How many children have lost a parent in the Russia-Ukraine war?

Thousands of children in Ukraine have lost a father, a mother, or both since February 2022. No single official count exists. Discover the most reliable figures, what each measures, and its source.

August 3, 2026

12 min

Key takeaways

No single official count exists, with figures ranging from about 1,600 to more than 13,000
Sources count different groups: orphans, children who lost a parent, and children who lost parental care
More than 16,000 children are supported by Children of Heroes as of June 2026

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, thousands of children in Ukraine have lost a parent. Many lost a father or mother who served in the military. Others lost a parent to a missile strike, a drone attack, or shelling far from the front line.

Putting an exact number on this loss is difficult. This article brings together the most reliable figures available, explains what each one measures, and cites the source for each.

How many Ukrainian children have lost a parent?

There is no public register tracking every child who has lost a parent in real time. Data comes from several bodies that each track a different category. Some count children who lost parental care. Some count full orphans. Some estimate broader loss, such as the death of any close relative.

The table below gathers the key figures, with the source and date for each.

Figure	What it measures	Source	As of
1,610 children	Lost both parents, with no relatives to care for them	Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman	September 2023
13,000+ children	Granted status of orphan or child deprived of parental care	Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine	April 2024
almost 1,800 children	Officially recognized as orphans	National Social Service of Ukraine	2024
1 in 5 children	Lost a close relative or friend	UNICEF survey	February 2025
64,830 civilians	Verified casualties (16,402 killed; 48,428 injured)	OHCHR	July 2026
16,000+ children	In long-term support with Children of Heroes	Children of Heroes	June 2026

Full orphans vs. children who lost one parent

The children who lost parents to the war do not form a single group. Some lost both parents and are full orphans. Most lost one, so they are not orphans in the strict sense, since a surviving parent remains.

Two official figures show the scale:

Full orphans (hardest hit): 1,610. As of September 2023, Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman reported that 1,610 children had lost both parents and had no relatives able to care for them.
Children who lost parental care (wider group): 13,000+. By April 2024, the Ministry of Social Policy reported that more than 13,000 children had lost parental care. This figure includes the full orphans above, children who lost one parent, and those whose parents could no longer care for them because they were in captivity or imprisoned.

Most children lost one parent, usually a father who served in the military, and continue to live with their surviving parent. But the loss reshapes their lives, their finances, and their sense of safety.

Children of Heroes focuses on children who lost one or both parents to the war. These children live with a surviving parent, a relative, or a guardian. The Fund provides comprehensive support for their needs, from childhood through age 18 and into early adulthood.

Help children move forward after loss

Your gift provides psychological care, education, and everyday support to children who lost a parent to the war.

Civilian and military losses

The full scale of loss shows up in the war’s casualty figures: civilians, children, and soldiers alike.

On the civilian side, the confirmed numbers are likely an undercount, since casualties in occupied areas are hard to verify. As of July 2026, the OHCHR had verified the following:

All civilians: 64,830 casualties (16,402 killed, 48,428 injured)
Children: 3,750+ killed or injured (802 killed, 2,948 injured)

Military losses are harder to state with confidence. Full figures are rarely made public during an active war, so the numbers below are estimates rather than confirmed official counts. They vary widely:

Official (Ukraine): 55,000 soldiers killed, as President Zelensky stated in February 2026, with many more missing
Independent (CSIS): 100,000 to 140,000 military deaths through the end of 2025

The link to children is direct. Many of those killed were parents. Each loss can leave one or more children without a mother or father.

Why the numbers vary

If you compare figures on how many children have lost a parent, you will notice that the numbers differ from source to source. There are a few reasons for this.

Sources measure different things: lost parental care, full orphan, and lost a close relative are three separate categories with three different counts.
There is no single public register updated in real time, so figures are snapshots from different dates.
Some data, especially on military losses, is not fully published, so estimates fill the gap.

None of this means the data is unreliable. It means each number must be read with its definition, its source, and its date. That is how every figure is presented in this article.

Where these children live: regional breakdown

Children who lost a parent live in every region of Ukraine. The figures below show where the children supported by Children of Heroes live.

The largest number of children live in five regions: Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, and Vinnytsia. Together, these regions account for 47.6% of all children supported by the Fund. The rest are spread across the country. Below is the distribution among the Fund’s beneficiaries, as of March 2026.

Note: These figures are not national statistics, and they should not be read as a count of all children who lost a parent in Ukraine.

Region	Share of supported children
Kyiv region	18.1%
Dnipro region	8.6%
Lviv region	7.6%
Khmelnytskyi region	7.4%
Vinnytsia region	5.9%

The psychological and social impact

Losing a parent is not something a child moves past once the first days of grief are over. It turns up at school, at bedtime, in the ordinary moments of the day.

A 2025 UNICEF survey found that one in five children in Ukraine had lost a close relative or friend since the escalation of the war. The same survey of more than 23,000 children found that nearly one in three teenagers felt so sad or hopeless that they stopped doing their usual activities.

The wider mental-health picture is stark. UNICEF estimates that about 1.5 million children in Ukraine are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental-health conditions. For a child who has also lost a parent, that risk sits on top of grief.

Lev’s finding his footing after his father was killed in Mariupol. Read his full story.

Help children like Lev

How the government and charities support children

The Ukrainian state provides support to families that lose a parent to the war.

The type and amount of that support depend on the situation, such as how the parent died and the child’s age. You can check the one-time payment for families of fallen service members and the survivor’s pension for dependent children. This support matters, but it does not cover every need a child has as they grow.

This is where charities work alongside the state. They provide long-term, individual support rather than one-time aid: monthly help, psychological care, education, and a stable point of contact over years.

Children of Heroes is one such organization. As of June 2026, it provides long-term support to more than 16,000 children who lost one or both parents to the war. You can read the children’s stories behind these numbers and see where donations go in the Fund’s regular reports.

How you can help

Behind each statistic is a child who lost a parent and now needs steady support to grow up. That support works best when it lasts.

You can donate to provide long-term help to children who lost one or both parents to the war. Your generous gift goes toward psychological care, education, medical support, and humanitarian aid. Each family also stays in close contact with a family support specialist, so needs are addressed without delay.

You cannot change their past, but you can help shape their future. Stand with children of Heroes. Donate once or support monthly.

FAQ

How many children in Ukraine have lost a parent because of the war?

There is no one official number. The clearest count comes from the Ministry of Social Policy: by April 2024, more than 13,000 children had been given the status of orphan or child deprived of parental care.

How many children have become full orphans due to the Russia-Ukraine war?

Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman reported 1,610 children who had lost both parents and had no relatives to care for them, as of September 2023. A year later, the National Social Service of Ukraine put the number of war orphans at almost 1,800. Either way, full orphans are only a small share of all the children affected by the loss of a parent.

How many civilians have been killed in the Russia-Ukraine war?

As of July 2026, the OHCHR had verified 64,830 civilian casualties, including 16,402 killed and 48,428 injured. The UN states that the real figure is likely higher, because losses in occupied areas are harder to confirm.

How many children does Children of Heroes support?

As of June 2026, Children of Heroes provides long-term support to more than 16,000 children who have lost one or both parents to the war. Since 2022, the Fund has shared its impact through regular monthly and annual reports.

How can I help children who lost a parent in the Russia-Ukraine war?

Long-term, reliable support makes the biggest difference. You can give monthly to a trusted charity like Children of Heroes, start a fundraiser, or spread verified information to help more children.

Are donations to Children of Heroes tax-deductible?

In many countries, yes. In the United States, donations are tax-deductible through the Children of Heroes Foundation’s registered 501(c)(3) entity. In the Netherlands, donations are deductible through the Dutch ANBI entity. The guide on how to choose a legitimate Ukraine children’s charity also explains how to check a charity’s registration and tax status. For guidance specific to your country, consult a tax advisor.