Scarred by war, Ukraine’s children face years of trauma – For countless Ukrainian children, the war has brought long-term physical and psychological injuries. Those who have suffered serious physical harm or the loss of a parent now face a challenging path forward
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>KYIV, Ukraine — Using his small blue crutches, Daniil Avdieienko, 7, gestured toward two deep brown stains on the cement floor of the entryway to his apartment building.
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>The patch on the right, just inside the door, was his blood, he explained. Then he pointed at the other blood stain: “This is from my mother.’‘
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>Daniil and his parents were running to a basement shelter in central Chernihiv, a northern city where fighting raged in the early days of the war, when shrapnel struck him in the back. Eventually, he had to have 60 centimeters, or nearly two feet, of his intestines removed. Seven months later he is still recovering from his wounds, and will likely need several more surgeries, as will his parents, both of whom suffered serious leg injuries.
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>But while his physical injuries are on the mend, he is still grappling with the psychological trauma of the attack.
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>“I am scared when the siren is on,” he said softly as he sat with his parents, Nataliia Avdieienko, 32, and Oleksandr Avdieienko, 33, referring to the air raid alarm that warns of potential Russian strikes. “I am afraid because the tanks might be coming.”
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>The conflict in Ukraine has brought pain and hardship to tens of thousands of civilians, but among the more wrenching consequences is its effect on a generation of children like Daniil who will be confronting physical and psychological pain, many for the rest of their lives. For those who have suffered serious wounds or the traumatic loss of a parent, their path forward will be immensely challenging, experts say, as long-term psychological and medical support can be elusive in a country embroiled in conflict.
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>Daniil’s parents say his behavior has changed in noticeable ways. He now clings tightly to a teddy bear that he performs “surgery” on, they said, a reminder of his own numerous medical procedures.
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>He has lost interest in the matchbox cars he used to love, his father said. Instead, he plays war games with his stuffed toys, where sometimes they are fighting off Russian tanks, and sometimes killing imaginary zombies. He doesn’t like to leave his mother’s side. Thunder frightens him.
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>“It wasn’t like this before the war,” Mr. Avdieienko said.
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>Still, Daniil has also come a long way since the attack in March, thanks in part, his mother said, to exceptional care from Ohmadyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv. Immediately after the attack, the family members had been rushed to three different hospitals, but in April they reunited at Ohmadyt, the country’s leading pediatric hospital. There, Daniil was able to see specialist doctors and psychologists, before being released and returning home to Chernihiv at the end of the summer.
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>Dmytro Holovachuk, one of the orthopedic surgeons who treated Daniil, said the pediatric doctors here are increasingly treating wounds they never saw in children during peacetime. The high velocity and destructive power of modern weapons can leave children with large and complex injuries to bones and soft tissue.
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>“We didn’t have any experience with how to treat such severe children’s injuries,” said Dr. Holovachuk, adding that doctors across the country are now sharing their expertise and regularly learning new treatment options, sometimes with international guidance.
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>Dr. Holovachuk said he was equally concerned about how the war has reached into the psyche of the nation’s youngsters. Aside from being injured themselves, many have lost parents or other family members.
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>“These events will definitely affect the whole generation of kids, that’s for sure,” he said. “These kids don’t have the ability to study properly, they don’t feel comfortable in their homes, they don’t have the ability to eat well.”
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>Olena Anopriienko, the director of the hospital’s psychology department, said the staff is trying to instill a sense of normality and security as much as is possible. Children who stay for longer periods attend the on-site “Superhero School” to keep their education going and take part in weekly activities, like concerts and painting classes, intended to lift their spirits.
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>Many of the youngsters suffer from severe anxiety or PTSD, she said.
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>“If it’s a war trauma, it is very difficult to provide the sense of safety for that child,” she said. “Because the child understands that the war is not over.”
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>Despite their ordeal, many children push ahead with resolve, and even alacrity. Maryna Ponomariova, who is 6, has been working closely with psychologists, physical therapists and teachers since she came to Ohmadyt hospital this summer, weeks after a devastating May 2 attack on her home in the southern Kherson region.