Ukraine

Save the Children has been working in Eastern Ukraine since 2014, but we have dramatically scaled up our operations across the country since the full-scale war broke out.

During the four years of the full-scale war (February 2022 - February 2026), our team in Ukraine has reached more than 4.7 million people — including more than 1.9 million children. 

We have been meeting the immediate needs of children and families by working closely with around 25 partners to provide life-saving assistance such as food and water, and cash transfers. We have also been operating Child Friendly Spaces across the country, to ensure children and families impacted by this crisis have access to safe, inclusive, quality education as well as the mental health support they need to recover, something we have been doing since conflict erupted in 2014.

The full-scale war in Ukraine has changed the lives of 7.5 million children forever. Forced from their homes and schools, separated from loved ones, and living in constant fear of air raid alerts, drones and explosions, children have had their childhoods ripped away. 

From those living on the front line to those displaced from their homes, and the 865,000 children no longer in full-time, in-person education, the scale of loss is catastrophic.

Despite playing no part in the war, children are paying the heaviest price. In 2026, an estimated 2.2 million children are among the 10.8 million people inside Ukraine in need of humanitarian assistance. More than half of Ukraine’s children have experienced displacement since the war escalated, and one in five has lost a relative or friend.

The psychological toll on children is also severe. Living in a state of constant distress has become a “new norm” for many, with the risk of long-term harm to their mental health impossible to ignore.

An estimated 1.5 million children are at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental health conditions. Some children are experiencing nightmares, speech difficulties and physical stress responses, reflecting the sustained fear and trauma of growing up under bombardment. 

Children’s rights to safety, education and wellbeing are being violated every day. Thousands of schools have been damaged or destroyed, disrupting learning and cutting children off from safe spaces to learn, play and connect with friends. Repeated attacks on critical infrastructure have left families without heat, power and water, exposing children to further harm during the winter months. Around a quarter of the country is contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war, placing children at constant risk of death or injury in their communities.

This war is robbing children of their childhood. 
 

Since the full-scale war began in February 2022, we have been working closely with around 25 partners to provide life-saving assistance to children and their families.