Amnesty International has condemned the increasing harm inflicted on children in Ukraine by Russian airstrikes, describing them as a grave violation of international law.

In a statement issued on Monday, Amnesty International outlined a series of attacks in 2024 that resulted in child casualties, calling for urgent accountability for the perpetrators of these unlawful acts and justice for the victims. The organization’s investigation verified 17 strikes this year that caused significant harm to children, with evidence pointing to the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure by Russian forces.

One of the attacks took place on July 8, when a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile struck Okhmatdyt, Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital in Kyiv. The Security Service of Ukraine classified the attack as a war crime and opened a criminal investigation. Authorities confirmed that Russian forces used a Kh-101 missile to target the facility, and the Ukrainian Air Force refuted claims of a Ukrainian missile strike, providing evidence to support this. The attack killed two people, injured over 100, including children, and severely damaged the hospital building.

Patrick Thompson, Amnesty International’s Ukraine researcher, highlighted the vulnerability of children in conflict zones.

Children are among the most vulnerable groups in society and are granted special protection under international humanitarian law. Yet, we continue to witness their deaths and injuries in areas far removed from the frontlines, including places with no military targets. These attacks are not just illegal, but intentional and catastrophic.

Since the conflict began, at least 659 children have been killed and 1,747 injured, averaging 16 child casualties each week. Millions of children remain in turmoil, with 170,000 people displaced in eastern Ukraine since August 2024, adding to the 3.6 million internally displaced and 6.75 million refugees abroad, most of whom are women and children.

According to OHCHR data, approximately 89 percent of civilian casualties have occurred in territories controlled by Ukraine. Additionally, evidence has been gathered of other war crimes, including torture, sexual violence, and unlawful killings. The Ukrainian Prosecutor General has also accused Russia of systematically torturing prisoners of war.

Customary international humanitarian law obligates countries to take precautions to avoid or minimize incidental civilian losses. Amnesty International calls on the international community to ensure justice through fair trial proceedings and comprehensive reparations for victims. The organization warns that without such accountability, the devastating cycle of violence will continue to escalate. It emphasized that deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as indiscriminate strikes using explosive weapons, are clear violations of international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes under Articles 7 and 8 the Rome Statute.