Since full-scale invasion, Russians have killed 39 children in Kherson region

Since the end of February 2022, 229 children have been affected in the Kherson region as a result of Russian military attacks. Among them, 39 have died, and another 190 have sustained bodily injuries, as reported by Ukrinform, citing Andriy Kovalenko, the Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

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“From the beginning of the full-scale invasion to February 28, 2025, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have registered over a thousand criminal proceedings related to war crimes and crimes of aggression in the sphere of juvenile justice. In 294 cases, these crimes were committed directly against children, and another 819 were in the sphere of childhood protection,” Kovalenko stated.

According to him, the majority of war crimes against children are linked to violent actions by the Russian military – these include indiscriminate shelling that resulted in the death and injury of children and damage to the civilian infrastructure of children’s institutions, as well as the forced deportation of children to the territory of the Russian Federation or the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Furthermore, cases of intentional killing of children, deprivation of their liberty, and instances of war-related sexual violence have also been recorded.

Additionally, the official noted that damage or destruction due to indiscriminate shelling by Russians in populated areas has been documented at 579 educational institutions and eight medical facilities in the sphere of childhood protection within the region, taking into account that some of them were damaged twice or more.

Regarding the prosecution of Russian occupiers, Kovalenko stated that, currently, under the procedural guidance of the region’s prosecutor’s offices, six servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces and representatives of armed formations under their control are being held criminally liable for crimes against children.

“Indictments against five of them have already been sent to court, and one more investigation is ongoing,” Kovalenko noted.

Specifically, this includes the case of the killing of a minor girl by Russian soldiers in April 2022 in the village of Pravdyne. She died along with six adult employees of an agricultural firm, and the Russians blew up the house containing their bodies – an indictment has been sent to court against the commander of a marine infantry unit of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy.

Another case involves the commander of the 8th Artillery Regiment of the coastal defence of the 22nd Army Corps of the coastal troops of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy: on his orders, the occupiers shelled the city centre of Kherson on December 24, 2022 – children were among the victims.

One more case involves a declared suspicion against a serviceman of the 25th Separate Guards Special Purpose Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, who committed sexual violence against a woman and her daughter in the summer of 2022.

Read also: More men than women applied for compensation after experiencing sexual violence during the war

Separately, the criminal activities of Ukrainian citizens who assisted the occupiers in illegally implementing Russian educational standards are being investigated. In particular, 63 individuals are held liable under Part 3 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Indictments against five of these individuals have been sent to court through the general procedure, while proceedings against 53 others are being conducted under a special pre-trial investigation (in absentia). According to Kovalenko, the pre-trial investigation is ongoing in four criminal proceedings where four individuals have been notified of suspicion.

He also added that law enforcement agencies are investigating the militarization of children in the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson region and the coercion to join the paramilitary formations of the Russian Federation. Three criminal proceedings have already been opened regarding these facts.

The official noted that one of the most serious crimes being investigated is the deportation or forced transfer of children: since February 24, 2022, 74 criminal proceedings have been initiated regarding such incidents.

According to Kovalenko, in 29 instances, the deportation of 735 Ukrainian children has been established, with the majority being taken under the pretext of “health improvement.”

The Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office also reported that there are criminal proceedings regarding the coercion of children to obtain Russian citizenship. So far, two such cases have been recorded.

According to the UN, in 2024, the number of civilian casualties wounded and killed as a result of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine increased by 30% compared to the corresponding data for 2023.

Overall, from February 2022 to December 31 of last year, Russian forces killed at least 12,456 Ukrainian civilians, including 669 children. More than 28,000 people were injured, including over 1,800 children.