23/10/2025 Children of Ukraine
The Chair of the PACE Parliamentary network on the situation of the children of Ukraine, Olena Khomenko, today expressed her “deepest outrage and sorrow” at the brutal Russian missile and drone attacks carried out across Ukraine on 22 October 2025.
“According to official Ukrainian sources, at least six civilians were killed, including two children — a six-month-old baby and a 12-year-old girl — and dozens were injured, among them several children. The strikes hit residential areas in Kyiv and surrounding communities, destroying homes and leaving families trapped under debris. In the Kharkiv region, a Russian drone struck a kindergarten in the Holodnohirskyi district, killing one staff member and injuring others. Nearly 50 children had to be evacuated from the burning building — a scene that should shock the conscience of the entire world”, she said.
“These deliberate attacks against civilians and children are a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. To target homes and kindergartens is an act of unimaginable cruelty and a grave crime that demands accountability”, Olena Khomenko stated.
“I call on the international community to react with unity and determination to strengthen sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Russian aggressors, to provide urgent humanitarian and psychosocial support to the affected children and families, and to ensure justice through reinforced international accountability mechanisms for crimes committed against children”, she added.
“No child should die in their bed, in their home, or in their classroom because of war. The protection of Ukrainian children is not only a moral imperative — it is a test of our collective humanity. The world must act now”, Ms Khomenko concluded.