Air Raid Sirens Prompt Taking Newborn Daughter to Underground Bunker... The Tragedy of Ukrainian Children

"After Russian Invasion, 14 Children Dead and 116 Injured"
One Pediatric Hospital in Kyiv Converted into a 'Bomb Shelter'... Treating Premature Newborns and Others

A woman holding a boy is leaving Nizhny Novgorod train station in northwest Russia on the 22nd (local time). This woman, who came from Donetsk, a pro-Russian region in Ukraine, is scheduled to live as a refugee in a temporary shelter set up in Nizhny Novgorod. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to enter separatist regions in Ukraine.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Amid the relentless offensive by Russian forces, sounds of urban warfare and explosions have been heard throughout Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, resulting in numerous child casualties. A children's hospital in the center of Kyiv is being used as an air-raid shelter, where dozens of premature newborns are receiving treatment.

The British daily The Guardian reported on the 27th (local time) about the situation at a children's hospital in central Kyiv that has become an air-raid shelter due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to the outlet, this bunker was designed by Soviet engineers during the Cold War in the 1970s. While the exterior walls are sturdy, the interior lacks proper facilities, with no beds or chairs.

Following Kyiv's air raid warning, a Ukrainian mother took refuge in the hospital basement with her newborn daughter. The mother described the evacuation, saying that premature infants, their families, and medical staff carrying life-support devices and oxygen tanks hurriedly headed to the basement from the neonatal intensive care unit.

The Guardian also reported that dozens of premature newborns delivered here are receiving treatment, and many patients with severe illnesses such as cancer are present.

At the Medyka border checkpoint in Poland on the 26th (local time), a child is rummaging through relief supplies and holding a toy. The United Nations Refugee Agency reported that nearly 120,000 Ukrainian refugees had fled to neighboring countries by that day, and the number is rapidly increasing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 27th (local time), the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that due to the Russian invasion, a total of 352 civilians have died and 1,684 have been injured so far. Among them, 14 children have died and 116 children have been injured.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at a press conference on the 26th, "We will not attack the Ukrainian people," and claimed, "There have been no attacks on civilian infrastructure." However, evidence of civilian facilities being attacked by Russian forces quickly spread through social media.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 27th (local time), "The shootings in Ukraine last night were brutal. Russia once again bombed residential areas and civilian facilities," criticizing the Russian military, which is showing signs of mass student conscription.

As the damage to children is expected to increase, the child-focused NGO Save the Children issued a statement on the 25th, saying, "With the ongoing large-scale displacement, countless children are exposed to serious risks such as hunger, cold, and disease," and "Children who have experienced or witnessed violence are suffering severe emotional stress."

They added, "Above all, a system is needed to protect children who are at increased risk of separation from their parents," urging, "The international community must find a peaceful solution to protect the lives and rights of Ukrainian children."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.