In the Kherson region, 229 children were injured during the war, of which 39 died and 190 were injured
Childhood is a time of carefree games, learning and dreams. But for Ukrainian children, the war became a terrible reality that destroyed their world. Instead of bedtime stories – the sounds of explosions, instead of the schoolyard – basements, instead of the warm embrace of parents – deportation or loss of relatives. In Kherson Oblast, which became one of the most painful points of the war, children suffered irreparable losses. They became victims of brutal war crimes – they were killed by shelling, wounded, lost their parents, subjected to violence or forced deportation.
Every story is a tragedy that should not go unpunished. Ukrainian law enforcement agencies continue to investigate these crimes, gathering evidence to bring the perpetrators to justice. But for every family that has lost a child, there is no greater pain than knowing that their life was cut short by a war they did not choose.
Horrible numbers: children affected by war
Andriy Kovalenko, Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office stated:
“From the beginning of the full-scale invasion until February 28, 2025, the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine registered more than a thousand criminal proceedings regarding war crimes and crimes of aggression in the field of juvenile justice. In 294 cases, these crimes were committed directly against children, and another 819 – in the field of childhood protection.”
According to him, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in Kherson Oblast, 229 children have been injured, 39 children have died, and 190 have received injuries of varying degrees of severity. These numbers are not just statistics, but broken families, ruined destinies and endless grief that cannot be contained in any numbers. War crimes against children have one horrific common denominator – cruelty that knows no bounds.
According to Andrii Kovalenko, the Russian military carried out indiscriminate shelling that resulted in the death and maiming of children.
There are also recorded facts of forced deportation of children to Russia and temporarily occupied territories, which is one of the most serious crimes against humanity. In addition, there are documented cases of sexual violence against children who became victims of the inhuman cruelty of the occupiers.
Destroyed civilian infrastructure is another consequence of Russian attacks. As a result of shelling, 579 educational institutions and 8 medical institutions for children were destroyed or damaged. Some of them were damaged twice or more, because even after repairs they became new targets of the enemy.
Investigation of war crimes
Andrii Kovalenko emphasized that Ukrainian law enforcement officers are conducting large-scale investigations into war crimes committed against children. Currently, six servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and representatives of the armed forces under their control are being held criminally liable for crimes against children. Under the procedural guidance of the prosecutor’s office, the indictments against five of them have already been sent to court, and the investigation against another criminal is ongoing.
Among the cases that have already been brought to court is the case of the intentional killing of a minor girl in April 2022 in the village of Pravdyne. The Russian military executed her along with six employees of the agricultural company, and then blew up the house where their bodies were left. The indictment in this case is directed against the commander of the marine unit of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy.
Another case concerns the commander of the 8th Coastal Defense Artillery Regiment of the 22nd Army Corps of the Coastal Forces of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. By his order, on December 24, 2022, the center of Kherson was shelled, as a result of which children were among the victims.
In addition, in the summer of 2022, one of the servicemen of the 25th Special Guards Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces committed sexual violence against a woman and her young daughter. Suspicion has also been declared against him, and law enforcement agencies are working to prove his guilt in court.
In addition to war crimes, the prosecutor’s office is investigating the activities of Ukrainian citizens who collaborated with the Russian military and helped them impose Russian education standards on the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson region. As part of these investigations, 63 persons are currently being held criminally liable. Regarding five of them, indictments have already been submitted to the court, and another 53 people are being prosecuted as part of a special absentee investigation. Four people have been charged with suspicion, and the investigation is ongoing.
As Andrii Kovalenko noted, the number of collaborators who will be brought to criminal responsibility will probably increase, as investigations of similar cases are conducted by law enforcement agencies of different regions. Procedural management of pre-trial investigations is carried out not only by the prosecutor’s office of the Kherson region, but also by the prosecutor’s offices of other regions, specialized prosecutor’s offices, and the Office of the Prosecutor General.
At the same time, according to Andrii Kovalenko, law enforcement officers pay special attention to the facts of the militarization of children in the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson Region. Cases where children were forced to join the paramilitary formations of the Russian Federation are being investigated. At the moment, three criminal proceedings have been opened based on such facts. One of the most serious war crimes being investigated is the deportation of Ukrainian children to the territory of the Russian Federation or to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, 74 criminal proceedings have been initiated for the facts of deportation and forced transfer of children. In 40 of them, the Office of the General Prosecutor of Ukraine carries out procedural management. It was established that 735 Ukrainian children were deported in 29 cases, most of whom were deported under the fictitious pretext of “rehabilitation”.
In addition, criminal proceedings have been initiated on the facts of the forced acquisition of Russian citizenship by Ukrainian children. Two such cases have been recorded so far, but this is only the beginning of a large-scale investigation.
Law enforcement officers of Ukraine continue to document every crime against children so that the perpetrators are brought to justice. The Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office is working to ensure that the collected evidence becomes an integral part of future trials, in particular in international tribunals.
The world has no right to turn a blind eye to these crimes. Punishment of war criminals is not only a matter for Ukraine, but a matter of global justice.
