Russia Killed 38 Children In Kyiv, Four Still Missing: Police Chief

More than 35 children from Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv have been killed by the Russian army since the war began in February, according to a top Ukrainian official.

Andrii Nebytov, Head of the Main Department of the National Police in Kyiv, revealed Tuesday that the Russian army has killed a total of 38 children in the region. He also noted that at least four children were reported missing, adding that intelligence suggests they were forcibly sent to neighboring Belarus with their parents.

"Russians killed 38 children in Kyiv Oblast while they were here. Four children went missing, and we do not know for sure where they are. According to some operative data, they were moved forcibly to Belarus together with their parents. We are trying to ascertain all the information via international organizations," Nebytov told Media Center Ukraine.

To ensure the safety of children, Nebytov said the region's police officers were tasked with inspecting the conditions of approximately 1,127 schools across 69 municipalities in Kyiv. The region's law enforcement is also planning to organize safety drills in schools to discuss mine safety and personal safety for students amid the war.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what President Vladimir Putin called a "special military operation" aimed at "demilitarizing" and "de-Nazifying" Ukraine. Since the war began, at least 379 Ukrainian children have been killed and more than 735 have sustained injuries from the fighting and the shelling, according to data provided by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office in a Telegram post published Monday.

The reported casualties — meaning injuries or deaths — among children were highest in Donetsk oblast with 388, Kharkiv with 202, Kyiv with 116, Chernihiv with 68, Mykolaiv with 67, Luhansk with 61, Kherson with 55 and Zaporizhzhia with 46.

In addition to the casualties, the department also said 223 Ukrainian children are considered missing and 7,013 have been deported by the Russian army during the war. The Prosecutor General's Office noted that the figures are not final, adding that it is working to collect data from occupied or liberated places currently suffering from active hostilities.