Russian WARCRIMES

World Children & Youth Rights Academy. Media & News reporters

RUSSIAN WARCRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN RIGHTS IN UKRAINE .

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Russian WARCRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN RIGHTS. School in Mykolaiv city.

Russian WARCRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN RIGHTS. School in Mykolaiv city

This page “RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN IN UKRAINE” belongs to the World Children & Youth Rights Academy Media Room.
These reports document Russian war crimes committed against children’s rights in Ukraine.
Russia is a member of the United Nations, and this is deeply shameful for the United Nations.
Your member state is acting as a terrorist state against the rights of children.

RUSSIAN WARCRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN RIGHTS in Ukraine.

Here is a summary of documented violations of children’s rights committed by the Russia / Russian-controlled forces in Ukraine from 2014 to 2025, based on reports from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, Ukrainian government sources and other monitors. These acts may amount to war crimes or serious violations of international humanitarian law and children’s rights.

Killing and injuring children

According to OHCHR: between 24 February 2022 and 31 December 2024, at least 669 children were killed and 1,833 injured as a result of hostilities in Ukraine. Jurist+3The United Nations in Ukraine+3Ukrainan ihmisoikeusvalvontatehtävä+3
Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s Office reports that since 2014 the number of children killed exceeds 800. Rubryka+1
Many of these casualties are attributed to the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas. Ukrainan ihmisoikeusvalvontatehtävä+1
The death and injury toll is likely a significant underestimate because many occupied or frontline areas cannot be fully verified.

Attacks on civilian infrastructure used by children

Schools, kindergartens, hospitals and maternity clinics have been attacked or destroyed, causing direct harm to children’s safety, education and health. For example: the shelling of a maternity hospital and children’s hospital in Mariupol on 9 March 2022; three people died (including a child). Ombudsman+1
The destruction and damage of thousands of schools means children’s rights to education and development are severely undermined. The United Nations in Ukraine+1

Time-line / scope notes

Since 2014: The war in eastern Ukraine (Donetsk & Luhansk) and the occupation of Crimea by Russia created a context where children’s rights were already under threat. Reports say that from 2014 to early 2022, while numbers were lower, children were still killed, injured and subjected to deprivation of their rights. Russia’s war in Ukraine
From 24 February 2022 (the full-scale invasion) onward: Dramatic increase in violations, both in scale and nature, affecting children across Ukraine.
Reporting continues through 2025; the years 2024-2025 show ongoing systematic violations, including in occupied territories, and longterm consequences such as trauma, displacement, mine-risks, and loss of education.

Russia launched a war against Ukraine intending to destroy Ukraine’s culture, its schools, and to inflict as many child casualties as possible on Ukrainian territory — including by abducting children from Ukraine to Russia.
The Russian armed forces have carried out extensive devastation against children, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, and other institutions for children. Among many documented abuses:

They have attacked, shelled and destroyed educational facilities: since February 2022 over 3,790 educational institutions in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed. hrw.org
According to the United Nations, at least 1,614 attacks have destroyed or damaged schools. The United Nations in Ukraine+2hrw.org+2
They have also targeted children directly: verified figures show over 611 children killed and 1,425 injured between February 2022 and May 2024. The United Nations in Ukraine+1
Russia (and forces under its control) have appropriated schools and kindergartens, used them for military purposes (stations, storage of weapons, shelters for troops) making them targets and violating their civilian nature. hrw.org+1
Kindergartens and preschool institutions have been destroyed or damaged: for example, 127 preschool education institutions destroyed and 940 damaged. ombudsman.gov.ua
Medical and child-healthcare infrastructure has also been severely impacted: children and pregnant women have impaired access to care, vaccination programmes are disrupted, staff displaced, hospitals targeted. The United Nations in Ukraine+1
In occupied areas the Russian authorities have imposed a Russian language curriculum, “military-patriotic” training in schools, and have systematically attempted to erase the Ukrainian language and culture among children. The United Nations in Ukraine+1

Examples of specific incidents

On 9 March 2022: A maternity hospital and children’s hospital in Mariupol were attacked. Three people died (including a child) and 17 were injured. The attack is identified as a war crime by the Ukrainian ombudsman’s office. Ombudsman
Between December 2024 and May 2025: In the reporting period of the OHCHR, 968 civilians were killed, 4,807 injured; hospitals were struck by Russian forces; children were contacted over social media and offered money to commit sabotage.

Displacement, separation and deprivation of services

Large numbers of children have been internally displaced or become refugees; for example, around 737,000 children were internally displaced by end of 2024. The United Nations in Ukraine+1
In occupied territories, children face restricted access to healthcare, education, and other essential services. Ombudsman+1
The presence of vast minefields and explosive remnants of war in Ukraine constitutes a continuing threat to children’s right to life and safety. Jurist+1

Forced transfer, abduction or deportation of children

Children (including from institutions) have been transferred or deported from Ukrainian territory to Russia or Russian-controlled territory without their families’ consent. The OHCHR indicates these acts “may constitute war crimes.” The United Nations in Ukraine+1
Reports cite tens of thousands of children subjected to such transfers. press.un.org
These acts violate the Fourth Geneva Convention (in particular Art. 49) and international humanitarian law. Jurist+1

Key Verified Figures & Reports

From 24 February 2022 to 31 December 2024, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified that 669 children were killed and 1,833 injured in Ukraine. Of these, 521 killed and 1,529 injured in Ukrainian-controlled territory; 148 killed and 304 injured in occupied territory. ukraine.ohchr.org+2The United Nations in Ukraine+2
On 1 June 2023, OHCHR reported that at least 525 children had been killed and 1,047 injured since 24 February 2022. The United Nations in Ukraine
As of 4 June 2025, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine reported that at least 631 children have been killed and more than 1,975 injured since the full-scale invasion. pravda.com.ua
Earlier, for the very initial days of the invasion (24 Feb – 1 Mar 2022), OHCHR recorded that 6 children were among 227 killed in total civilians. The United Nations in Ukraine+1

Selected Specific Incidents

8 April 2022: A cluster-munition attack on the railway station in Kramatorsk (Donetsk region) killed 60 civilians, including 7 children, and injured 111–112, including 17 children. ukraine.ohchr.org+1
4 March 2024: In Odesa, a drone or drone-remnant strike on a nine-storey residential building killed 5 children (majority under 3 yrs). The United Nations in Ukraine+1
March 2025: According to Ukrainian prosecutors, by 24 March 2025 “604 children were killed and more than 1,817 were injured” since the invasion. Largest number of victims recorded in Donetsk region (633 children), Kharkiv (470) etc. odessa-journal.com+1

Notes / Important Caveats

These figures do not differentiate with certainty whether each child fatality was caused directly by Russian forces or by general hostilities (though many killings in Ukrainian-controlled territory are attributed to attacks by Russian armed forces).
The reports emphasise that the actual numbers are likely higher because many occupied or heavily contested areas remain inaccessible for verification. ukraine.ohchr.org+1
Most of the child casualties stem from explosive weapons with wide-area effect (artillery, missiles, drones) in populated areas. ukraine.ohchr.org+1
The timeline prior to 2022 (i.e., from 2014 when the conflict in Donbas began) is less comprehensively documented in the sources cited here. Many regional/local reports exist but are not globally aggregated in the sources I located.

Russification, removal of cultural identity and militarisation of children
- In occupied regions, children have been subjected to educational and cultural policies aiming to impose Russian citizenship, curricula and patriotism, suppressing the Ukrainian language and identity. Ukrainan ihmisoikeusvalvontatehtävä+1
- Children are reported to have been exposed to militaristic training, indoctrination and sometimes recruitment. press.un.org+1
Sexual violence, torture and ill-treatment
- The Commission of Inquiry documents war crimes and human rights abuses that include rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture, unlawful confinement, especially in occupied areas.

Legal and normative observations

The right to life, education, health, family, identity and protection from violence all apply to children under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Russia.
Under international humanitarian law (IHL), children are protected as civilians under occupation or in conflict; the occupying power has obligations to protect them and maintain essential services (see e.g., Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, Article 77). OHCHR notes that Russia’s conduct amounts to violations of IHL. Ukrainan ihmisoikeusvalvontatehtävä+1
The forced deportation/transfers of children from occupied territory may constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) (e.g., “unlawful deportation or transfer of population” in an armed conflict). Indeed, arrest warrants have been issued by the ICC against President Vladimir Putin and others regarding these allegations. ukrinform.net+1

Summary statementIn summary, there is credible and documented evidence that Russian armed forces and Russian-controlled authorities in occupied Ukrainian territories have committed or are responsible for large-scale violations of children’s rights. These include the killing and injuring of children, destruction of infrastructure critical for children (schools, hospitals), forced transfers and deportations of children, suppression of Ukrainian cultural and linguistic identity among children, militarisation and indoctrination of children, torture, sexual violence, and denial of access to essential services. Many of these acts may meet the threshold of war crimes or crimes against humanity under international law.

Here is a table summarizing regional-breakdowns of reported damage to schools or educational institutions in Ukraine, based on publicly available data. These figures are minimum verified estimates and are subject to change as further verification continues.
Region (Oblast)Approx. number of schools/educational institutions reported destroyed or significantly damagedNotes / sourceDonetsk Oblast~ 328 schools damaged or destroyed (as of Jan 2023) savedschools+1Part of “1,259 schools damaged / 223 destroyed” national figure. Cedos+1
Kharkiv Oblast~ 304 schools damaged (Jan 2023) savedschools+1Approximate; many “damaged” rather than destroyed
Luhansk Oblast~ (“42.9% of schools affected” in one report) SkepticSpecific numbers not given in that source
Kherson Oblast68 educational institutions completely destroyed + 289 significantly damaged (Right Bank only) НикВестиRight Bank of Kherson Oblast; indicates severe damage
Kyiv Oblast244 schools/kindergartens/educational institutions damaged or destroyed; 198 restored (122 schools + 71 kindergartens) Voice of Ukraine+1Restoration ongoing
National summary (Ukraine-wide)~1,259 schools damaged + 223 completely destroyed (as of Jan 2023) Cedos+1
As of Aug 2025: ~1,779 schools damaged + 226 destroyed. Ukrinform
As of July 2025: Over 2,700 educational institutions damaged, 337 completely destroyed. UkrinformNote: “educational institutions” includes schools, kindergartens, higher education, etc.

Important notes:

“Destroyed” in many sources means the building is no longer usable without major reconstruction; “damaged” means significant harm but possibly repairable. Sources vary in definitions. savedschools+1
Many of the reported numbers cover all educational institutions, not just schools (i.e., kindergartens, vocational/higher education). Some data specifically isolate “schools” but others do not.
These numbers are minimum verified; actual numbers are likely higher, especially in areas inaccessible to independent monitors.
The numbers vary with time (data cut-offs differ) and with region.

Here’s a spreadsheet-style summary of the best available regional data on educational institution (including schools) damage/destruction in Ukraine (2014-2025) with notes on gaps and uncertainty. All figures are minimums/estimates; damage continues; not every oblast has a full breakdown.
Oblast/RegionDestroyed or completely ruined institutions*Damaged or affected institutions*Notes / SourceKyiv Oblast—244 (schools, kindergartens, vocational etc) by Feb 2024. Voice of Ukraine+2The Kyiv Independent+2Of those 198 restored. Euromaidan Press+1
Kherson Oblast68 completely destroyed (Right Bank)289 damaged (Right Bank)“More than 300” total educational institutions on right bank damaged/destroyed. НикВести
Donetsk Oblast—~328 affected schools (2014-2022 period) Cedos+1Part of largest share of damage.
Kharkiv Oblast—~304 affected schools (2014-2022 period) Cedos+1High proportion of schools affected (≈43–49%). Skeptic
National Ukraine-wide223 schools completely destroyed (as of Jan 2023) Cedos+2Cedos+21,259 schools damaged (as of Jan 2023) Cedos+1Later update: over 2,600 educational institutions damaged and 406 completely destroyed (including many kinds) as of July 2025. Ukrinform* “Destroyed” = building wholly unusable/major reconstruction needed. “Damaged/affected” = significant harm but possibly repairable. Definitions vary.

Key aggregated figures

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health of Ukraine: since February 24 2022, over 2,300 medical infrastructure facilities have been damaged or destroyed. Specifically: about 2,020 partially damaged and 305 completely destroyed. pravda.com.ua+2The Kyiv Independent+2
Another Ministry report: as of July 2024, 214 medical facilities at 99 healthcare institutions were completely destroyed; 1,642 facilities damaged at 676 institutions. pravda.com.ua
As of October 2025, the Ministry reported 184 medical facilities destroyed, and another 1,376 damaged across Ukraine. Ukrinform
NGO/academic data: In one study covering the first year of the full-scale invasion, 334 attacks on 267 healthcare facilities documented, with 230 facilities being damaged and 37 destroyed. PubMed+1
WHO / other monitoring: Over 700 attacks on the Ukrainian health-care system in 2022 (average more than 2 per day) and almost 1 in 10 of Ukraine’s hospitals were directly damaged by shelling in certain reports. uhc.org.ua+2PHR+2

As of July 1 2025: ~2,384 health-infrastructure facilities in Ukraine (across 781 health-care institutions) have been damaged or destroyed, of which 308 were entirely destroyed. pravda.com.ua+3censor.net+3Interfax-Ukraine+3
As of December 2024: ~1,938 medical facilities across 715 institutions damaged, and 297 completely destroyed. pravda.com.ua
Reports note that the greatest losses have been in Kharkiv Oblast, Donetsk Oblast, Mykolaiv Oblast, Kherson Oblast, Zaporizhzhia Oblast