229 Ukrainian Children Affected by russian Invasion in Kherson Region

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in Kherson region, 229 children have suffered. Of these, 39 were killed and 190 sustained injuries of varying severity.

According to the deputy head of the Kherson regional prosecutor's office, Andriy Kovalenko, this happened because of numerous war crimes recorded by law enforcement agencies of Ukraine.

In total, more than a thousand criminal proceedings have been registered, of which 294 relate to crimes directly against children.

The official said that these crimes are often associated with violent actions of the Russian military: shelling, forced displacement of children, deportation to the occupied territories of Russia, as well as sexual violence and premeditated murder. According to Kovalenko, six Russian servicemen have been prosecuted for crimes against children, five of the accused have already been brought to court, and one case is still ongoing.

In particular, these crimes include the case of the Russian military killing a minor girl in the village of Pravdyne in April 2022, as well as the shelling of Kherson in December 2022, which affected children. A case of sexual violence by a Russian serviceman against a woman and her daughter is being investigated separately.

There have also been cases of militarization of children, as well as deportation and forced displacement of children from the temporarily occupied territories, which are also being investigated by law enforcement. A total of 74 criminal proceedings have already been initiated over the forced displacement of children.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have submitted to court a case against two Russian citizens suspected of illegally deporting Ukrainian children. The defendants are a member of the State Duma of Russia, a confidant of the leader of the Fair Russia party, and the wife of this politician.

Earlier, a program for the return and reintegration of children abducted by Russia, including orphans, was presented in Kherson. This program is being implemented as part of the presidential initiative Bring Kids Back UA.

Ірина Глухова