Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia’s war, now in its 16th month, has killed at least 500 Ukrainian children
Zelenskyy provided the number hours after rescue workers found the body of a 2-year-old girl who died in one of the latest Russian strikes
The president Russian weapons and hatred, which continue to take and destroy the lives of Ukrainian children every day,” killed the hundreds who had perished since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on Feb. 24, 2022
“Many of them could have become famous scholars, artists, sports champions, contributing to Ukraine’s history,” he said
Zelenskyy said it was impossible to establish the exact number of children who were casualties due to the ongoing hostilities and because some areas are under Russian occupation
The regional governor, Serhiy Lysak, said five children were among 22 people injured by Saturday’s attack, which damaged two residential buildings
The Russians launched more strikes with drones and cruise missiles Sunday, targeting multiple areas of the country, including the capital, Kyiv
The Ukrainian air force said the country’s air defenses downed three of the five Shahed self-exploding drones and four of the six cruise missiles fired