The European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP), representing children, their families and their carers throughout Europe, expresses its deep concern at the war in Ukraine, and the effect this will have on the children of both countries. War disproportionately affects children, who are innocent bystanders in conflict, and yet are increasingly targeted. We call on the Russian state to recognise their legal obligations to protect children, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which they are signatories, and on the rest of the world to ensure that sanctions they take do not adversely affect the health and wellbeing of children. Lastly, we call for all European paediatricians and families, including those in Russia, to campaign actively for children’s welfare across the continent.