Ukraine's child refugees from the Russia/Ukraine crisis: The story of the youngest affected

As the youngest members of Ukraine are forced to flee, the devastating scenes of their plight are caught on camera. Here a serviceman carried a baby to safety in Irpin during the evacuation on 9th March

At the Warsaw East Railway Station in Poland, this boy was seen being held by his mother after escaping the conflict. Many railway sations in Poland are filled with refugees waiting for their onward journay to family and acquaintances.

Though refugees have so far been welcomed with open arms, there are fears that, due to the government relying on the generosity of individual citizens, pressures will mount.

Pictured: Residents wait to evacuate Irpin on March 10.

Many have travelled long and hard. This little girl made it to Poland and, most likely exhausted, lay to rest on her own luggage. The main coach station in Krakow has seen many pass through since the conflict started.

A temporary shelter in a former shopping center near the city of Przemysl, on March 08. Poland alone has received nearly half of all those fleeing Ukraine during the 13 days since the crisis began.

This child and woman - presumably his mother - travelled aboard the humanitarian train organised by the Slovak Rail Company (ZSSK). The humanitarian train will be bringing out refugees from Ukraine twice a day from the railway station of Chop, Ukraine.

These little ones are attended to by their mothers, after the paediatrics center was moved to the basement of the hospital. It is now a bomb shelter.

Now millions of Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded on February 24, 2022. Here, a mother with her children pause for rest at a train station - they have evacuated their home in Kyiv to journey to Poland for their safety.

A day into the attacks, Ukrainian women and children were seen at the Slovak-Ukrainian border on February 25. Many picked up what they could and escaped to Ukraine's neighbouring countries.

Resting in what little space these young ones have available to them in a temporary refugee centre in a local primary school, eastern Hungary. The United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, says it is planning to deal with up to four million refugees if the situation worsens.

This conflict has seen many families separated and here a girl is helped off a train by a Hungarian police officer. Thousands of Ukrainian refugees arrived at the railway station in the Hungarian-Ukrainian border town of Zahony.

The amount of people still gathering to escape has had an enormous emotional affect on children. A man comforts a child amidst large crowds gathered at the Kyiv train station as hundreds try to catch a ride out of town. The Russian convoys approached the city of Kyiv on March 1 and it's no longer safe for many to stay.

Photo: Getty Images (colorisation: The Daily Digest)

Tears of pain. Tears of sadness. Tears of fear for the unknown. Tears of relief?
This mother crossed into Poland along with many other Ukrainian refugees.

This disaster is on track to become Europe's largest refugee crisis this century, according to the United Nations. This woman and child fled to Moldova. The days and nights are extremely cold for children with little shelter.

February 27 saw many other families trying the Polish border as the queues worsen to get into Hungary. A mother and her child were seen crossing into Poland, with everything they now have in a trolley. They arrived at the pedestrian border crossing - fleeing the conflict in their country.

A Ukrainian carried a child in a blanket - as well as any personal and life-saving things she could muster. They crossed the border in Siret, Romania, on March 2. Around 660,000 people had fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries in the first six days of the conflict. Now it is millions.

And the little ones who desperately need something to hold on to - a little piece of home. This little Ukrainian refugee walked with the thousands of women and children who crossed the border into Romania after Russian attacks. They were welcomed with food and drinks by Romanian volunteers, as well as with free transport and accommodation.

Some people have been waiting for five days to cross the Ukrainian-Polish border. Anyone who wants to cross the border on foot is forced to line up for almost 20 kilometres on foot. This man with a child in his arms is willing to go the distance to protect and secure a future for his child.

This child was helped by a Ukrainian serviceman to cross a destroyed bridge on March 1. Russian forces continued to advance on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as their invasion entered its sixth day.

According to the United Nations, Poland has so far received at least 1.2 million refugees from Ukraine since Russia invaded. Children have been given teddy bears and other items from a donation box inside a sports hall of a primary school. The school has been completely converted to a refugee center.

Carried over the border - a Romanian fireman carried a refugee child coming from Ukraine at the Ukrainian-Romanian border. Schengenvisainfo.com had reported at the beginning of the month that nearly 26,000 refugees had so far reached the Moldova/Romania borders.

Survival is the best many can hope for, with many families separated and belongings left behind. Those who are able to reunite with loved ones are lucky; and the children of Ukraine are now aware of the simple joys like seeing a family member. This child ran towards her father who was waiting for her at the Polish border.

Air strikes and shelling continue, devastating the world these children thought they knew. This child sat on a swing, taking in the sight of the destruction. The Ukrainian president said that at least 137 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by the end of the first day.

The Russian army said on February 28 that Ukrainian civilians could "freely" leave the country's capital Kyiv. For many, that is easier said than done. Like this mother whose child was being treated at a paediatrics hospital. Now they sleep in the basement of the hospital which is being used as a bomb shelter.

Children who have to stay for life-supporting treatment - such as those who are diagnosed with cancer - continue to receive treatment on the basement floor of the shelter.

These two sick children fight for their lives in a bomb shelter in Kyiv. The guardian reported one mother, Natalya Tyshchuk saying, “Conditions are very minimal, but there is a feeling of security here. I sit on the floor, but there are no windows and the walls are thick, and we don’t hear any of the explosions except the very loud ones."

In the same hospital, a child pulls up a table to draw. Life for all these children holds its breath for now. The Guardian confirms that the invasion has taken the lives of up to 10 children.

Children of all ages struggling with cancer are moved to the basement of the oncology centre used as a bomb shelter. They have already had to fight so much in their lives. No windows, no natural light and no escape. For now.

Ukrainian citizens and supporters attended a demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine on 8th March. They gathered in front of the U.S. Consulate General, demanding NATO to close the sky for Russian planes over the territory of Ukraine. The photo they used to drive the point home and create maximum effect is that of a child.