Bullet Holes. Investigating Child Murders 2023

The Russian military has already killed more than 500 Ukrainian children during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Dozens of them were shot at close range with small arms. Among them were 10-year-old Kateryna Vinarska in Kharkiv region, 12-year-old Vladyslav Mahdyk in Kyiv region, and 15-year-old Mykhailo Ustianivsky in Kherson region. The Kyiv Independent's findings point to the systemic and deliberate nature of child murders by the Russian military in Ukraine. Our in-depth investigation allowed us not only to establish clear circumstances of the murders but also, in one instance, to identify those responsible for the killing of a child.