“Over 1,806 children have suffered in Ukraine as a result of full-scale Russian Federation armed aggression. As of the morning of March 28, 2024, according to official information from prosecutors for juvenile affairs, 537 children have been killed, and over 1,269 have sustained injuries of varying degrees,” the statement said.

The highest number of children were killed or injured in the following regions: Donetsk (524), Kharkiv (343), Kherson (149), Kyiv (130), Dnipropetrovsk (125), Mykolaiv (103), and Zaporizhzhia (100).

The Office of the Prosecutor General also shared details about children who were harmed during the past day. Russian shelling in the village of Borova in the Izium district of the Kharkiv region killed a 12-year-old boy on Wednesday. The same day, enemy shelling in Kharkiv injured four children, ranging in age from 3 months to 13 years.

Children of War

One of the objectives behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since 2022 has been to capture and Russify a significant number of Ukrainian citizens, aiming to address Russia’s declining population. This goal, considered as crucial to Moscow as the annexation of Ukrainian territory, has gained attention, particularly since 2022, when the illegal transfer of children saw a significant increase.

According to official data provided by the Ukrainian government’s Children of War website, quoted by themoscowtimes.com, Russia has displaced or deported a minimum of 19,546 unaccompanied Ukrainian children since February 24, 2022. However, it is believed that the actual number could be much higher, as the provided statistics only account for documented cases.

These children, referred to as “children of war,” include minors who have been separated from their families during the conflict. They have been collected by Russian officials and activists from areas near the frontline or occupied Ukrainian territories. Some parents or relatives have been influenced by Russian agents to send their children to purported “summer camps” or other facilities in Russia, which are advertised as integration programs for Ukrainian youth. However, many of these children have been retained for extended periods and even relocated elsewhere.

In order to facilitate the Russification and assimilation of Ukrainian children, Russia introduced new legislation in 2022–2023. These legal revisions have resulted in a situation where children and their legal guardians, from whom they have been separated, have little to no input in the process of changing citizenship, according to a report from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Furthermore, obtaining Russian citizenship provides adopted children with social benefits and access to government subsidies, creating financial incentives for potential adopters. Under the Russian Family Code, adopted children are granted equal status to biological children, making it challenging to determine the status of Ukrainian children adopted by Russian families and their relatives in Ukraine.