In the final days of August, Ukraine faced an unprecedented escalation of aerial attacks. Russia has stepped up its use of combined drone and missile strikes, with some attacks lasting for hours. In Kyiv alone, air raid alerts sound up to 15 times in a single day, with the total time residents spend under alert sometimes exceeding 15 hours.
As these attacks continue to grow both in frequency and intensity, the Ukrainian Red Cross stands by to respond and save lives, providing assistance at strike sites, clearing rubble, evacuating survivors, and administering first aid. These attacks spare neither the elderly nor children. Since the beginning of the year, our response teams have been deployed to emergency sites more than 2,100 times.
The need for evacuation support also remains significant. In July 2026 alone, 2,264 people, including 281 children, passed through the Lozova Evacuation Transit Centre, where the Ukrainian Red Cross team works to ensure that people forced to leave their homes because of the war receive the support they need during this difficult transition. At the transit centre, evacuees can access hygiene kits, children's kits, and other essential items tailored to their individual needs.
Alongside these emergency response efforts, we continue to raise awareness about the dangers posed by mines and explosive remnants of war, with a special focus on children. Over the past three months, 27,000 people under the age of 17 have received information on safe behaviour in affected areas. Additionally, we provided educational information stands to schools and other educational facilities in some of the most affected regions, including Sumy (see photos), helping raise children's awareness of these risks.
Supporting children's medical and educational facilities remains another important part of our work. Recently, the Ukrainian Red Cross provided generators to essential institutions in the Nemovytske community, including kindergartens and a healthcare facility. In addition, a 45 kW generator was delivered to a preschool in Kyiv. The kindergarten continues to operate under wartime conditions, providing daily care and meals for children for up to 12 hours a day. Four groups attend the facility, serving 80 children ages 3 to 6. The generator will serve as a backup power source during electricity outages, helping ensure the uninterrupted operation of the institution, including lighting, heating, and food preparation services.
To ensure uninterrupted access to medical care even during air raid alerts, the Ukrainian Red Cross has renovated shelters in four healthcare facilities in the Kherson region in 2026. To equip these shelters, we provided hospitals with furniture, air-conditioning units, and bedding. Due to the constant attacks, both healthcare workers and patients remain at significant risk. The renovated shelters help improve their safety and ensure the continuity of medical services. Over the past three years, shelters have been renovated in eight healthcare facilities across the Kherson region, and a paramedic station in one of the communities has also been restored.
As the war continues to affect the lives of children across Ukraine, we remain committed to helping them stay safe, healthy, and supported, ensuring they can learn, grow, and look to the future with hope.
