Explosive remnants of war in Ukraine killed 16 children, wounded 88 others

According to Ukrinform, this was reported on Facebook by Oleksandr Riabtsev, an officer of the Main Directorate of Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety, during the final meeting of the Working Group on Risks from Mines and Explosive Remnants of War in 2024.

“Since the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion, 1,087 people have suffered from accidents related to mines and explosive remnants of war. Most accidents were recorded in Kharkiv region - 265,” Riabtsev said.

According to him, most of the victims were men - 275 killed and 622 injured.

“If we talk about women, this figure is lower. Thus, since February 24, 2022, 27 women have been killed and 59 others injured as a result of incidents involving mines and explosive remnants of war. The figure for children is 16 killed and 88 injured,” Riabtsev said.

During the meeting, he also presented a comparative analysis of the deaths and injuries between 2022 and 2024. The largest number of incidents was in 2023 - 401 cases. For comparison, in the first year of the large-scale invasion, this figure was 204 incidents. The lowest number of incidents this year was 149.

As noted, this trend indicates the effectiveness of the mine action system implemented by the National Mine Action Authority to free the territory of Ukraine from the explosive consequences of the Russian Federation's aggression.

Also during the meeting of the Working Group, the Association of Deminers of Ukraine (UDA) presented its development - a children's mine safety game “WalkSafe”. The game will help improve children's safety by familiarizing them with possible risks and help them form the right model of behavior in various dangerous situations. The game provides some visualization and limited information about explosive objects.

As Ukrinform reported, on December 16, Kyiv summarized the results of humanitarian demining in 2024.

Photo: SES