Ukraine: Child casualties in Ukraine rise 7% over the summer with over 540 children killed in 18 months of war

Damages to the block of flats hit by missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on July 31, 2023. More content available here and here

KYIV, 22 August 2023 - Child casualties in Ukraine increased by more than 7% between May to August compared to the previous four months as air and drone attacks tripled, with no end to the danger faced by children after 18 months of war, Save the Children said today. 

Since May 2023, a total of 148 children have been killed or injured in Ukraine, bringing the number of child casualties since the escalation of war on 24 Feb last year to more than 1,700, according to UN data. This includes 545 deaths, with 24 children killed this summer.

The month of June was the deadliest so far this year for children with 11 children killed and 43 more injured. According to verified UN data,[1] there was an increase in all civilian casualties in Ukraine in between 1 May and 13 August with June recording the highest number of total civilian casualties in 2023 at 865.

Conflict analytics reports showed that between Jan 1- April 30 there were 459 air and drone strikes. This rose to 1,432 between 1 May and 4 August, with about 95% of these attacks in populated areas. 

In one such attack on the morning of 31 July, a missile hit an apartment block in Kryvyi Rih, Southern Dnipro, destroying five storeys of a high-rise building.  A 10-year-old girl and her mother were killed in the incident, with more than 80 further reported casualties, including seven injured children.  

Lyudmyla’s* apartment was one of more than 250 homes damaged in the neighbourhood. All the windows of her family’s home were blown out by the explosion and the noise woke up her 18-year-old grandson.  

“He was shocked, and rushed outside straight from his bed once he heard the explosion. He could not even change his clothes. He later came back to grab documents and that is when another explosion occurred. He was terrified by such a loud noise,” said Lyudmyla*, 65. 

“My two other grandchildren – aged 11 and 13 – were staying with their mother at a relative’s house. They were just 300 metres away from the explosion. The windows and doors were also blown out at that apartment. Everyone was scared.” 

On 11 August, an 8-year-old boy was killed in Kolomyia, western Ukraine, after a missile struck the back garden of his family home. A family of four was killed by shelling in Kherson region two days later, including a 12-year-old boy and a baby girl just 23 days old. Just last week on 19 August, a six-year-old girl was among the seven people killed and 180 injured in an attack in the northern city of Chernihiv. 

Amjad Yamin, Save the Children’s Advocacy Director in Ukraine, said: 

“Ukraine is 18 months into full-scale war, and there seems to be no reprieve from the perilous circumstances endured by children and families. We have witnessed numerous attacks on populated areas that took the lives of children and their parents, left hundreds of people injured or severely distressed, and damaged or destroyed homes, plunging thousands of families into uncertainty.  

“Since last February, more than 1,700 children have been killed or injured due to unrelenting hostilities. The vast majority of those casualties are attributed to missiles and drones being fired at residential areas. This serves as a grim reminder that explosive weapons should not be used anywhere near populated areas, such as towns and villages.” 

Save the Children is calling on all sides to adhere to obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, and ensure that civilians and civilian objects, especially those used by children such as homes, schools, and hospitals, are protected from attack.    

Save the Children has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, delivering humanitarian aid to children and their families affected by hostilities. It is also supporting refugee families across Europe and helping children to access education and other critical services.   

ENDS  

*names are changed to protect identity.

NOTES:

Ukraine: Civilian casualties - 24 February 2022 to 30 June 2023 | OHCHR 

Ukraine: civilian casualty update 31 July 2023 | OHCHR

Ukraine: civilian casualty update 14 August 2023 | OHCHR

For more information please contact:

• Vsevolod Prokofiev Vsevolod.Prokofiev@savethechildren.org (based in Kyiv)
• Anna Rauhanen Anna.Rauhanen@savethechildren.org (based in London)

• Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

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