In June, the United Nations Secretary-General released his annual report “Children and Armed Conflict,” covering the period from January to December 2025. The document documents a record number of grave violations of children’s rights around the world and includes a separate section on Ukraine. It details the deaths and injuries of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, the use of minors by Russian soldiers, sexual violence, and obstruction of humanitarian assistance..
The United Nations reported this in its annual report “Children and Armed Conflict.”
According to confirmed UN data, 1,899 gross violations were recorded in Ukraine in 2025, affecting 781 children – 447 boys and 334 girls.
The largest category of violations was child casualties. The United Nations confirmed the deaths of 94 children and the injuries of 659, making a total of 753 children affected by the war. Of these, 511 cases were attributed to the actions of Russian armed forces, and the vast majority of casualties were the result of the use of explosive weapons of mass destruction.
The UN is particularly concerned about the use of children in the war. The report documented the use of 24 Ukrainian children by Russian military personnel or persons associated with them as informants to gather information about Ukrainian military facilities, as well as to transmit information about the location of Ukrainian military personnel, photograph military equipment, collect information about critical infrastructure, make explosive devices, and set fire to railway infrastructure and vehicles.
A separate section is devoted to sexual violence. The UN confirmed eight cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence against four girls. All of these incidents were attributed to the actions of the Russian armed forces. Two girls were victims of multiple forms of sexual violence at the same time.
One of the most disturbing aspects of the war remains attacks on civilian infrastructure. In 2025, 641 attacks on schools and hospitals were confirmed, of which 469 were carried out by Russian forces. In addition, 473 cases of obstruction of humanitarian access were recorded, most of which were also associated with Russian actions, in particular through strikes on energy infrastructure.
“I remain deeply concerned about the high number of gross violations in Ukraine due to the conduct of hostilities, including the use of explosive weapons and drones in populated areas,” the UN Secretary-General said.
At the same time, the UN positively noted Ukraine’s efforts to return children. The document reports that the Ukrainian authorities have ensured the return and reintegration of more than 740 children from the territory of the Russian Federation and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
However, the Secretary-General expressed grave concern that the whereabouts of many Ukrainian children who have been deported or forcibly displaced remain unknown. He called on Russia to work with the United Nations and international partners to return children to their families, not to change their citizenship or family status, and to be guided by the principle of the best interests of the child.
In conclusion, the UN Secretary-General expressed deep concern about the continued widespread violations of children’s rights in Ukraine and called on the Russian Federation to develop and implement an action plan to end violations of international humanitarian law.
He also stressed the need to guarantee safe, timely and unhindered access for humanitarian organizations to all affected areas of Ukraine, including temporarily occupied territories, in order to provide assistance to children and to conduct independent monitoring of the situation.
Globally, the report found a record level of violence against children in conflict zones: in 2025, the UN confirmed 38,558 gross violations, the highest number in the history of this monitoring.
For the first time in the 30 years of the UN monitoring mechanism, government forces were the main violators of children's rights, which, according to the Organization, indicates a dangerous breakdown of international humanitarian law and neglect of the special protection of children in times of war.
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Author: Inna Mikhno