During the year of the war, Ukrainian children spent an average of 920 hours in bomb shelters.
These statistics are provided by Save the Children.
Estimates are based on data on air raid alerts, the frequency of shelling, or information on combat operations. In total, during the year of the war, air raids in Ukraine were announced more than 16 thousand times, the duration of which was on average one hour.
In areas of intense fighting, some families with children spent up to eight hours a day in bomb shelters, unable to go outside because of the shelling.
920 hours is about 38 days a year.
Along the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine, shelling almost never abates. Families there are forced to leave their dilapidated houses and move to basements or cellars where there is no electricity, water or heating. In big cities like Kyiv, families with children hide in underground parking lots or metro stations.
When the planes are announced to take off, we prepare. I was afraid in the first days of the war, but now it’s all somehow familiar. Everyone has their own backpack. We take them and leave,” says Marina, who, together with her family, arranged chairs in the middle of the metro station.
Nearby are bags of food and water that the family brought from home. This is now a familiar set for any family in Ukraine.
The constant stress that families and children are exposed to living under the threat of rocket attacks and shelling is extremely difficult to overcome. WHO studies show that one in five people living in a zone of armed conflict has a significant risk of developing mental disorders. And the longer the fighting goes on, the more severe the symptoms will be,” Save the Children said.
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Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.