An armed conflict started in Ukraine's southeast last April, when Kiev launched a military operation against local independence supporters.
In the city of Donetsk alone, more than 20 children were forced to resettle into bomb shelters, Andrey Prutskih stated, adding that most of them live there because their homes have been demolished.
"They have been in cellars and bomb shelters since July. They are forced to reside in inadequate living conditions, almost like hobos," Prutskih noted.
"Once a week, a doctor comes to examine them, because in such conditions, without light and sun, there is a risk for developing tuberculosis," Prutskih said.
Over 200 children have died in the course of the war in southeastern Ukraine, while 100,000 have not attended school for one year, Russia's Children's Right Commissioner Pavel Astakhov said in April. Approximately 2 million children have suffered as a result of the armed conflict, which has killed over 6,200, according to UN estimates.
