631 children dead, thousands wounded - Ukraine commemorates youngest victims of war
Over 600 children died in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression (photo: Getty Images)
Today, June 4, Ukraine honors the memory of children who died as a result of Russia's armed aggression. This is one of the most painful days for our country - a day when, instead of celebrating childhood, we remember those whose lives were cut short by war.
According to official data from the Office of the Prosecutor General, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at least 631 children have been killed and another 1,971 have been injured. And these are only confirmed cases. Due to ongoing combat and the occupation of parts of Ukraine's territory, many incidents remain unrecorded.
"This is a crime that cannot be justified. Everyone responsible for it must be held accountable—from the executors to those who gave the orders," emphasized Ukraine's Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov.
Childhood in the crosshairs
Ukrainian children are dying and suffering from shelling, rockets, and drones. Russian missiles strike residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and playgrounds. Thousands of children have lost their homes, and many have lost their parents. Thousands more have been forcibly deported to Russia.
Occupiers often remove Ukrainian children without the consent of their parents or legal guardians. They are taken to temporarily occupied territories, to Crimea, or Russia. Once there, they are forced to adopt a new identity, forget their native language, sing the Russian national anthem, work, and are humiliated based on their nationality.
"Children have a right to childhood, not war. Behind every number is a name, a smile, a favorite toy, dreams for the future," said Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
International crimes
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has already recognized the forced removal of Ukrainian children as an act of genocide. In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. They are suspected of committing a war crime—the unlawful deportation of children from occupied Ukrainian territories.
Despite international pressure, Russia continues to abduct Ukrainian children. So far, according to official figures, only 388 deported children have been returned.
Since 2014, Russia has forcibly removed tens of thousands of children from Ukraine. Officially, over 19,500 Ukrainian children have been identified as having been illegally deported.
Sources: the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, statements by Ukraine's Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.
