“Today we still do not know the exact number of children killed during the war”: Zelensky
On June 4, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Remembrance of Children Who Died as a Result of Armed Aggression by the Russian Federation. It is an officially established day when the state publicly recognizes the loss of children’s lives during the war, which has been ongoing since 2014 and has become full-scale since February 2022. However, even in this sad day, there is one of the most difficult truths: Ukraine still does not know the exact number of children killed by Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in an address on the occasion of this day emphasized, that all these children became victims of the Russian war, which Ukraine did not want for a single second, but which it has been forced to fight off for more than three years.
“These children were killed by Russia with its war. Boys and girls whose lives were cut short due to Russian strikes and shelling, due to hostilities, which Ukraine did not want for a single second, but which it has been defending against for years. It is on June 4 that we honor the memory of all such children.
Today, we still do not know the exact number of dead, because we do not have access to the temporarily occupied territories. It will still be necessary to establish how many adults and children killed by Russia are buried in mass graves near Mariupol and other cities and villages destroyed by the Russians. – emphasized the head of state.
He noted that the world has no right to forget this pain, it has no right to forgive Russian war criminals for what happened and what is still going on.
The President called on the world for real solidarity — not in the form of statements or mournful words, but in the form of concrete actions aimed at making Russia responsible for what it has done:
“In memory of every murdered child, in memory of every destroyed human life, there must be real solidarity of the world – everyone in Europe, everyone in America, everyone in other parts of the world – for the sake of Russia being responsible for what it has done and being forced to return the stolen peace to Ukraine and Ukrainians.”
Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov in a message on Facebook called June 4 one of the most painful days for the state.
“We remember the children whose lives were cut short by Russian missiles, artillery, and drones. Those whom the aggressor did not allow to grow up, did not allow to dream, did not allow to live.” he noted.
The minister emphasized: there are no excuses for this tragedy, and everyone must bear responsibility for it – from the executors to the commanders, from the soldiers to the generals, from the leaders on the ground to Putin. He also appealed to Ukraine’s partners to help protect the Ukrainian sky. According to the minister, this is now the guarantee that no new names appear in the lists of the dead.
“You have means that can save life. Determination and speed are required. Because time is life.” he addressed the partner countries.
The Minister of Defense also emphasized the need to strengthen air defenses, return children abducted by Russia and do everything possible to restore not just peace, but a just and lasting peace.
“Eternal memory of the dead children. We are fighting for them too.” he noted.
According to official data of the Prosecutor General’s Office, as of June 3, as a result of Russia’s armed aggression, 631 children died, and another 1,971 were injured of various degrees of severity. But these numbers are only the tip of the terrible statistics. The true scale of losses remains unknown. In the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson regions, in Mariupol, in the places of mass destruction and mass graves, it is still impossible to identify the exact number of dead children.
This day reminds everyone: Ukrainian children are not just numbers in summaries. These are names, faces, stories. And as long as the war continues, no number will be final.
