An estimated 1.5 million children are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues, with possible long-term effects, Russell said.

Information published by UNICEF indicated that over 800 health facilities were ravaged or destroyed by the war, resulting in death and serious injury of patients, including children and health staffers, and limiting access to medical care.

Thousands of Ukrainian children fleeing the war lack vaccines to protect them from polio, measles, diphtheria and other life-threatening diseases.

Children need an end to this war and a lasting peace to regain their childhood, return to normalcy and begin to heal and recover, Russell stated.

In her view, it is absolutely critical to prioritize children´s psychosocial and mental health needs, which must include age-appropriate actions to provide loving care, foster resilience and, in the case of older children and teens, opportunities to express their concerns.

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