Four years of war in Ukraine: Childhood has ‘moved underground’, displacement continues – UN humanitarians

Civilian suffering shows no sign of letting up in Ukraine as the four-year-mark of Russia’s full-scale invasion nears amid attacks on energy infrastructure, blackouts and freezing temperatures, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters from a basement in Kherson, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Ukraine Munir Mammadzade said that the frontline city remains “under constant fire,” with daily attacks destroying homes and critical infrastructure, as well as the services that children and families rely on.

“I have been constantly hearing artillery shelling,” he said, speaking of yet another “massive, coordinated attack” which reportedly impacted civilian and energy infrastructure overnight.

The city’s children’s hospital was attacked eight times Tuesday morning, Mr. Mammadzade added.

With few places offering any sanctuary in Kherson, daily life is “a matter of survival” for children and families and the frontline area, the UNICEF representative said.

The region is “almost fully covered in anti-drone nets” and childhood has “literally moved underground,” he stressed.

Out of some 60,000 children who lived in Kherson prior to the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, only about 5,000 are left, and have to “learn, play and sleep in basements just to stay safe.”

Mr. Mammadzade made his comments to journalists at a press briefing in Geneva, as negotiators from Ukraine and Russia gathered in the Swiss city on Tuesday for two days of US-brokered talks.

Speaking of the basement turned into a child protection hub managed by UNICEF from which he was connecting, Mr. Mammadzade said that there are “kids in the neighbouring room playing and engaging with psychologists, which is something precious to witness in places like Kherson because you hardly see people outside.”

Humanitarians working with the children “all speak about levels of exhaustion that families are enduring from living 24 hours a day in a hyper-alert state,” he said.

The UNICEF official stressed that attacks impacting civilian areas continue across the country, “including in the areas that we don't necessarily talk about,” such as western Ukraine and the capital Kyiv.

“Constant fear of attacks, sheltering in basements and isolation with limited social connection have left children struggling with circumstances of this war, with their mental and physical health directly impacted,” he concluded.

Arthur Erken, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) regional director for Europe, told reporters that due to attacks on civilian energy infrastructure “power cuts now structure daily life when families cook, when children study, when hospitals schedule procedures.”

“With temperatures down to -20 degrees Celsius, communities face severe shortages of heating, electricity and household repairs,” he added – with displaced people and recent returnees being particularly affected.

Ukraine remains Europe's largest displacement crisis, Mr. Erken said. Out of the 9.6 million people who have had to flee their homes, 3.7 million are internally displaced.

“In one of every three displaced households, someone is living with a disability, and in more than half, someone actually manages a chronic illness,” he said. “These aren't just statistics, but the daily realities that shape every decision, from medical care to putting food on the table.”

The IOM representative stressed that even after four years of full-scale war, Ukrainians continue to flee in search of safety and basic services.

“In the last year, more than 450,000 people were displaced from their homes, many for the second or even the third time,” he said.

Mr. Erken warned that 325,000 Ukrainian returnees could be displaced again in the coming months, with more than a third of those considering moving abroad again.

“Intentions to leave the country reflect the cumulative strain of insecurity, damaged housing and limited access to electricity and heating,” he said.

“After four years of war, resilience alone cannot sustain families through yet another winter of blackouts and freezing temperatures,” the IOM official insisted.

“Safe housing, reliable energy and essential services are not luxuries. They are fundamental to people's survival, safety and dignity,” he concluded.

-Ends-

STORY Ukraine approaches 4 years of war – UNICEF, IOM

TRT: 4:23”

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 17 FEBRUARY 2026 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Exterior wide shot: Palais des Nations, Flag Alley.

2. Medium-wide reverse shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.

3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Munir Mammadzade, Country Representative in Ukraine, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF): “I'm in Kherson, which remains under constant fire, and daily attacks destroying homes and critical infrastructure, impacting the services that children and families rely on. Just two kilometres away from the frontline, actually, I have been hearing constantly artillery shelling and as you know, Ukraine was under another massive coordinated attack last night that have also reportedly impacted civilian and energy infrastructure.”

4. Wide shot: Speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.

5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Munir Mammadzade, Country Representative in Ukraine, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF): “Few places actually offer any sanctuary. In Kherson city and the region where again I'm here right now, the daily life is a matter of survival for children and families. And the frontline area, as I was with my colleagues driven through the region, is almost fully covered in anti-drone nets and childhood has actually literally moved underground where I am actually connecting [with] you right now.”

6. Wide shot: Speaker on screens, journalists in the Press room.

7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Munir Mammadzade, Country Representative in Ukraine, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF): “There are about 5,000 children left only out of 60,000 who once lived peacefully with their families and friends until their childhood [was] actually upended forever on 24 February 2022. So today children learn, play and sleep in basements just to stay safe and we as UNICEF support many facilities like the one I'm right now in. It's a child protection hub.”

8. Medium over-the-shoulder reverse shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference, speaker on screens.

9. SOUNDBITE (English) – Munir Mammadzade, Country Representative in Ukraine, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF): “There are actually kids even in the neighbouring room playing and engaging with psychologists, which is something precious to witness in places like Kherson because you hardly see people outside. So in this hub we have case managers and they all speak about levels of exhaustion that families are enduring from living 24 hours a day in hyper-alert state. So constant basically fear of attacks, sheltering in basements and isolation with limited social connection have left children struggling with circumstances of this war, with their mental and physical health directly impacted.”

10. Wide reverse shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference, speaker on screens, journalists in the Press room.

11. SOUNDBITE (English) – Arthur Erken, Regional Director for Europe, International Organization for Migration (IOM): “Missile and drone attacks on civilian energy infrastructure coupled with brutal winter conditions have made darkness and cold a daily reality for Ukrainians across the country. Power cuts now structure daily life when families cook, when children study, when hospitals schedule procedures. With temperatures down to -20 degrees Celsius, communities face severe shortages of heating, electricity and household repairs.”

12. Wide shot: Speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.

13. SOUNDBITE (English) – Arthur Erken, Regional Director for Europe, International Organization for Migration (IOM): “In one of every three displaced households, someone is living with a disability, and in more than half, someone actually manages a chronic illness. These aren't just statistics, but the daily realities that shape every decision, from medical care to putting food on the table.”

14. Medium shot: Journalists in the Press room.

15. SOUNDBITE (English) – Arthur Erken, Regional Director for Europe, International Organization for Migration (IOM): “325,000 Ukrainian returnees could be displaced again in the coming months, with more than a third of those considering moving abroad again. Intentions to leave the country reflects the cumulative strain of insecurity, damaged housing and limited access to electricity and heating.”

16. Various shots of journalists in the Press room.