The war in Ukraine has been dragging on for three years. In this conflict, there is a silent and almost invisible victim: childhood. Traumatized, amputated, deported, it is rarely mentioned. And yet, it represents the future of the country. Ukraine has 7.5 million minors. More than 4 million have been displaced since the Russian invasion. One in five children shows signs of post-traumatic stress. This war has torn apart their families and upended their lives. While Ukraine’s priority is to save lives and push back the enemy, does the country have the means to heal these traumatized children?
In the heart of Europe, a war both cutting-edge and barbaric is raging. The war in Ukraine brings images of hypersonic missiles and waterlogged trenches. Headlines announce billions of euros in secretly delivered weapons, alongside the grim discovery of mass graves. And yet, in this war that has dragged on for three years, one silent, almost invisible victim remains… childhood. Traumatised, maimed, torn from home—it’s barely mentioned. But these children are the future of this country. The future of my country.
My name is Tetiana Pryimachuk, and I was born in Ukraine. I left Kyiv for France in 2005, but my entire family stayed behind. My father is a surgeon, my mother a pediatrician, and my younger brother is also a surgeon, working in a frontline field hospital.
Ukraine is home to 7.5 million children. Since the Russian invasion, more than 4 million have been displaced. One in five shows signs of post-traumatic stress. This war has torn their families apart. Upended their lives. Left scars—on their bodies, on their souls—that may never heal. These children need care. But how does a country at war, fighting for its very survival, take care of its children when the priority is saving lives and pushing back the enemy?
I set out to meet these traumatised children and the people helping them rebuild. I want to tell their stories—through my eyes, not just as a journalist, but as a Ukrainian and a mother.