- (narrator) Putin called this a special military operation.
- A special military operation.
That is not a military operation.
- (narrator) Russian troops and tanks have entered Ukraine on all fronts.
Many are sheltering in basements and metro stations across Ukraine.
- I know a lot of them have safely crossed the border.
I just hope that nothing else happens.
- (narrator) There have been hundreds of casualties.
- That's very, very destructive.
- (narrator) This is one of Europe's largest wars since World War II.
- That's like just not fair!
They're being forced from their own other people,
just to go shelter and just hide?
- I think it's very sad that all of the Ukrainians
are getting, well...
- The only thing I've seen that's like similar to this
is only like what happened in World War II.
- It's been a rough couple of years, you know?
And now, you have a war going on,
and we don't know when it's gonna stop.
- (narrator) Putin has long claimed Ukraine belongs to Russia,
and they are one people.
And while the two countries do have a shared history,
Ukraine has fought hard for its own identity.
Ukraine briefly gained independence from Russian rule,
but was quickly taken over by the newly created Soviet Union
as one of its first republics.
Over the next decade, the Soviet Union brutally expanded...
- That's a lot of land.
- The Soviet Union failed,
and then Putin wants to bring the Soviet Union back.
- (narrator) The west developed into democracies,
with capitalist economies.
In 1949, these countries, along with the U.S. and Canada
formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
- Yeah, I've heard of the NATO.
- Basically, just like a whole alliance of different countries,
and if one country gets attacked, all the other countries in NATO
will kinda like help them.
- (narrator) The Soviet Union dissolved into
15 independent countries, including a much weaker Russia,
but Ukraine and Georgia both wanted to join NATO for a long time,
and that made them prime targets for Russia.
- (React) So does that make sense?
- Yeah.
Ukraine wanted to be part of the NATO.
- And since they still weren't in it, they were a huge target,
'cause Russia then knew they wanted to join them,
and Russia's so scared, 'cause it's afraid of losing its power.
- (React) Do you think it's okay to start a war over that?
- I feel like if Ukraine wanted to be a separate country, then it could.
He wanted more power, and he didn't want
other countries to be more powerful than him.
- (narrator) But in November 2021, Putin decided to go all in.
His troops immediately crossed the Ukrainian border
into Russian-backed separatist regions
under the pretense of peacekeeping.
- (narrator) World leaders have spoken out against Russia's invasion.
- (Joe) Putin chose this war,
and now he and his country will bear the consequences.
- (narrator) Anti-war protests have broken out around the world,
including in Russia, despite the risk of arrest.
In many ways, the world is treading carefully.
Putin controls the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons.
- Is the president like not thinking right?
'Cause like, it's hurting innocent people.
- That's what someone will do for power.
They'll lie, they'll cheat, they'll do just horrible stuff
all for like one small thing.
- He put on a war suit,
and went out and fight side by side by other Ukraine citizens.
- (React) How do you think he should have handled it?
- Ask politely.
- Negotiated.
They could have just said like this was once Russia,
so that's why we want you to join us.
- I think he could've made a deal of some sort,
or just left it alone completely.
- I feel like he shouldn't even like started anything at all.
Ukraine is like a whole separate country
that has its own language, its own culture,
and it's also not worth like thousands of people's lives.
♪ (tense music) ♪
- That's so sad, that's horrible.
- It looks like a destructive firework show.
- (React) What would you do if you looked out of your window,
and you saw bombs falling from the sky?
- I would freak out.
- I would be terrified.
- I don't know, I'd just be so shocked I couldn't do anything.
- I don't know! What can you do?
♪ (upbeat rock music) ♪
- I don't know, I have nothing to say,
that's just horrible.
- I wouldn't know what to do.
- It looks like a movie set that isn't really real.
- It looks like, if the Civil War
was into a modern city.
- (React) This is inside someone's home.
- Mm-hmm.
- (React) Do you know what this is here?
- That's a bomb?
- Yeah, a piece of wood. Like from the ground.
- (React) That's actually a missile.
- That's a missile?
- (React) What would you do if you had a missile inside of your house?
- I would freak out and run.
- I mean, it would be cool to have a missile in my house.
Ooh, cool missile, but then when I look up,
I'm like, "my things!"
- Ukraine has like a lot of beauty in it,
and they just ruined it by bombing.
♪ (upbeat music) ♪
- Use a heat gun like a hair dryer.
♪ (upbeat music) ♪
It's like you could still get groceries,
but you're risking your life.
- That's just like a normal day, except you live in a bomb shelter
instead of your home.
- I've been to Universal Studios in like the little lot
where they told you the plane crashed or something.
It looks like that.
- Maybe it'll just be too hot.
- I feel like I'd rather move somewhere else
and like start my whole life over, but I also feel like
that could be risky if Putin starts attacking other countries.
- I know a lot of people just cope with stuff like that,
by making a joke out of it, but it's just really sad,
seeing that like okay, we live here now.
Go outside and get some fresh air,
for like one second, in case you get bombed.
- (React) So the news in Russia is often forced to tell lies
about what's actually going on with the war,
but some of them are trying to stand up for what's right.
- Yeah.
- (narrator) What you're about to see
is by any standards a moment of extraordinary bravery.
- (React) What does her sign say?
- No war.
- (narrator) Program quickly cuts away to a recorded sequence,
but this image of Marina Ovsyannikova
running onto set with a sign urging Russians
not to believe the lies being broadcast,
will be replayed again and again.
The seriousness of her situation now.
- It's so sad, 'cause they can't do anything, they'll be arrested.
- (narrator) This woman led away for holding up a blank piece of paper.
- People deserve to have a speak on this,
even if they're like Russian, and they live in Russia,
they still don't have to be on Putin's side.
- (narrator) This sign reading two words.
Enough for its author to be quickly detained.
- Now, that was, not funny,
but it was just like am I gonna get arrested for this?
- (React) If you were in Russia, would you go out on the street
and protest, even if you might get arrested?
- Yeah, 'cause like I'd just call my brother
and say get me out of jail.
- I would make a secret club, like come, you're invited
to the secret club, let's protest against the war.
- I'd be too scared, I would not protest.
If a friend that lived in Russia maybe didn't know,
I'd probably tell them,
and probably have them tell their friends,
and just spread it around and hope I don't get arrested.
- (Sasha) My name, Sasha.
- (reporter) Nine year old Sasha Reznichenko.
- (React) Now how old are you?
- Nine.
- (translator) I have no mother and father,
they died, he says.
I lived in several places,
and I know it's important to listen to my teachers
and behave myself.
- That would be hard to live without your mom and dad.
They are your main supporters.
- (reporter) What do you want to be when you grow up?
(Sasha speaks in foreign language)
- (translator) I want to be an American, he says.
- That's so sad.
- A lot of people in America are like rude.
Like America isn't the best place, I'm saying.
- It would be hard to adapt to a new country.
You have friends, and you have school,
and you have nice teachers.
- He wants to be an American, because it'd be just separated
from all Ukraine and Russia.
He just wants to be like a normal person
would live their normal life.
- (React) If you were president of the United States,
what would you do to help Ukraine?
- I'd raise the prices so high it's impossible to pay for them.
I'd raise them to like a trillion.
- I'd just help them,
like let's say if they don't have grocery stores,
I'd bring them food, there's a basket,
and there's like a parachute, I would've done those.
- We could send transports as long as Russia doesn't notice.
- First, I would donate about
50 million dollars to the war,
and to help stop it.
- (React) Now do you think that the United States
should get involved in the war, should we fight in the war?
- They should stay out of it, or else we will be destroyed,
but also, I guess, the same reason
why I couldn't raise the prices so high.
- Russia's hurting people, injuring people,
destroying people's homes, shooting missiles and stuff.
We should help Ukraine
'cause Russia is attacking Ukraine.
- I would help Ukraine by going up,
going to Ukraine and fighting side by side with them,
instead of just letting them fight by theirselves.
- I don't know, like, they should and they shouldn't,
because I think they should, because it's like helping Ukraine,
but I also think they shouldn't, because I don't think it should
turn into another like worldy war.
- I feel like we should, but at the same time,
I kinda don't want to, because it could,
you know, kill us, but then,
it's either helping other people survive,
or just you being, not spoiled, but, kind of not helpful.
- I really hope you're being safe,
and please, just stay safe.
- If you're dealing through this, I am so sorry
that you have to be troubled with this destruction and terror.
- Stay safe,
and I'm sending prayers.