The CEO of Save the Children is calling on Russian forces to stop shelling civilian targets and give humanitarian teams space to do their work.

"We've heard reports that at least six schools have been shelled. Now, that of course, is as far as we're concerned, completely unacceptable. Hospitals are being attacked - that concerns us," said CEO Janti Soeripto.

Save the Children has had teams in Ukraine since the invasion of Crimea in 2014.

Soeripto says they've been preparing for this crisis for months.

"Pre-positioned inventory in strategic locations, we had pre-positioned cash available to be able to start early," said Soeripto.

She says the initial response is about essentials like food, water and medicine.

"It's also freezing there at the moment, as you can imagine, so huge effort in terms of making sure people can be kept warm, shelter, safe spaces," said Soeripto.

After the violence, Save the Children will be doing trauma support and recovery work with the survivors for years to come.

"These kids see things that no child should ever see, and that can have a long-lasting impact, right? Because it's a whole generation that'll be impacted by that," said Soeripto.

Soeripto says conversations with your own children about the crisis can be tricky, but that listening can go a long way toward easing their fears.

"It will help children, to feel ... that their feelings are valid, that they're not alone, and that we're trying to sort it out," she said.