Unetchac Observatory on the Field
Ukraine
1991
Ukraine votes for Indipendence
1994
Ukraine Joins NATO’s Partnership for Peace
November 2013 – February 2014
Euromaidan Protests Lead to Government Collapse
2014
Russia Seizes Crimea, Holds Referendum
First Minsk Agreement Signed
2015
Second Minsk Agreement Signed
February 2022
Russia Invades Ukraine
In accordance with national statistic (Children of War, 2023) as of December 2023, the following crimes were committed against Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation:
512 killings
1,159 wounded
2,287 missing
13 sexually abused
and 19,546 deported and/or forcibly displaced (the majority of them were from the Donetsk region) (Kalnichenko, 2023).
"The significant discrepancies between data provided by international organizations and local data can be attributed to many facts, including the timing of verification. Consequently, it can be presumed that the estimation of the violations is higher than officially reported. In particular, gender-based violence seems to be under-reported (Gender-based Violence in Ukraine, 2022; ECPAT, 2023) due to a number of reasons including the impossibility to access hospitals or health center and the stigma and social taboos linked to children sexual orientation and gender identities. Survivors and witnesses in Ukraine often face multiple intersecting barriers to sharing information, including risks of reprisal, restrictions on movement or stigma.
These barriers may be compounded for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, as well as children and other persons in situations of vulnerability, which may result in underreporting of violations affecting said persons. Moreover, it is unclear which criteria are used by national authorities for reporting the violations and alleged responsibility and whether or not the data have been verified".
Olena Krytska, Expert in HRL / UNETCHAC Project Researcher on Ukraine
July 2023
Documentary by Olena Krytska, July 2023
INSTITUTIONAL DATA
Ukraine - January to December 2022
Children and armed conflict – Ukraine
UN - General Assembly Security Council - Annual Report of the Secretary General A/77/895-S/2023/363
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The United Nations verified 2,334 violations against 1,482 children (629 boys, 474 girls, 379 sex unknown), including 91 children who were victims of multiple violations;
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A total of 92 children were used by Russian armed forces (91) and Ukrainian armed forces 7 (1) as human shields (90), as a hostage and for domestic chores (1) and for intelligence-gathering (1);
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The United Nations verified the detention of six boys. Four boys were detained by Russian armed forces and subjected to ill-treatment and/or torture. Two boys were deprived of liberty by Ukrainian authorities on national security grounds, with one boy subjected to ill-treatment;
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The United Nations verified the killing (477) and maiming (909) of 1,386 children (626 boys, 471 girls, 289 sex unknown) attributed to Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups (658: 136 killed, 518 maimed), Ukrainian armed forces (255: 80 killed, 175 maimed) and unidentified perpetrators, mostly caused by air strikes (473: 261 killed, 212 maimed). Most child casualties resulted from the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects (1,206) and explosive ordinance (64);
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Rape (1) and other forms of sexual violence (2) perpetrated against three girls between the ages of 4 and 17 were verified and attributed to the Russian armed forces in Kyiv region (2) and Chernihiv region (1);
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Some 751 attacks on schools (461) and hospitals (290), including attacks on protected persons in relation to schools and/or hospitals, were verified and attributed to Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups (480), Ukrainian armed forces (212) and unidentified perpetrators (59). Most attacks involved the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects. Incidents involved damage (577), destruction (151), looting (17) and threats (6). Among those attacks, 20 resulted in child casualties;
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The United Nations verified the military use of 23 schools and 7 hospitals by Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups (24), Ukrainian armed forces (4) and unidentified perpetrators (2). 318.
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The United Nations verified the abduction of 92 children, including 91 children abducted by Russian armed forces;
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One child was abducted and taken to Belarus and another child was used as a hostage in exchange for civilians and prisoners of war. All 92 children were released. In addition, the United Nations verified the transfer of 46 children to the Russian Federation from areas of Ukraine that, in part, are or have been under the temporary military control of the Russian Federation;
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The United Nations verified 10 incidents of the denial of humanitarian access attributed to Russian armed forces. Incidents involved the denial of access to cross the front line to deliver humanitarian assistance (8) and attacks on aid distribution points (2).
