Every year on June 4, Ukraine commemorates the children who lost their lives as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine. This commemorative day was established by Resolution No. 1490-IX of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dated June 1, 2021.
The date was not chosen at random: pursuant to a resolution of the UN General Assembly dated August 19, 1982, the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed worldwide every year on June 4.
Russian aggression against Ukraine has been ongoing for over 12 years. During this time, thousands of Ukrainian children have suffered from the war: they have been killed, wounded, and have lost their homes, loved ones, and the opportunity to live in safety and peace.
Ukraine and the world remember the names of the young Ukrainians whose lives were cut short by the war in Mariupol and Kramatorsk, Bakhmut and Sloviansk, Kharkiv and Izium, Kyiv and Dnipro, Vinnytsia and Chernihiv, and in many other cities and communities across the country.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, as of June 3, 2026, since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 707 children have been confirmed dead, and 2,548 have suffered injuries of varying severity. These figures are not final, as it is impossible to obtain reliable data due to active hostilities and the temporary occupation of part of Ukraine’s territory.
This tragedy is particularly painful for the Donetsk region. It was our region that was among the first to bear the brunt of the enemy’s attack and to suffer the pain of losing young Ukrainians. The parliamentary resolution states, in particular: “Since 2014, at least 240 children have been killed in the Donetsk, Luhansk, and other regions as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression and other actions by the aggressor state against Ukraine.” Unfortunately, since February 24, 2022, these numbers have been steadily rising—during this time, Donetsk Oblast has lost 240 children, and 502 children have been wounded. The memory of every child whose life was taken by the war will forever remain in the hearts of Ukrainians.
Despite everything, Ukrainian children continue to learn, dream, and believe in the future of their country. Today, we are acutely aware that the struggle for Ukraine’s independence is a struggle for the future of our children, for their right to live in a free, safe, and peaceful country.