Kathmandu, February 4. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced on Friday that the mental health of children in Ukraine has been severely impacted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

UNICEF stated in an official release that the border standoff and fear of war has become a source of nightmares, social isolation, and panic attacks among young innocent lives.

The statement quotes a 15 year old boy who witnessed a war incident when a shell was fired into his house. The boy said, “In a split second, there was an explosion. All I remember is that my ears were buzzing, and I saw a yellow line of fire, then red, orange and fragments … My life has changed a lot. If it hadn’t been for the war, I wouldn’t have had vision problems, and I would have continued to play hockey and enter university in Donetsk.”

The agency also indicated an urgent need of psychosocial counseling for almost every child who has been troubled by the fights between the Ukraine government and pro-Russian separatists.

The statement confirms that the international organization has worked with mental health organizations to assist nearly 70,000 children, youth, and caregivers living along the 420-kilometer transitional border between government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas.

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