Ukrainian volunteers help family escape Russian occupation in Kherson Oblast

The Ukrainian authorities and volunteers helped a 16-year-old boy and his family to evacuate from the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast to the territory that controls Ukraine, said Governor of Kherson Oleksandr Prokudin. If not saved, the boy could become one of the Ukrainian children deported by Russian troops since the onset of the war on 24 February 2022. Today, the number of the youngest victims of Russian aggression has risen to 19,546, according to Ukraine’s National Information Bureau. In March last year, the International Criminal Court issued warrants for the arrest of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on war crimes charges related to the abduction of Ukrainian children. Prokhudin said that the volunteers from Save Ukraine, a charitable organization that aids families and children affected by war, made "incredible efforts" to protect the family from Russian troops and praised their assistance in the evacuation. According to the Kherson governor, the young boy and his relatives are now safe, receiving care from doctors and psychologists, who help them recover from their experiences and adjust to their new surroundings. Earlier, UNICEF reported a harrowing 40% rise in child fatalities due to the Russia-Ukraine war this year compared to 2023. The recent update by the international organization paints a dire portrait of the escalating human cost of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine, especially for the youngest and most vulnerable.

UNICEF reports 40% increase in children killed in Ukraine this year due to war

In the first quarter of 2024 alone, 25 children have been killed in Russian attacks, with the death toll including infants as young as two months, said the UNICEF. Read also:

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