“Nowhere is safe for them.” The saddest statistics of Russian aggression are getting worse

Over 600 children died in Ukraine as a result of the war. Since the beginning of this year, their number has increased by almost 40 percent compared to the same period last year. According to data from the United Nations, 25 of them died in the attacks from January to the end of March. The youngest was only two months old.

In the first three weeks of April, nine children were killed in attacks in Ukraine. “As the deadly attacks continue, children and their families are forced to endure further loss and destruction,” UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Regina De Dominicis said of the escalating situation, speaking about the situation during her visit to Ukraine in April.

“Each attack hampers recovery and reconstruction efforts and prolongs the deterioration of children’s quality of life. I watch with concern that attacks across the country continue, targeting schools, health facilities and residential buildings. Nowhere is safe for children,” she added.

According to official figures from the United Nations, at least six hundred children have been killed in attacks since the war escalated in 2022. More than 1,350 children were injured. But the actual number of dead and injured is probably higher.

In the first three months of the year, thousands of houses, 36 health facilities and 140 schools were damaged or destroyed. The attacks, which affected electricity supplies and water sources, further disrupted the operation of public services such as healthcare, police and fire departments, and educational institutions.

All the mentioned factors to a large extent affect the quality of life of children who, due to the occupation, in many cases also lose the chance for education. Two years of war, preceded by two years of the coronavirus pandemic, meant that some Ukrainian children did not have the opportunity to attend school for more than four years.

Almost half of Ukrainian pupils have trouble regularly attending face-to-face classes, a million of them cannot attend school in person at all due to the war.

Despite the critical situation, UNICEF is working to preserve educational opportunities for Ukrainian children by rebuilding schools, providing teaching kits for home education and supporting online learning. In 2023, the organization managed to help 1.3 million children with formal and informal education, Reuters editors write.