The United Nations marked a memorial service this week, reflecting on a brutal milestone in the ongoing war. The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 9,000 civilians and left over 500 children dead within the first 500 days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a toll that continues to exact a heavy price on the nation’s population.
The Human Rights Observation Mission in Ukraine, together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, reports that at least 9,177 civilians have been killed and 15,993 people have been injured, based on conservative estimates offered by mission deputy Noel Calhoun.
Overall, HRMMU notes that death tolls have decreased somewhat this year versus the previous year. Yet optimism is tempered by the reality that the past two weeks have seen some of the bloodiest fighting since the war began.
The United Nations cited a missile attack on Kramatorsk on 27 June that killed 13 people, including writer and activist Victoria Amelina. The UN also records 22 civilians killed and 16 injured in areas of Russian-occupied Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
UNICEF and the NGO Save the Children joined in commemorating the day with a focus on affected minors: an average of three children are killed or injured daily in Ukraine, a figure attributed to the current occupation according to UNICEF and Save the Children.
The NGO warned that more than 90 percent of civilian casualties in Ukraine result from large-area explosive weapons, which are especially deadly for children with smaller and more fragile bodies.
UNICEF emphasizes that the conflict disrupts essential infrastructure for children, including schools and hospitals. Attacks on water systems leave hundreds of thousands without access, raising the risk of disease outbreaks among children.
In numerous areas, shortages of food and medicine have disrupted basic health, education, and social protection services. Children and adolescents also face the threat of a mental health crisis caused by severe trauma.
This unsustainable situation, coupled with the broader socio-economic crisis spawned by the war, is eroding the well-being of children and families. Many are displaced from their homes, seeking shelter in makeshift arrangements and causing millions to move within Ukraine or seek refuge beyond its borders. It is reported that nearly two-thirds of the population, including unaccompanied boys and girls, have been forced to relocate in order to survive.