UNICEF: Ukrainian War Affected Education of More than 5 Million Children

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today (Tuesday) that Russia's war in Ukraine has affected the education of more than 5 million children, according to the German news agency (dpa).

The UNICEF said that the 11-month-old conflict has exacerbated major problems in Ukraine's education sector due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The situation is even worse for children in eastern Ukraine, where war has been raging for eight years.

Fighting in residential areas has damaged or destroyed thousands of schools and other educational facilities across the country. Meanwhile, many parents are reluctant to send their children to schools for safety reasons, according to UNICEF.

While more than 1.9 million children had access to "online learning opportunities" and 1.3 million children were enrolled in a combination of in-person and virtual lessons, recent attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure caused widespread power outages, meaning Even accessing virtual learning is a challenge.