12/02/2026 Children of Ukraine
Olena Khomenko (Ukraine, ECPA), Chairperson of the Parliamentary Network on the situation of the children of Ukraine, today made the following statement:
“I am horrified by reports from Bohodukhiv (Kharkiv region) that a Russian strike destroyed a family home and killed three toddlers – two boys aged one and a girl aged two – together with a 34-year-old man, while injuring civilians including a pregnant woman. Only two days earlier, the same locality reported the killing of a mother and her 10-year-old child in another strike.
These are not 'incidents'. They are the human face of an intolerable reality: Ukrainian children are being killed in their beds, in their homes, in the cold of winter – while attacks on energy infrastructure deepen suffering by cutting heat and electricity for civilians.
I call for the immediate cessation of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, in line with international humanitarian law; for Ukraine’s partners to urgently provide additional air defence systems and early-warning capabilities, so that families are not left defenceless against drones and missiles; and for stepped-up winter assistance – generators, mobile boilers, repairs to power and heating networks – and support to hospitals, shelters, and schools operating under attack.
I also call for accountability: every strike that kills or injures children must be investigated, documented, and prosecuted – because impunity invites repetition.
Ukraine is living through exceptionally difficult winter attacks. Our response must be equally exceptional: faster help, stronger protection, and unwavering solidarity — so that children can survive, recover, and return to a life that is normal, warm, and safe.”