Ukrainian children under stress as school year begins

The new school year in Ukraine is underway. In-person classes have resumed in some places, but children are facing numerous changes and challenges.

Many civilians were found killed early in the conflict in the town of Bucha near Kyiv. Children there are feeling anxious and traumatized. A doctor says, “An increasing number of children are suffering from stress. It’s better keeping children away from such an environment to?help them get better.”

The southern region of Kherson is largely controlled by Russian forces. Schoolchildren there wave Russian flags. A member of a pro-Russian group says Ukrainian leaders are trying to rewrite their history and teach it to the children.

There has been an official announcement that Russian soldiers will remove all books on Ukraine’s history and military from school libraries. They will distribute textbooks on Russian language and history instead.

A school principal says he was told to offer Russian-style education, but has resisted. Serhiy Zdenkov says he hears that students are learning Russian in class, and have been banned from using the Ukrainian language. He says, “We must save the children from a Russian-dominated world following this war.”

Ukraine launched an offensive in late August to take back Russian-controlled areas around Kherson.