Ukrainian Children Fled War. Now They Face Abandonment.

This cross-border investigation reveals the hidden lives of unaccompanied and undocumented Ukrainian minors who have fled their war-torn country in the search of safety in Europe.

Around 500,000 Ukrainian children are believed to be in Eastern and Central Europe, but many remain invisible. This investigation tracks and explains how children cross Ukrainian borders and live alone without adequate adult supervision. It reveals how they circumnavigate local laws to live under the radar and work cash-in-hand jobs to survive and support their families back home. The project includes cases of children who may have escaped bombs but instead are living in poverty, and are vulnerable to physical and online abuse, exploitation, and trafficking.

Gathering international, national, and local-level data, and with input from refugee-focused organizations in Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Lithuania, this project uncovers the scale of this crisis and unveils children’s personal experiences.

This project also looks into whether governments and international agencies that have pledged to protect Ukrainian refugee children are delivering on their promises. Or if, as the war grinds on, Europe is abandoning Ukraine’s children.