Russia destroys or damages over 3,400 educational institutions in Ukraine - Prosecutor General's Office

Yulia Usenko, head of the Department for the Protection of Children's Interests and Combating Domestic Violence of the Prosecutor General's Office, said.

According to her, the invading Russian forces not only shelled schools and kindergartens, but also used them as military bases, which is a gross violation of international humanitarian law.

Educational institutions in the Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions have suffered the most from Russian aggression during the invasion.

The Prosecutor General's Office reminded that international humanitarian law prohibits the attack on civilian infrastructure, including educational institutions.

"The Russian shelling of schools is a war crime, which is punishable under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This means that everyone involved in such crimes must be punished," they said.

Usenko added that in total, over 4,000 war crimes against Ukrainian children are being investigated in Ukraine, which have resulted in 570 deaths and 1,528 injuries.

According to her, children in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions suffered the most. In the Kharkiv region alone, more than 400 children were killed or injured as a result of Russian aggression.

"Ukraine is closely cooperating with the International Criminal Court in the investigation of Russia's war crimes. Thanks to our joint efforts, the ICC has already issued six arrest warrants for high-ranking Russian officials. By the way, two of them are for a war crime - the crime of deportation committed against children," the statement says.

• Russian troops have completely or partially destroyed 796 educational facilities and 271 cultural institutions in Kharkiv. Mayor Ihor Terekhov appealed to the UN to help protect the city.