UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 2,000 children have been kidnapped since Russia invaded his country.

“We do not know the whereabouts of our children,” he said at the online European Council summit.

He also accused Russian forces of firing on humanitarian aid convoys and targeting women and children in evacuation corridors, reported Anadolu Agency.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said more than 3,000 people have been evacuated from Kyiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia yesterday.

However, the government has not been able to evacuate those living in Mariupol, she said, adding that dozens of busses loaded with humanitarian aid cannot enter the besieged city.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, United States and United Kingdom, among others, implementing severe sanctions on Moscow.

The war began on February 24.

At least 1,035 civilians have been killed and 1,650 others injured, according to estimates by the United Nations, which cautioned that the true figures are likely far higher.

More than 3.67 million Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, it added. – Bernama, March 25, 2022.