As of noon, 6 March, the Russian occupiers have killed 38 children and injured 71 children since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the statement of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmila Denisova.
She added that these data are not final. It is currently impossible to establish accurate information on the number of killed and wounded residents of Mariupol (the Donetsk region) and Irpin (the Kyiv region).
"Only for the last 24 hours, a one-and-a-half-year-old boy died as a result of shelling by the Russian occupiers in Mariupol. In Bucha, in the Kyiv region, two seriously injured children died due to the inability to receive medical care. On the way out of Irpin, the Kyiv region, Russian troops opened fire on civilians as they tried to evacuate the city, killing at least three people, including two children. One more person was in critical condition due to injuries," Denisova said.
The ombudsman also said that the boy, born in Kharkiv 40 days ago, died of pneumonia, which he contracted during a several-day stay in a bomb shelter. As a result of the enemy's air attack on Bila Tserkva, missile strikes damaged 15 private homes with the elderly and children. The number of victims is currently unknown.
According to the ombudsman, there are up to 70 children in shelters in Hostomel-Bucha-Irpin direction; some of them are wounded. However, Russian troops do not let medics help them.
"The Russian Armed Forces continue to grossly violate the fundamental rights of children - the right to life and health guaranteed to every child in the world by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. I call on international human rights organizations to take all possible measures to increase pressure on the Russian Federation Ukraine", Denisova emphasized.
The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, also addressed international organizations and the media.
"I have to tell you about it. There are already more than 38 dead children in Ukraine. What is more, this number may be increasing right now because of the shelling of peaceful cities and towns! When Russia says they are not fighting the civilian population, show them these pictures! These are the faces of the children who will never turn into adults! How many more children have to die for Russian troops to stop firing and agree to humanitarian corridors? How many more children have to bleed and starve to death for the Russians to stop destroying civilian vehicles and allow humanitarian missions help civillians?" she wrote on Facebook.
Yesterday, the Ukrainian military organized the evacuation of 150 children from the Kharkiv orphanages, as well as children from a boarding school in Zaporizhzhia today.