[Video transcript]
The war is still very much present, even in their games during a break. Seven Fields is a special school in the Kyiv suburbs. It only accepts children directly affected by the war. Nine-year-old Nazar lost his father in the fighting.
(Nazar)
"I hope he is fine up there in heaven. I want him to have a good life up there."
For many of them, this is already their second Christmas with one parent missing. A loss which isn't always made easier by the passage of time. Kyrylo's father was killed on the second day of the war.
(Kyrylo)
"It's good to know that people understand you. Here they do. I went to summer camp with children who had not lost anybody. I told them about my father. Most understood, but there was one boy who told me to just leave it. I said, how can one leave something like this. It's not possible. You cannot forget this."
This used to be a private school. There are no more than 10-12 children in each class and there is lots of stuff to do. When the war started, the surrounding area was temporarily occupied. After the Russians left, the school's founder, Oksana Volzhina, turned it into a summer camp for children affected by the war. And when the school year started, some of the children stayed. So Oksana turned it back into a school — with a difference:
(Oksana Volzhina)
"They are children, but they are much more like adults. Their thoughts are not childlike. These are children of the war. Their thoughts are deeper, their priorities and values in life are deeper than when this was a private school, and it was all about fun."
More than 2000 schools across the country have had to close. For many children online classes are the only option. Here, the children board at the school during the semester and return to their families on holidays. Each day is full of activities — a welcome distraction from the weight they carry.
(Viktoriya)
"We mostly talk about positive things. Sometimes at night we might turn to these difficult topics. But mostly we don't."
The school operates on donations from organizations and private businesses. A small glimmer of hope in a country where millions of children have lost their homes and their schools.