AT LEAST 501 UKRAINIAN CHILDREN KILLED DURING CONFLICT: NGO

Mon 03 Apr 2023:

Save the Children says at least 501 Ukrainian children have been killed in the war but the actual number is feared to be much higher.

A report by the non-governmental organisation found that since February 2022, at least one child has died daily with “explosive weapons” being the main cause.

“In the first year of full-scale war, 404 children were killed by shelling, missiles and drone strikes, and 850 more were injured,” the report said. “Most casualties occurred in Kharkiv and Donetsk regions where active combat has been continuous since last February.”

Sonia Khush, Save the Children’s country director in Ukraine, said, “Half a thousand children killed is yet another tragic milestone reached in this war.”

“This is 500 more than it should be. Innocent girls and boys are still being injured and killed every day in Ukraine, where violence, including the use of explosive weapons in urban areas, looms on the horizon.”

War causes $2.6bn of damage to cultural heritage: UNESCO

A United Nations agency says the Russian invasion of Ukraine has so far caused about $2.6bn in damage to the country’s heritage and cultural sites.

About 250 monuments have either been damaged or destroyed, mainly in the east of the country, UNESCO said.

Ukraine’s culture, tourism, sports and entertainment industries have also lost a combined $15.1bn in revenues since the Russian invasion in February 2022, the agency estimated.

UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay said on a visit to Ukraine that $6.9bn is needed to repair the damage and get these industries back on their feet.

“We will help the Ukrainian authorities draw up a national reconstruction plan for the culture sector,” she said.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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