Ukraine: Save the Children reports the highest number of child casualties in July in the last four years

In Ukraine, July saw the highest number of child casualties in the last four years, with a total of 183 children killed or injured. This is the highest monthly figure recorded since April 2022, just two months after the outbreak of full-scale war. The latest report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights shows that child casualties rose by 50 per cent between June – when the total had already reached 123, the highest figure in the last four years – and July.

Meanwhile, the attacks continue to put children and civilians across the country at ever-greater risk. Last week, Save the Children’s offices were targeted in several attacks, two of which damaged humanitarian aid intended for children. “July saw the highest number of child casualties since the early months of the full-scale war,” said Sonia Khush, director of Save the Children in Ukraine “A 50 per cent increase in child casualties in a single month is not just a statistic; it demonstrates just how rapidly the danger to children across Ukraine is escalating.”

“It is becoming increasingly difficult for families to find a safe place, whilst ever more powerful missiles and drones are devastating apartment blocks, nurseries and other civilian buildings,” he continued. “These statistics reflect a deeply alarming reality: children across Ukraine face ever-greater risks on a daily basis, with attacks increasingly targeting homes, schools, playgrounds and communities – precisely the places where they should feel safe. In addition to those who have lost their lives or been injured, countless other children live in daily fear of air-raid sirens, explosions and the loss of their loved ones. Every time we think the situation cannot get any worse, it does. It is a never-ending nightmare. Civilians must be protected and violence against children must stop.”