In the less than two weeks after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, more than 1 million children have fled to neighboring countries, according to the head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Per the Executive Director Catherine Russell, at least 37 children have died and 50 have been injured.
Russell added that she was "horrified" by the alleged attack on a children's hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, where officials said a Russian air strike buried patients under debris despite an agreed ceasefire.
The bombing, which injured women in labor and left infants in the ruins, is the latest tragic occurrence of the 14-day invasion, which has been described as the largest assault on a European country since 1945.
Despite a Russian commitment to halt the shooting so that at least some trapped inhabitants might evacuate the city, where hundreds of thousands had been without water or power for more than a week, the destruction occurred.
"If true, this strike highlights the horrible toll that this war is taking on Ukraine's children and families," Russell added.
Despite an agreed ceasefire allowing thousands of residents stuck in the city to flee, the bombardment occurred, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy branded an "atrocity."
The hospital had been attacked by an air strike three times, causing "colossal" damage, according to the Mariupol municipal council. "Russian soldiers do not fire on civilian targets," stated Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on February 24, more than 2 million people have fled Ukraine. Moscow describes the operation as a "special military operation" aimed at disarming its neighbor and removing "neo-Nazi" leaders.
The majority of individuals fleeing are women and children, as the Kyiv government has ordered all able-bodied males to stay at home and fight.
Russia has been thrown into economic isolation as a result of the war, which has drawn global criticism. The United States prohibited Russian oil imports on Tuesday, and Western corporations are fast exiting the Russian market.
According to Interfax Ukraine, a senior assistant to Zelenskiy said over 48,000 Ukrainians have been evacuated through humanitarian corridors.
As per UN estimates, 210,000 refugees have fled to "other European countries."
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has sparked Europe's worst migration crisis since World War II. Within Ukraine, a large number of people are likely to be displaced.
