UKRAINE: RUSSIAN STRIKES AMOUNTING TO WAR CRIMES CONTINUE TO KILL AND INJURE CHILDREN

An Amnesty International statement today highlighted the ongoing plight of children in Ukraine, who continue to be killed and injured in Russian airstrikes, including in incidents which amount to war crimes.

Amnesty International verified seventeen strikes in 2024 that caused child casualties, while field research revealed that Russian forces have deliberately targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure. The statement reiterated calls for the perpetrators of unlawful attacks and war crimes to be brought to justice, and for redress to be given to all victims of war crimes committed in Russia’s aggression.

“Children, as some of the most vulnerable groups in any society, enjoy special protection under international humanitarian law. Yet we continue to see them killed and injured in areas far from the frontlines, including in areas with zero military targets,” said Patrick Thompson, Amnesty International’s Ukraine researcher.

Children, as some of the most vulnerable groups in any society, enjoy special protection under international humanitarian law. Yet we continue to see them killed and injured in areas far from the frontlines, including in areas with zero military targets

Patrick Thompson, Amnesty International’s Ukraine researcher

“The strikes Amnesty International documented this year, including the infamous attack against Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital in Kyiv, were war crimes reminiscent of the early days of the full-scale invasion, when Russian forces bombed the maternity hospital and drama theatre in Mariupol. Civilians and civilian objects, including hospitals which enjoy special protection, continue to be the target of unlawful attacks, and more and more children are killed and injured in them.”

Ongoing attacks against children amount to war crimes

There is a consensus among organizations documenting civilian harm in Ukraine that 2024 has seen a significant increase in civilian casualties, including children. The data, including that published by United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR), suggests that the summer of 2024 was a particularly deadly time for children in Ukraine. Amnesty International’s Digital Verification Corps verified over 120 videos and images of attacks against children in 2024, and further research was carried out on the ground by researchers.

In one attack, on 8 July, a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile struck Okhmatdyt, a children’s hospital in Kyiv. It caused massive damage, and killed two people and injured over a hundred more, including children.

Oleg Golubchenko, a surgeon who was operating on a child at the hospital at the time of the attack, said: “When I came back to my senses, everything around was in ruins. I was injured too – I felt warmth all over my body and saw that I was bleeding, but my arms and legs were functioning, and I was breathing. I crawled a little and saw that the child was okay, although the equipment was destroyed.”

Amnesty International verified 14 images and six videos showing the missile strike on Okhmatdyt and the aftermath. Images show severe damage to the hospital wards, broken windows and debris, as well as blood stains. Amnesty International was not able to find any evidence of the presence of Ukrainian military in the sprawling hospital complex or its immediate vicinity. The hospital’s sheer size effectively precludes the possibility that the powerful cruise missile, with a reported accuracy of 5 to 20 meters, was aimed at a different target.  

“The reported increase in attacks against civilians and civilian casualties is a frightening reminder that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues with an overwhelming human cost. Unlawful attacks, particularly those which hurt children, are designed to sow terror and panic among the civilian population. The sense of impunity the perpetrators enjoy must end. It is up to the international community to ensure that they are brought to justice. Without accountability, these attacks will only continue,” said Patrick Thompson.

Unlawful attacks, particularly those which hurt children, are designed to sow terror and panic among the civilian population. The sense of impunity the perpetrators enjoy must end

Patrick Thompson, Amnesty International’s Ukraine researcher

Background

The growing number of civilians killed and injured, both in government-controlled Ukraine and Russian-occupied and Russian territories, is the direct result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which is a crime under international law.

According to OHCHR data, approximately 89% of civilian casualties have occurred in territories controlled by Ukraine. Amnesty International is unable to independently verify the number of children reported as killed by Russian sources, nor affirm the reliability of the information or the alleged attribution of these attacks to Ukrainian forces.

Direct attacks on civilians or civilian objects are war crimes. Indiscriminate attacks, including those on populated areas with explosive weapons, are a violation of international humanitarian law. Indiscriminate strikes that kill or injure civilians constitute war crimes. Amnesty International has documented numerous instances since February 2022 of Russian forces conducting indiscriminate attacks in Ukraine, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties, and evidence of other war crimes, including torture, sexual violence, and unlawful killings.

All those responsible for crimes under international law must be brought to justice in fair trial proceedings and victims must be able to realise their rights to truth, justice, and reparations.