Nearly two-thirds of Ukrainian children have fled their homes since the start of the Russian occupation of Ukraine six weeks ago, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on April 12.

The United Nations has verified the deaths of 142 young people, although it has warned that the exact figures could be much higher.

Manuel Fontaine, director of the UNICEF emergency program who has just returned from Ukraine, has said that removing 4.8 million Ukrainian children from their homes in such a short time is something he has not seen in 31 years. his in humanitarian work.

“Of the estimated 3.2 million children left in their homes, almost half may not have enough food,” Fontaine told the UN Security Council.

He has warned that the situation is worse in the cities of Mariupol and Herson, where there is no water, and supplies of food and medicine have been disrupted.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered what he considered a “special military operation” to demilitarize Ukraine.

The Kremlin action has sparked outrage and been condemned in many parts of the world.