Hundreds of children’s shoes were placed on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature in a solemn ceremony on Thursday, where families gathered to pay tribute to the children who have lost their lives in Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
Oksana Khudyntsia, a Ukrainian mother in attendance, expressed, “We may not know every child’s name who has perished in Ukraine, but we can gather here, pray, and wish for an end to the war.”
A display of 750 pairs of children’s shoes illuminated by artificial candles adorned the staircase leading to the legislature’s entrance in Winnipeg, serving as a poignant memorial for the youngest casualties of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.
Mila Shykota, one of the organizers, remarked, “It’s incredibly painful. The thought is unbearable. Every parent, every mother, every father, I believe, shares the same sentiment when they reflect on the children who have been killed – they see their own children in them.”
The commemoration coincided with World Children’s Day, observed annually on November 20 to mark the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Shykota emphasized that the memorial was crafted with the intention of ensuring that the lives of the children lost in the conflict are not forgotten and to serve as a poignant reminder of the tragic repercussions of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
According to the United Nations, at least 669 children perished in both controlled and occupied territories of Ukraine between February 2022 and December 2024, with many succumbing to the impact of explosive weapons in populated areas.
The UN suspects that the actual number of children killed is likely higher than the officially documented fatalities. By the end of October, the toll had risen to at least 745 children lost during the conflict, as per a UN report.
In a recent incident, three children were among 26 individuals killed in a Russian drone and missile strike on residential buildings in Ternopil, a city in western Ukraine, as reported by Ukraine’s interior minister.
“These figures are not mere statistics. This is the grim reality unfolding every single day,” Shykota emphasized. “I urge people to keep this in mind.”
A video of the Manitoba vigil honoring the Ukrainian children who never returned home was shared, depicting the poignant display of candles surrounding children’s shoes, symbolizing the innocent lives lost in Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.