June 20, 2026
Child health and wellbeing in Ukraine
4 years of full-scale conflict will have a lasting effect on the country's children, despite efforts to continue health services. Rebecca Sers reports.
More than 4 years of war have cast a long shadow over Ukraine's children. They are living under conditions of conflict, prolonged displacement, or occupation. Deliberate Russian attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure have increased markedly. Children are victims of both physical injury and significant psychological, social, and developmental harms. UNICEF has estimated that 2·2 million children will require humanitarian assistance in 2026. Anne-Claire Dufay, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine, told The Lancet that “every aspect of childhood has been impacted by the war. Every four-year-old in Ukraine has experienced nothing but war all their lives; for children from the eastern part of the country, the war has lasted more than 12 years. The prolonged conflict is affecting their development and wellbeing and places their futures at risk.”
The conflict has impacted indicators of child health. Early childhood development services including neonatal health and routine immunisation have been disrupted. Vaccination coverage dipped after the 2022 invasion. But by 2025, over 80% of children had received critical vaccines, approaching pre-war levels. According to UNICEF, four out of ten children are now living in poverty, an increase of 70% since 2021. Around 70% of children—or 3·5 million—lack access to basic goods and services, including adequate food or shelter. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that almost 5 million people, 60% of whom are women and children, faced food insecurity during 2025. And these are only the most immediate effects. Conflict significantly increases child mortality, disability, and disease, in ways that are often not fully felt until the end of the acute phase.