Call to Protect Civilians in Ukraine after Two Children Reported Killed and Many Injured in Weekend of Attacks—Save the Children

KYIV (Nov. 18, 2024)—Save the Children is calling for civilians to be protected after two children were reportedly killed and 11 injured in a strike on a residential building in Ukraine’s northeastern region of Sumy in one of worst weekends of attacks in recent months.

Drone and missile attacks across Ukraine over the weekend reportedly killed and injured dozens of children and adults and led to power blackouts in all regions of the country—apart from the west—while power facilities that were damaged in the attacks are repaired. It’s been reported that six children were injured when the southern cities of Odessa and Mykolaiv were attacked.  

Violence against civilians has escalated in recent months. In October alone, at least 183 civilians were killed and 903 injured, including nine children killed and 49 injured. More than 540 children have been killed or injured in Ukraine in 2024, already surpassing 2023 figures.  

Sonia Khush, Save the Children’s Country Director in Ukraine, said:  

“When children in Ukraine should have been safely sleeping in their beds in the early hours of Sunday, they were terrified, sheltering in corridors, basements, and metro systems as the whole country came under attack.

“Save the Children is absolutely horrified that two children were killed and 11 injured on Sunday evening in the Sumy region. Children in Ukraine have endured almost 1,000 days of war. That’s 1,000 days of violence, living in fear, losing their childhoods, their homes, and their chance to learn. This is a war on children, and it must stop immediately.

“The power cuts starting today will also bring enormous suffering for millions of children and adults across the country. Snow and sub-zero temperatures are predicted for this week and will mean many children will freeze in their homes during the long power cuts.”

Save the Children has been working in Ukraine since 2014. Since February 24, 2022, the children’s rights agency has dramatically scaled up its operations and now has a team of 350 staff based in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Dnipro, and Chernivtsi. Working with more than 25 partners, the organization has provided essential support and reached more than 3.44 million people—including around 1.4 million children.

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