Tragic outcome of Russian aggression
According to data published by the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office, at least 546 children have lost their lives and 1,319 have been injured to various degrees due to the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. The most recent victims have occurred this same Thursday, according to the prosecutor’s office.
In the Donetsk region, a 12-year-old girl was killed in a Russian attack with a Grad rocket launcher against the municipality of Memrik. In addition, eight minors between the ages of 8 and 15 were injured in a Russian attack in the town of Dergachi, in the northeastern region of Kharkiv.
The Donetsk region is the most affected, with 530 cases of dead or injured children. It is followed by the province of Kharkiv, with 356 cases, and then Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolajiv, with more than a hundred minors killed or injured in each of these regions.
Alarming increase in child victims
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that the number of children killed as a result of airstrikes in the Ukrainian conflict has increased by almost 40% in 2024 compared to the previous year. According to the data, between January 1 and March 31, 25 children reportedly lost their lives due to attacks.
In an attempt to address this situation, representatives from Moscow and Kyiv have met in Qatar to discuss the return of children separated from their families due to the war in Ukraine. The Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Russia, Maria Lvova-Belova, has stated that the first face-to-face negotiations have been held with the Ukrainian side, with the mediation of Qatar. The goal is to provide help to families who want to reunite again.
It is important to note that both María Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin face arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for illegal deportation of children and their transfer from occupied areas in Ukraine to Russian territory, which constitutes a war crime. Lvova-Belova has thanked Qatar for its efforts in family reunification.
Prospects for peace in Ukraine
As Ukraine faces the first moves of an expected Russian offensive in the east of the country, rumors have been raised in some diplomatic quarters about the need to push for peace talks. Next month, Switzerland will host a high-level international summit to seek a peaceful solution in Ukraine. However, Ukraine’s main Western supporters see little reason to engage in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has shown little respect for the rule of law and international norms. It should be noted that Russia has not been invited to the meeting organized by Switzerland.
Although the Kremlin does not want to appear to be an obstacle to a negotiated resolution to the conflict, it has occasionally expressed a willingness to engage in peace talks, suggesting that it is Ukraine and its Western supporters who are stubborn. For example, earlier this year, Putin singled out former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, blaming him for ruining the chances of success of peace negotiations held weeks after the invasion.
