In Photos: Russia's War in Ukraine Takes Exacting Toll on Children
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had an especially devastating impact on children. Thousands have been displaced from their homes and impoverished, education has been disrupted, and many families have been torn apart.
For children especially, the impacts of the war will likely be long-lasting, including a greater risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues.
In April, UNICEF said more than 500 children in Ukraine had been killed since Moscow invaded last February, calling the figure “another tragic milestone for Ukraine’s children and families.”
More recently, children in Russia have felt the direct effects of the war, as regions bordering Ukraine have experienced increased shelling and drone attacks and authorities have evacuated children to regions further east.
For children especially, the impacts of the war will likely be long-lasting, including a greater risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues.
In April, UNICEF said more than 500 children in Ukraine had been killed since Moscow invaded last February, calling the figure “another tragic milestone for Ukraine’s children and families.”
More recently, children in Russia have felt the direct effects of the war, as regions bordering Ukraine have experienced increased shelling and drone attacks and authorities have evacuated children to regions further east.
Two children stand beside their home in Kyiv which was damaged after a Russian drone crashed into it.
Sergei Chuzavkov / SOPA Images / Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
A woman and child walk past a destroyed building in the city of Kupiansk, located in Ukraine's northern Kharkiv region.
Sergei Bobok / AFP
A child plays at an open-air exhibition of destroyed Russian military vehicles in Kyiv.
Sergei Supinsky/ AFP
Young Ukrainians sit on benches beside a hedgehog anti-tank obstacle in Kyiv.
Sergei Supinsky/ AFP
Some 300 children in the Shebekino and Graivoron districts of Russia's southwestern Belgorod region were evacuated Wednesday after heavy shelling.
Belgorod Region Governor Press Office
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the evacuated children would be sent to the city of Voronezh, around 250 kilometers further into Russia.
Belgorod Region Governor Press Office
Children in the Belgorod region seen boarding a minibus.
Belgorod Region Governor Press Office
Gladkov said the situation was "worsening" in the town of Shebekino, where he reported more shelling Wednesday, but without casualties.
Belgorod Region Governor Press Office
Russia has seen stepped up attacks on its soil over a year into its Ukraine campaign, with an unprecedented incursion in the Belgorod region last week and a drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday.
Belgorod Region Governor Press Office
Children from the Belgorod region arrive at temporary camping accommodations in the Voronezh region.
Mikhail Tokmakov / TASS
