires an organized and resourced policy approach to assist Ukraine with—

(A)investigations of Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children;

(B)the rehabilitation and reintegration of children returned to Ukraine; and

(C)justice and accountability for perpetrators of the abductions.

(c)Authorization of technical assistance and advisory support

(1)In general

The Department of Justice and the Department of State are authorized—

(A)to provide law enforcement and intelligence technical assistance, training, capacity building, and advisory support to the Government of Ukraine in support of the commitment described in subsection (b)(1); and

(B)to advance the objectives described in subsection (b)(2).

(2)Type of assistance

The law enforcement and intelligence technical assistance authorized under paragraph (1)(A) may include—

(A)training regarding the utilization of biometric identification technologies in abduction and trafficking in persons investigations;

(B)assistance with respect to collecting and analyzing open source intelligence information;

(C)assistance in the development and use of secure communications technologies; and

(D)assistance with respect to managing and securing relevant databases.

(3)Reports

Not later than 30 days after the determination to provide assistance in any category identified in this subsection, the Secretary of State shall brief the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives on—

(A)the amount of assistance determined to be obligated;

(B)the type of assistance to be utilized; and

(C)any information on the technology operationalized to support the means identified in this subsection.

(d)Coordination

(1)Nongovernmental organizations

The Department of Justice and the Department of State may coordinate with nongovernmental organizations to carry out the assistance authorized under subsection (c).

(2)Federal agencies

The National Security Council may coordinate with appropriate representatives from the Department of Justice, the Department of State, the intelligence community (as defined in section 3003 of title 50), and other Federal agencies, as needed, to carry out the assistance authorized under subsection (c).

(e)Rehabilitation and reintegration

(1)Authorization of assistance

The Secretary of State is authorized to provide support to the Government of Ukraine and nongovernmental organizations and local civil society groups in Ukraine for the purpose of providing Ukrainian children (including teenagers) who have been abducted, forcibly transferred, or held against their will by the Russian Federation with—

(A)medical and psychological rehabilitation services;

(B)family reunification and support services; and

(C)services in support of the reintegration of such children into Ukrainian society, including case management, legal aid, and educational screening and placement.

(2)Report

Not later than 60 days after December 18, 2025, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives that describes all current or planned foreign assistance programs that will provide the assistance authorized under paragraph (1).

(f)Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine

The Department of State is authorized to support the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine by providing technical assistance, capacity building, and advisory support to the Government of Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General, and other relevant components of the Government of Ukraine, for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting cases involving abducted children, and other atrocity crimes.

(g)Department of Justice

The Department of Justice is authorized to provide technical assistance, capacity building, and advisory support to the Government of Ukraine through its Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training, which shall be coordinated by the Resident Legal Adviser at the United States Embassy in Kyiv, for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting cases involving abducted children, and other atrocity crimes.

(h)Reports

Not later than 60 days after December 18, 2025—

(1)the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Attorney General, shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives that describes current and planned United States Government support for the Government of Ukraine’s work to investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes; and

(2)the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives that outlines—

(A)any discrepancies between the sanctions regimes of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union with respect to those responsible for the abduction of Ukrainian children; and

(B)efforts made by the United States Government to better align such sanction regimes.

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, and not as part of the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014, which comprises this chapter.

§8926a Supporting the Identification and Recovery of Abducted Ukrainian Children

Summary

Title 22, §8926a

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Citations & Metadata