Ukrainian Children Forced to Flee Russian Violence

Content warning: This article contains an image of a fatally wounded pregnant woman

Following the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 the UN rights office has expressed its increasing concern for the surge in numbers of civilian casualties. “Civilians are being killed and maimed in what appear to be indiscriminate attacks, with Russian forces using explosive weapons with wide area effects in or near populated areas [...] “These include missiles, heavy artillery shells and rockets, as well as airstrikes,” says OHCHR spokesperson Liz Throssell, speaking in Geneva. Schools, hospitals, and civilian apartments have all faced attacks from artillery shellings, rockets, and cluster bombs. At least 103 children have died as a result of the Kremlin’s “special military operation”.

A little girl cries as she is forced to leave her father behind in Ukraine, credit: The Mirror

Every day over the past 20 days, an average of 70,000 children in Ukraine have become refugees - that is according to UNICEF spokesperson, James Elder, whose data highlights the scale of the destruction wrought by the atrocities. This equates to the displacement of around 55 children per minute, or “almost one every second”. Elder believes that no crisis has escalated at such a fast pace since World War 2.

Children leaving Ukraine are at significant risk of family separation, violence, and sexual trafficking. Many of those who remain internally displaced have endured days without food or shelter, according to Dr. Ulana Suprun, Ukraine’s former Acting Minister of Health, who spoke on CNN’s “New Day” this morning.

A distressing video of a displaced child crossing the Ukrainian border to Poland has been documented by CNN. This video shows a young boy crying after crossing into Poland, walking in front of a group of adults with only a plastic bag of his belongings and a coat for warmth. The Polish Border Guard Headquarters have since confirmed that four-year-old Valerij did not make the journey alone; he was accompanied by family members.

This is not an isolated incident, as more than 1.5 million Ukrainian children have been forced to flee their homes. According to UNICEF, there is a worrying lack of medical supplies, and thousands of Ukrainians, including children, have no access to clean water. UNICEF fears that “this could become Europe’s largest refugee crisis of the century.”

Three people, including a child and pregnant mother, were killed when a Russian bomb struck a Ukrainian maternity and children's hospital. This act has been labelled a war crime.

credit: BBC

The unnamed mother-to-be was initially taken to another hospital where her baby was delivered through a Caesarean section, but showed no indication of life. Timur Marin, the surgeon, told the Associated Press that the woman’s pelvic bone was crushed and her hip was detached. After she realised her baby would not survive, she reportedly cried “Kill me now!” Following her baby’s death, medics tried to resuscitate the mother, but this was to no avail after 30 minutes.

Despite the outcry produced by these atrocities, Putin continues to attempt to justify his actions. The Russian president claims the purpose of the invasion is to protect Russian- speakers in Ukraine, and to free them from the “extremist” government. He alleges that the Ukrainian government deprives its Russian-speaking citizens of safety and freedom to express their culture, and has accused the Kyiv regime of “bullying and genocide”. The Kremlin’s aim is supposedly the “demilitarization” and “de-Nazification” of Ukraine.

As Putin’s strategies become more aggressive, international onlookers are left wondering how long this war will last.