Tragic square of 100 empty prams for Ukraine's children 'mercilessly killed' by war

18 March 2022, 13:57 | Updated: 18 March 2022, 14:31

A tragic photo of more than 100 empty prams lined up in a Ukrainian square show the child victims of Vladimir Putin's invasion.

They were assembled in Rynok Square in Lviv, in the west of the country, which has also seen nearby areas fall under Russian attack.

A total of 109 were placed there to highlight the casualties inflicted on Ukraine's young.

"That's the number of Ukrainian children mercilessly killed by #Russian troops since the beginning of the full-scale #war," Ukraine's foreign ministry tweeted.

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The scale of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Ukraine has terrified observers, with Russia's apparently stalled invasion transforming into a bombardment of key cities they lay siege to.

Among the worst affected is Mariupol, on the south coast, where just 130 of the roughly 1,300 people trapped under a bombed-out theatre have been freed, according to Ukrainian authorities.

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Lviv has also been affected, with an aircraft maintenance plant close to the city coming under attack, but nobody is thought to have been harmed.

Russia is continuing to encircle Kyiv, the capital, but it is thought its invasion has been stalled. Reports throughout the invasion a rife with inadequate Russian performance and logistics.

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The British Ministry of Defence: "Russian forces have made minimal progress this week.

"Ukrainian forces around Kyiv and Mykolaiv continue to frustrate Russian attempts to encircle the cities.

"The cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remain encircled and subject to heavy Russian shelling.

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"The UN now states that the number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine has already surpassed 3.2 million. This number will continue to rise as a result of ongoing Russian aggression."

Earlier on Friday, it was confirmed that Russia Today, the Kremlin-affiliated outlet, had its UK licence revoked with "immediate affect".

Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, said the outlet's licensee ANO TV Novosti was "not fit and proper".

The channel's deputy editor in chief, Anna Belkina, said it showed Ofcom was a "tool of the [UK] Government".