Average of at least 16 children killed or injured in Ukraine every week as escalation of war nears 1,000 days

NEW YORK/KYIV, 18 November 2024 – At least 2,406 children have been killed or injured since the escalation of the war in Ukraine nearly 1,000 days ago, according to the latest available verified reports. In addition to child casualties, which include 659 children killed and 1,747 children injured – amounting to at least 16 children killed or injured every week – millions of children continue to have their lives upended due to ongoing attacks.

Just last week, a mother and her three children—the youngest just two months old—were killed in a strike that impacted a residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih.

Children in the Donbas region across the east of the country have now faced more than 10 years of conflict.

Children are enduring relentless hostilities, prolonged displacement and severe shortages of essential resources including safe water, electricity, and other necessities. Escalating attacks on Ukrainian territory have sharply increased civilian casualties and infrastructure damage since July this year.

“The toll on children is staggering and unacceptable,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Children have been killed in their beds, in hospitals and playgrounds, leaving families devastated by the loss of young lives or life-altering injuries.”

Attacks have also severely disrupted water, heating and electricity services. Between 22 March and 31 August 2024, attacks on energy infrastructure across Ukraine destroyed nine gigawatts (GW) of electricity generation capacity. This is equivalent to half of what Ukraine needs during the winter months.

“Millions of children are living in constant fear, many spending an equivalent of up to six hours a day sheltering in basements under air raid sirens,” said Russell. “Without continued and increased support for children, the psychological wounds of this war will echo through generations.”

Since August 2024, some 170,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the east of the country, with many evacuated from areas experiencing intense fighting, joining the nearly 3.6 million who remain displaced within Ukraine and over 6.75 million who have sought refuge outside the country. In Europe, nine out of ten refugees from Ukraine are women and children.

In frontline regions, nearly three million people are in dire need of warmth, safe water, and healthcare, as schools and hospitals continue to be targeted. Over the past one thousand days, at least 1,496 educational institutions and 662 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, according to UN data.

Approximately 1.7 million children are without safe water, and 3.4 million lack access to centralized sanitation, heightening their risk of disease amid plummeting temperatures.

“Schools, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure are not just physical buildings; they are lifelines and symbols of hope for children’s recovery and resilience,” said Russell. “Ukraine’s children must be protected from the lasting horrors of this war. The world cannot be silent while they suffer.”

Despite the overwhelming challenges, UNICEF and its partners remain resolute on the ground, providing emergency healthcare, psychosocial support, education, and essential services to those most in need. In 2024, UNICEF’s humanitarian appeal of $633.6 million for children inside and those living as refugees in neighbouring countries remains 30 per cent underfunded.

UNICEF continues to call for international humanitarian law to be upheld by protecting children and the infrastructure critical to their survival. The immediate end to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and to all grave violations against children must be prioritised.

Together with its partners, UNICEF is committed to sustaining immediate life-saving responses while laying the foundations for long-term recovery and resilience.

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