tonight, the war in ukraine one year later. we're on the ground with the youngest victims. >> children have been forced out of their homes, they've been made refugees, they've been orphaned, they've been maimed, and hundreds of them have been killed. >> forced to live with the horrors, the bombs and blight. entire towns and cities wiped out, filled with rubble and debris, with no end in sight. >> when you hear the sound of the air raid sirens, does it make you afraid? does it make you think, maybe there are more bombs coming? >> their childhoods stolen.

>> they lost a lot of things. they lost their happy childhood. >> but their resolve, still strong. this special edition of "nightline," "children of the war," will be right back. wondering what actually goes into your multivitamin? at new chapter, its' innovation, organic ingredients, and fermentation. fermentation? yes. formulated to help you body really truly absorb the natural goodness. new chapter. wellness, well done. mucinex nightshift fights your worst nighttime symptoms so you can get to sleep and wake up ready to go. how could you? wake up to a new you. with mucinex nightshift, it's not cold and flu season. it's always comeback season.

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thanks for joining us. one year ago, the world watched in horror as russian troops invaded ukraine. it's now europe's bloodiest conflict since world war ii. more than 8,000 civilians dead, nearly 500 of them children. nearly 1,000 have been wounded, 14 million displaced. the u.n. estimates more than 90% of those are women and children. as the conflict enters its second year, ukraine is bracing for a possible surge in russian attacks. u.s. and other western allies providing billion of dollars to help arm the country. but tonight we focus on the youngest victims. abc's chief foreign correspondent ian pannell was there on the night of the invasion and has been in and out since. he joins us tonight from kyiv. >> reporter: thanks, juju. it's been a brutal and bloody year here in ukraine. russia's vicious invasion has dragged on longer than most expected. but the ravages and toll of this conflict are painfully clear when viewed through the eyes of the youngest victims, the children of the war.

don't let the silence fool you. the calm is deceptive. the young girl alone on an abandoned, wintry playground has a story to tell of a childhood lost in a time of war. ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ >> reporter: where song and laughter once filled the air -- ♪ happy birthday to you ♪ now solitude and silence. angelina potapenko is 11 years old, but she's already seen and lost more than any child ever should.

>> reporter: one year ago, vladimir putin declared war on ukraine. and for the last 12 months, its people have endured a living hell. the russian army pummeling towns and cities, laying waste to entire communities. homes and lives destroyed. reports of people raped, tortured, deported, all victims of the war as vladimir putin tries to overthrow the elected government and subjugate its people. what putin didn't expect -- the underdog has teeth. the ukrainian forces stood tall, exposing the incompetence, disorder, and weakness of putin's great army as they faced an entire nation refusing to

yield. children have been victims of this war since day one. many classrooms across the country have been totally eviscerated, lessons moved online. but it goes much deeper than that. children have been forced out of their homes, they've been made refugees, they've been orphaned, they've been maimed, and hundreds of them have been killed. while most children elsewhere in the world spend their time playing in the sunlight, ukrainian children, like angelina, have learned to live in the darkness. her hometown relentlessly bombarded by russia. so for the past year, this has been her home. an underground bunker which serves as a blood bank. her mom works here. and now, so too does little angelina.

but even in a fortified bunker, the very real threat of russian attack looms large. within days of moving into the blood bank, the area came under a massive bombardment. a camera nearby capturing these horrifying images.

the walls are adorned with the ghosts of what once was. the memories of a young girl's hopes and dreams. where are you going now? there are brief glimpses of a normal childhood here. some trinkets and some toys. anything a little girl can do to make a home out of a blood bank. and who's this? what are their names?

♪ happy birthday to you ♪ >> reporter: life under the shadow of putin's war has changed everything here. ♪ happy birthday to angelina ♪ >> reporter: and the birthday song now sounds different. the warm embrace of a childhood home now replaced with fortified walls. what do you miss most about your life before the war? the landscape bears the terrible scars of russia's war. the long, violent reach across the country through towns and villages. there is not just the superficial damage. it's the way the kremlin's malign influence cuts much deeper. seeping into the very fabric of

society, the classroom. are we able to go inside the school? ukrainian textbooks or russian ones? these are russian textbooks? the village of northeast ukraine has been liberated from russian occupation but there are deep marks left behind. ah, the library. this is really remarkable, what you're seeing. because this is evidence that what russia was trying to do wasn't just to take over part of ukrainian land, but to turn it into russia. while the battles may be fought with bombs and bullets, this is also a war against ukrainian identity. a fight for the hearts and minds of the people who live here, starting with the youngest. varda lashenka was a student

here. she's just 15. this was your classroom? how do you feel when you come back and see this? >> reporter: behind these desks, children once dreamt of a bright, peaceful future. amidst the darkness, some are being given a brief, rare second chance to revisit their childhoods. this is a camp for kids in western ukraine where a handful of children from wartorn areas get a chance to exhale from the nightmare they've lived through. what has the war done to the children of ukraine?

>> only bad things. they lost a lot of things. they lost their happy childhood. >> reporter: wherever they come from and whatever their story, for a while the children can go back to being just that, kids. whether it's a good workout, some drawing, painting, or bowling, it's a reminder of the childhood what's been taken away and goes a good way to lifting spirits. it's so sweet they want to show me their bowling. there's a holistic approach here. the children are encouraged to share their emotions, share their experiences, engage in art. and therapy.

coping mechanisms. the horrific images of warlocked into their minds, now reflected on paper. tatiana is one of the therapists here. what are the challenges that you're seeing with the children? >> oh, the children are very different. because they have different trauma. we teach them how to help theirself with their emotions. we teach them to cry. >> reporter: even in this far-off refuge, the sirens of war are announced. there's been an air raid siren blaring across the country. all areas are now on high alert. many of the children have had to come underground. no time for breakfast, no time for class, no time for play. they've got to be aware of potential russian bombs landing. hiding in the work, little liza, just 10 years old.

but she's already experienced the worst of the war's atrocities. losing her mom to the shrapnel from a russian bomb right in front of her eyes. what has the war been like? many children your age have never seen a war. what is it like? when you hear the sound of the air raid sirens, does it make you afraid? does it make you think maybe there are more bombs coming? among the faces here, we find a

familiar one far from the blood bank. little angelina finds a sanctuary here. her mother sent her here for a few weeks. have any of the other children talked about their experiences in ukraine? what do you think the war has done to the children of ukraine when you come to a place like this? mahatma gandhi said, if we're to teach real peace in this world, we shall have to begin with the children. these children have seen the worst war has to offer,

perpetrated by adults. they've walked through the hell of a war they have no say in. their worlds upended, their souls scarred. and yet their spirits shine bright. their hope triumphs over hatred. and one day the future of ukraine will be theirs. >> they hope, and they are sure and they believe that ukraine will win. and we believe in them. we work with love, with love in our hearts. and we hope that every good thing will be with them, and ukraine will be. >> we'll be right back. when moderate to severe ulcerative colitis keeps flaring, put it in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when uc got unpredictable, i got rapid symptom relief with rinvoq. and left bathroom urgency behind. check. when uc got in my way, i got lasting, steroid-free remission with rinvoq. check. and when my gastro saw damage, rinvoq helped visibly repair the colon lining. check. rapid symptom relief. lasting, steroid-free remission.

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over the past year, we've told the stories of the people in ukraine. we've met them all across the country. on battlefields and in so many homes. but some stories are best told by the people experiencing it firsthand. we asked several ukrainian children to tell us their stories in their own words. here's what they said.

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♪ finally tonight, no one knows when the bloodshed will end in ukraine, but what continues to unite the people there is hope. hope for the war's end and for a better tomorrow. we want to bring you a song you might recognize as the carol of the bells. it began more than a century ago as a ukrainian song, "shedrick." intended as a song of wealth that will come the following spring. we leave you with the kharkiv children's choir singing their hope for a peaceful and prosperous tomorrow. ♪ ♪

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