Ukraine: June Sees Highest Number of Child Casualties Since First Months of Full-Scale War

KYIV (July 14, 2026) – Child casualties in Ukraine are surging once again, Save the Children said, with new analysis from the child rights organization finding that the number of child casualties in June was the highest since the third month of full-scale war breaking out over four years ago.

The latest UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights report published today shows 123 child casualties in June 2026 with seven killed and 116 injured – the highest since April 2022, when 209 children were killed or injured.

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

"The war in Ukraine is tearing apart the lives of children. In kindergartens, homes or on the street: there is no longer a safe place for them.

"All of us in Ukraine have felt how much worse things have got recently. Our staff say this is one of the most difficult periods since the full-scale war began over four years ago with attacks more frequent, more intense and increasingly unpredictable.

"For years, people in Ukraine have followed the 'two-wall rule,' staying in places protected by at least two interior walls to reduce the risk of injury from blast waves or flying debris. But increasingly powerful missiles now destroy entire sections of apartment buildings, piercing through houses. Rockets hit underground parking where people used to go to for shelter. Now we see on paper what we have been feeling.

"We cannot let the world take its eyes off children in Ukraine. We need urgent action to protect them and to bring these grave violations to an end."

Save the Children has been working in Ukraine since 2014. It has scaled up operations since full-scale war broke out, reaching more than 4.7 million people since February 2022 – including more than 1.9 million children, of which 448,000 have received education support.