Unseen Victims: The Unbearable Impact on Ukrainian Children Amid Conflict

A UN report highlights the severe suffering inflicted on Ukrainian children due to Russia's invasion. The violations include executions, detentions, and forced cultural indoctrination. The report identifies abductions and deportations as potential war crimes and notes a significant number of displaced children in Ukraine.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has issued a damning report about the suffering endured by Ukrainian children since Russia's full-scale invasion commenced in 2022. The report underscores violations of children's rights, including physical and psychosocial harm, affecting millions across the embattled nation.

Particularly alarming is the plight of children in the four regions illegally annexed by Russia, where violations of international human rights law are rampant. The report documents severe offenses, such as summary executions, arbitrary detentions, and forced participation in military training. The deportation of children and their forced integration into Russian society may constitute war crimes, it adds.

The UN findings further reveal dire statistics: over 600 children killed and hundreds of thousands displaced since the invasion began. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian officials over child abductions, underscoring the gravity of these accusations. Despite repeated inquiries, Russia has yet to provide information about the missing children.

(With inputs from agencies.)