conor: hello, and a warm welcome to "focus on europe." the images and news coming from ukraine are harrowing. putin's war has unleashed suffering and death upon the civilian population. families are desperate to escape the bombs of russia's army. many are being forced to leave their lives and most of their possessions behind. in numerous regions of ukraine, life has turned into a day-to-day struggle for survival. it's estimated that nearly two million people have already

fled ukraine. the united nations is warning of the fastest-growing refugee crisis in europe since world war ii. around half of those fleeing are children. many come with their mothers, but others are arriving abroad unaccompanied by a family to call their own. reporter: a train has just arrived in lviv. it's full of children. an entire orphanage is fleeing the war. its director is beside herself. olha: putin says he knows what he's doing, but he's simply killing people. reporter: anyone who can is leaving the country. kyiv central station is busy. families are often separated. pavlo is bidding farewell to his wife and little daughter. he's staying, as men aged 18 to 60 have to help defend the country. pavlo: it's terrible, because it was

so unexpected. and nobody was prepared for this situation. and we believe that we will see them soon. reporter: hundreds of thousands are on the move. >> dad stayed in kyiv. dad will sell things there and help our heroes. our army, our country. and maybe he'll even fight himself. reporter: not everyone is fleeing. like sergey's family -- they're holding out here in this subway

station. sergey is a soldier, but recently underwent surgery, meaning he won't be able to fight. so instead, he cooks at home and brings food and water here. a few days ago, sergey's wife natalia went with their children to get some fresh air. and in that moment, a russian shell hit kyiv's tv tower. natalia: my two sons were rooted to the spot, staring at the tower. luckily, a soldier quickly rushed us back down here again. sergey: i heard the explosion and kept waiting for natalia's call. at that moment, something broke inside me. natalia: my youngest doesn't dare go out anymore. and my older son yelled in his sleep last night, “mom, we have to get out of here.” reporter: these orphans have escaped the bombs. here in lviv, they're getting something to eat. olha: i feel so sorry for the

children. they're still so young. reporter: the buses are continuing westward for now. but these children still have a long way to go. conor: so far, the country that has taken in the most ukrainian refugees per capita is the small nation of moldova. but people there are worried that their country could become a target of the kremlin as well. and the threat is very close by. for decades, russian soldiers have been stationed in the pro-russian separatist region of transnistria. ivan mitcul lives in the moldovan village of cocieri. he fears that hostilities that have lain dormant for years could re-awaken. reporter: honoring the deceased. it was exactly 30 years ago that fighting broke out here in cocieri. today, the moldovan commune lies in an enclave within the pro-russian, unrecognized breakaway state called transnistria. ivan: 30 years, that's really

something. what's happening in ukraine at the moment is deeply painful for us. and unsettling. 30 years have passed, but nothing has changed. reporter: once again, war has broken out. this time, in nearby ukraine, only 20 kilometers from here. ivan: i heard it start in the morning, between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. i thought i heard thunder, but not ordinary thunder. if there's thunder early in the year, temperatures will soon rise -- that's what i thought to myself. reporter: but it wasn't thunder. it was russian bombs. dniester river separates the republic of moldova from russian-controlled transnistria in the east. the village of cocieri lies within this territory. the only way to reach it is by ferry.

russian soldiers guard the pier. dw reported from the village back in 2015. at the time, we were able to secretly film russian troops stationed in the area. these days, that's too dangerous. cocieri locals told us not to risk it. >> people are afraid and anxious. we went through a difficult period in 1992. and who knows what's happening now. >> we're alarmed. don't know what will happen next. what can i say? >> i heard the bombs the morning it all started. it's terrible. reporter: municipal secretary ivan mitcul has just learned that one of the ukrainian refugees who

arrived is a local woman who left 40 years ago when she married a ukrainian. now she's back, seeking shelter at her sister's place. ludmila: my husband died three months ago. i had to leave both my sons behind in ukraine. we speak on the phone. they tell me the shops are empty. you can't buy anything, anywhere. they don't even have money for bread. and i can't do anything to help. i don't know what will happen now. they're not allowed to leave ukraine. reporter: the village authorities are determined to help however they can. ivan: it's clear we need to support her these times. we are trying to organize as much help as we can. it's clearreporter:to support few of those who fled the war intend to stay here. it's not far enough away from

the russian troops. most refugees first arrive in the moldovan capital chisinau. so far, over 200,000 refugees have fled from ukraine to neighboring moldova. its reception centers are overcrowded. pooror as it is, the country s taking in as many refugees as possible. ukrainians are grateful, even if most want to move on. >> they tend to us around the clock. there's tea, coffee, bed linen. it's great. thank you so much. >> we're doing alright, but it's hard on the children. we want to move on. we'll head to romania first. i don't know where we'll go from there. reporter: the people of cocieri, meanwhile, are afraid their village could once again be engulfed by war. verlan: if they go beyond ukraine,

we'll be next. if that happens, they'll push on until they reach a nato state. reporter: a nightmare scenario, one people here hope can be averted. conor: over in nato partner lithuania, mayor virginija lauciuviene is also alarmed. her small community of panemuée borders directly on the armed russian exclave of kaliningrad. just over 30 years ago, the entire region belonged to the soviet union. since then, lithuania has become a nato member, which is a move that inflamed tensions with moscow. and now, the invasion of ukraine has put the alliance on high alert. reporter: troops have amassed in the forests of lithuania in recent days. but so far, only for a military exercise. a unit of the german bundeswehr is training to support nato

partner lithuania in case of attack. >> we have armored forces here from germany, mechanized infantry with their combat vehicles. we've also got various reconnaissance vehicles and artillery. reporter: since the war broke out in ukraine, the bundeswehr presence in lithuania has been ramped up once again. some 900 soldiers are now stationed here. they'll be deployed to defend this border if necessary. the neman river separates lithuania from the russian oblast of kaliningrad. the exclave is surrounded by the baltic sea, poland, and lithuania. and it's well-armed, with russia's baltic fleet stationed here. it's also believed to be a nuclear weapons storage site. the border town of panemune in lithuania has grown accustomed to its highly militarized neighbors. it fosters good relations with the russians, says mayor

virginija loucuviene. and she sincerely hopes things will stay quiet here, despite the war raging in ukraine. even if things may never be quite the same. virginija: we used to cross the border to go shopping before the pandemic hit. and now we're going to feel the consequences of this war, and the russians will, too. reporter: visas for kaliningrad stopped being issued here some time ago. and hardly any trucks e passing the chkpoint. first, it was because of the covid pandemic. now, it'due to russia's invasion of ukraine. this russian truck driver finds the whole thing unfathomable. >> i was waiting around with ukrainian truckers to cross the lithuanian border. why should we hate each other? reporter: kaliningrad can still be reached by air and sea. do residents there feel threatened by nato, as russian media claims?

wladimir: you can tell that transiting through lithuania takes longer than it used to. and the general mood is bad. we know things are very serious. reporter: in the lithuanian capital of vilnius, it's clear just how dire the situation has become. many locals are showing solidarity with ukraine. the victims of the bloody sunday of vilnius are buried in front of the city's gates. 31 years ago, soviet special forces shot and killed 14 people demonstrating for lithuania's independence. residents still recall the decades of soviet rule, now, more vividly than ever. >> unlike other european countries, we've been living with this unpredictable neighbor for a long time.

it's a fact of our geographic location. >> we can't just stay calm. we have to watch out, and work with our nato allies. reporter: vigilance is also the order of the day for this lithuanian security expert. he says that kaliningrad is particularly exposed. vytis: the kaliningrad region is seen as the possible threat. there was a question, if kremlin or belarus are not going to connect kaliningrad to belarus and disconnect the baltic countries from the european countries. reporter: that would mean war between nato and russia, as the residents of panemune are acutely aware. mayor loucuviene is visiting the town's only russian inhabitant, who was in kaliningrad just a few dayago. natalia: believe me, everyone is talking about the war.

what can i say? when the higher-ups pick a fithe people of panemune areear the showing solidarity.er: but they won't be visiting kaliningrad any time soon. virginija: we used to always think how great it would be to visit the russians without passing through the checkpoints. and for them to visit us. reporter: instead, it's as if the cold war were back, and here on the neman river, people are feeling its chill. conor: in russia, it takes real courage to openly voice solidarity with ukraine. thousands of anti-war demonstrators have already been arrested as they demand an end to the invasion. but what about those people who actually believe putin's propaganda? the kremlin is also waging an information war. a new media law threatens anyone who uses the word "war"

with up to 15 years in prison. which is why our own correspondents had to leave moscow. but just before that, they met with people protesting the war. repoer: day after day, people are going out onto the streets of russia to demonstrate against president vladimir putin's war. they risk arrest and detention, as the regime has clamped down on all dissent. but that isn't stopping people from making their opinions clear. >> we're ashamed of this country. reporter: on the first day of protests, we met anna, an 18-year-old at her first demonstration. anna: my parents told me not to go to this demo, but i couldn't just stand by while there's a war going on.

reporter: an hour later, the demonstration was broken up and anna was arrested, along with 2800 others. she was released after a few hours. we visited her three days later in the moscow suburb where she lives with her parents. she's unemployed and would love to study linguistics abroad. the family was hoping to emigrate to the u.s. after winning green cards. but then the pandemic happened. and now the war. anna: i do love my country, the people, the culture, but i despise the government. and i want to believe that it will get better, but i find it

hard to do so. reporter: anna was raised in a very open-minded family. her parents are also critical of the government. and they are comfortable with anna's bisexuality. there's only one strict rule in the family -- the tv is only switched on to watch spos. anna: basically all tv channels are controlled by the government. they twist the news and they are full of propaganda. what angers me the most is that the tv claims that there is no war, that it's just a military operation. but what's the difference? reporter: there may be no official war according to the government, but there is resistance. two women, who didn't want to be recognized, have been putting up posters which say “no to war.” we found out for ourselves how risky their

protest is when our car was stopped by russian security service officers, and we were accused of being behind the poster campaign. we were allowed to drive on after being questioned. every day, the regime becomes a little more repressive. it's now illegal to use the words “war” and “invasion” in conjunction with what's going on in ukraine. the media regulator penalizes those who don't say “special operation” or “peace mission.” we met the head of the russian writers' union. he is among those who stick to putin's narrative. nikolai: for me as a former soldier, there's the term “war” and the term “special operation.” a war is taking over foreign territory, exploiting their resources, and capturing the population to be slaves.

this is not a war. none of those criteria are fulfilled. this is a special operation. reporter: the first meeting of the so-called international anti-nazi committee took place at the house of writers. we met denis ganich, editor-in-chief of the patriotic newspaper “national course.” denis: russia is not fighting against ukraine and russia is not even fighting against the ukrainian nazi puppet regime. russia is fighting against the u.s. on the territory of the soviet union. reporter: in the suburbs, anna and her father roman, a system administrator, think such words are sheer propaganda. roman says that he is proud of his daughter but also worried. his form of protest is more discreet. he puts up posters at night, under cover of darkness.

roman: if we stay quiet now, we're condoning the war. this is one of my flyers. the putin regime has begun a war. a war that nobody needs, neither russia, nor ukraine. we've known for a long time that putin isn't good. but this is now beyond good and evil. the devil has emerged in putin and become the president of russia. reporter: we asked him whether he was worried about this interview. roman: anyone with an ounce of integrity has to take a stand against this war right now. reporter: roman and anna agreed to talk openly about their resistance because they still believe there's a glimmer hope that putin will put an end to his war. conor: a war also against freedom of speech and media.

reporters without borders has called putin's new law the final blow to russia's independent media. all across europe, the sudden outbreak of war in ukraine has prompted an outpouring of support. these volunteers are just a handful of the thousands pitching in to help ukrainian refugees, citizens whose lives have been turned upside down, leaving them with no possessions. on germany's border with poland, people are pooling their resources to help those in need. reporter: mike friedrich is trying to keep an overview. mike: food and toiletries are here. clothes are over there. reporter: his office has been repurposed as a warehouse. someone has just donated a bag full of baby food. all these supplies are for people in and from ukraine. boxes are piling up, and friedrich's friends have come to help. people here in frankfurt oder

on the german-polish border are deeply affected by the suffering of the ukrainians. friedrich launched his campaign with his partner boba preuss bojcic soon after russia invaded ukraine. the plan is to cross poland to bring the supplies to the ukrainian border. boba: i'm from former yugoslavia. i experienced war as a child. my family lost everything. reporter: that's why friedrich didn't hesitate. he dropped everything and got to work. mike: i don't feel hate. what matters to me is that people in need get help. reporter: a woman turns up. she wants to make a donation for her homeland. she's ukrainian. her name is tatiana albrecht and she has relatives in kyiv. she's lost contact with them but feels she has to do something. tatjana:

people need help. and since i've got time, i'm collecting everything they might need. reporter: the donations are piling up. even people who don't have any relatives or friends in ukraine want to help. ute: this concerns everybody. it's on our doorstep. no one knows whether the war will spread. that's why solidarity is so important. reporter: across the river lies the polish town of slubice. olena pankiv-bola has been rushing round for days, barely sleeping. she's originally from ukraine and owns a local boutique. she's been colcting donations for fellow ukrainians and organizing accommodation for refugees. she managed to put up two mothers and their children at a local hotel, free of charge. they want to remain anonymous. >> we travelled for 48 hours. our bus had to leave the city at full speed. shells were exploding behind us.

our men have to stay and fight. reporter: she cannot say more about her family in ukraine. these ukrainians have come to olena's boutique to propose taking humanitarian aid with them when they head to ukraine. viktor, ladislaw, and irina intend to fight for their country. they say they have no choice -- they know what the war is doing to ukrainians. irina: my daughter and grandchildren are suffering because of the russians. viktor: i know exactly what i need to do. i am going to defend my country. reporter: irina says they will persevere, because they are patriots. the events unfolding in her home country fill olena with grief and rage. but she is also overwhelmed by the show of solidarity. olena:

we ukrainians have received a lot of support from poland, and the rest of the world. i want to say a heartfelt thank you from me, and the people of ukraine. reporter: across the border in germany, the activists are loading up donations. they'd planned to send a convoy of six vehicles to ukraine. now, there are 14 cars and lorries bound for the warzone. boba: i feel good. i feel brave and excited. this is a major undertaking we're launching. reporter: they also have a plan for the return journey. if possible, they want to bring as many refugees from ukraine as they can back over the border with them to safety. conor: and we are all hoping for their safe passage. that brings us to the end of this week's edition of “focus on europe.” thank you for watching and until next time, take care. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute,

which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

03/31/22 03/31/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> yes, there is an negotiations process which is ongoing, but these are still words. amy: as russia's war in ukraine entersts sixth week, russia appears set to launch major new offensive in the donbas region while russia moves to draft 134,000 new conscripts.