Attacks in Ternopil, Ukraine have killed 25 people
“Every strike deepens the psychological wounds on Ukraine’s children.”
19 November 2025Three of the dead are children. According to media reports, the overnight drone strikes also injured over 70 people, including 16 children and additional attacks in Kharkiv have injured over 30 people, including two children.
Attacks on residential apartments in the western city of Ternopil, Ukraine have reportedly killed 25 people, three of whom were children. According to media reports, the overnight drone strikes also injured over 70 people, including 16 children and further additional attacks in Kharkiv have injured over 30 people, including two children.
These attacks show that the violence Ukrainian children are facing shows no sign of easing.
Plan International’s Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Response Director, Sven Coppens denounces the violence:
“These latest attacks come on top of a pattern of intensifying violence in recent weeks, adding yet another layer of fear and instability to the lives of children. Families describe the same reality across the country: children waking to explosions, running to shelters in the dark, losing their homes, or watching their schools burn.
“Parents in Kharkiv and western Ukraine report that their children are increasingly fearful of sleeping alone, struggling to concentrate, and show signs of severe distress after repeated nights under fire.
“Plan International condemns these attacks in the strongest possible terms. The targeting of residential areas, schools, hospitals and essential services is a clear violation of international humanitarian law.
“No child should have to grow up believing that shattered windows, collapsing buildings and burning neighbourhoods are normal.
“Every strike deepens the psychological wounds already inflicted on Ukraine’s children, who continue to face rising levels of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Each damaged school disrupts their education, safety and sense of stability – rights that must never be denied.
“We urge governments, international institutions and all actors with influence over the conflict to act with urgency. International humanitarian law must be upheld without exception, and attacks on civilians must never be tolerated.
“The world must push for a genuine and sustained ceasefire and ensure accountability for these violations. Humanitarian assistance must be scaled up immediately, with expanded support for child protection, mental health and psychosocial support and safe access to education.
Plan International remains committed to delivering assistance to families in Ukraine, amplifying their voices and advocating for their safety and rights. Children cannot continue paying the highest price for this war. The world must not look away.”
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