the following is a cnn special report . how would you react? where would you go if you woke up one morning to war on your doorstep? >> this is kharkiv now, completely in ruins. >> this is happening really. >> reporter: for more than a year now, no matter where you turn, putin's terror can find you. yet despite all of the suffering -- this is where they make the molotov cocktails -- the people of ukraine are still standing, still fighting, and some say even winning. the ukrainians took this entire area back in september. this is ukraine today. >> freedom matters. peace matters. ukraine matters. >> reporter: these are the people who have defied the odds against them. >> we are fighting for our freedom. >> reporter: how are they doing it? and at what cost? >> take your time if you want to take a break. >> we have to get ready for everything. anything . kyiv central station, the nerve center of ukraine's 16,000 miles sprawling rail system. nearly one year ago this ordinary transit hub was anything but. [ gunshots ] >> as russian forces advance toward the city, scenes of chaos and heartbreak flooded the station's platforms and many others like it across the country. families were wrenched apart. fathers sent their wives and children to safety. there's definitely an intensification, an urgency as people are trying to get out of the country, out of the city. in all, nearly 4 million people raced to the railroad to escape the war unfolding around them, making this already vital service the essential lifeline for ukrainians. ♪ >> today things look very different. it is orthodox christmas in ukraine and kyiv is no longer under immediate threat. many ukrainians have now returned to their homes, but this is still a country at war and this is still very much the back born of ukraine's war effort. at just 38 years old, the railway's proud ceo, alexander commission, has one main goal, the trains must always keep running. >> this war is changing all the time. now we have to think in advance and get ready for everything, anything. when russia began its ruthless campaign, targeting ukraine's critical infrastructure, alexander and his team were ready with nearly 10,000 wood-burning stoves. >> you literally have iron stoves in here to keep people warm? >> yeah. >> as soon as territory is liberated, train service is restored. when a shell hits the tracks, maintenance workers are out within hours to start repairs. how hard do you push yourself on that front and push the people that work for you? >> 100%. you can call it an obsession. >> your employees are employees of the railway and have been called iron people. obviously that is something that predates the war, but when you look at the response of your employees, do you think that's sort of an apt characterization of them? >> maybe. >> they are people that spent months basically on the trains, in the stations. a lot of people gave a lot in order to meet the moment. >> i have been meeting my people across the whole country, thousands of times during this war. i have been shaking their hands and saying thanks for what you do. i am telling that genuinely from my heart. you know what they say? come on, we're just doing our job, nothing special. >> on the platform, my team and i board a train heading east to kharkiv, a city just miles from the russian border, and one of putin's earliest targets. today the train to kharkiv is filled with travelers headed home for the holidays, soldiers returning to the front lines, and a young mother, 25-year-oldly anna, going back to kharkiv to reunite with her family after fleeing with her infant son last march. did you ever worry you might not see your family again, you might not be able to go back home to kharkiv again? were you missing your mom a lot? >> yeah, of course. >> now you are together and you are going home. you must be very happy. >> yeah. speak [speaking non-english] >> what is the first thing you want to do when you get home? [speaking non-english] >> i think i hear your little boy is awake now, maybe? >> yes. [speaking non-english] >> that night, once we arrived in kharkiv, she finally gets that long-awaited hug. and we head out into the dark city ready for some reunions of our own. >> oh, my god. >> when we come back, kharkiv one year later. okay everyone, our mission is complete balanced nutrition. together we support immune function. supply fuel for immune cells and sustain tissue health. ensure with twenty-five vitamins and minerals, and ensure complete with thirty grams of protein. the first time your sales reached 100k was also the first time you hit this note... 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[speaking non-english] >> back in april, our team witnessed some of the terror of kharkiv firsthand. >> come on, maria. go! go! >> so we were just in an apartment building and they were looking for an injured man, and a bunch of rounds came in and hit the next door building, so we are getting out as fast as we can. the incoming fire continued, and the paramedics kept searching for the injured man, and soon they found him just in time to save his life. on our return to kharkiv eight months later, i knew our first stop had to be here. how are you? >> alive. healthy. >> we're alive, exactly. >> thankfully, miraculously, the pair is alive and well, and though the skies are much quieter, they are still saving lives. >> i heard that you are now doctors? >> like a resident. >> a resident? >> yeah, in america it's called a resident. >> that's amazing. i don't know anybody who in the middle of a war finishes medical school. this is not normal. >> it's ukraine. >> the following night i head out to meet the paramedics for dinner, and on the way there i am struck by the city's eerie darkness. russia's continued attacks on the power grid have made electricity a precious resource, another sign that life here is still far from normal. but inside, i am greeted with typical ukrainian warmth, food and laughter. as we chat alongside alexandra's husband and mother, it becomes clear that one year later while the war has changed, these brave ukrainians have not. [speaking non-english] >> i guess the question becomes the situation is obviously a lot quieter in kharkiv than it was before, but the war is not over. how do you keep up hope when there's still kind of a long road ahead? [speaking non-english] >> did you ever doubt that, that ukraine would ultimately win? >> no. >> never. >> no, never. no. >> and everything is exactly what these young ukrainians have given to the fight, while his own wife and young child headed west to a safer part of the country, he stayed put. is it hard to stay separated from your family? >> yeah, it's hard, but they are safe. >> it's a big part of ukraine's success, i think, is that almost every ukrainian seems to feel cold to service in this moment. i often think about this, would it be the same in america? would it be the same in england? [speaking non-english] >> shall we have another toast? >> yes. >> to ukraine. >> ukraine. >> cheers. cheers. thank you so much. >> the next morning, just a short drive outside the city, we visit a small village nearly flattened by the war. today over 100 empty coffins have arrived. volunteers unload them on to a playground next to a bombed out school. in a few weeks when the ground defrosts, the villagers will exhume an untold number of bodies strewn throughout the town. finally the dead will be identified and laid to rest with proper burials. it is here in this village that we meet a volunteer, a kharkiv native who lived and worked in moscow since the '90s. in her previous life, she was a renowned whale scientists, but since february 24th, she has dedicated 24/7 to helping the people of ukraine to survive and defeat the russians. >> i arrived in the morning of the 23rd, and i just said, mom, i'm coming. just take a look what they did to us. i will be going slowly. i want you to have time to see, to see how my town looks now. >> did you have any conversations in the early days of the war with any of your russian friends? >> plenty. >> what were they saying? >> they were scared. they were desperate. one of them said that the tears of blood came running down his faith, and neither of them -- neither of their grandchildren would be able to wash out the dirt and blood from their faces. they tell me, maybe you take your mom and move to moscow and it's safer now. i just told them, do you think your grandmother would go to berlin during the second world war? do you? moscow is the fascist people to us now. >> tell me about the beginning of the war. were you afraid? >> not for a second. not for a second. starting the morning of february 25, i was on the square volunteering. we were so busy. we were so tired by the end of the day, i didn't think about anything. i didn't have emotions. i didn't have thoughts. i was just working, working, working as a machine. >> nearly one year later, she's still working. today that means helping ordinary people, a local humanitarian group that distributes aid to villages still without power, blankets, beds, and a heater. anything to help survive a winter amidst of rubble. but at this stage of the war, she says most of her days are spent sourcing badly-needed supplies for ukraine soldiers. kharkiv was part of the incredible counter offensive push the russians out, but there has been a lot of talk now about could there be another offensive that the russians are planning? are you fearful at all? >> we all understand as volunteers, and especially as volunteers that help the military, we would be targeted. to say i am not afraid would be kind of silly. i don't want, like, a slow death, like being tortured, but otherwise we all used to think that we have to live today, and then tomorrow they will show us what our future is. >> one day at a time. >> yep. yeah. >> when we return -- did you understand the danger of what you were doing if you were caught? the secret network of spies living under russian occupation. ? our dell technologies advisors can provide you with the tools and expertise you need to bring out the innovator in you. get refunds.com powered by innovation refunds can help your business get a payroll tax refund, even if you got ppp and it only takes eight minutes to qualify. i went on their website, uploaded everything, and i was blown away by what they could do. getrefunds.com has helped businesses get over a billion dollars and we can help your business too. qualify your business for a big refund in eight minutes. go to getrefunds.com to get started. powered by innovation refunds. science proves quality sleep is vital to your mental, emotional, and physical health. and we know 80% of couples sleep too hot or too cold. introducing the new sleep number climate360 smart bed. the only smart bed in the world that actively cools, warms, and effortlessly responds to both of you. our smart sleepers get 28 minutes more restful sleep per night. proven quality sleep. only from sleep number. ♪ inner voice (kombucha brewer): if i just stare at these payroll forms... my business' payroll taxes will calculate themselves. right? 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[speaking non-english] >> like many fighting in ukraine, yvonne never imagined he would become a soldier. [speaking non-english] >> when the war began, yvonne was a civilian living in kherson. as he witnessed russian forces occupy his hometown, he decided he needed to fight back. at the time, he says, that meant joining a secret network of underground intelligence, giving information that might give the ukrainians the upper hand. he says he began covertly supplying information to ukraine security services using a ukrainian app on his phone called dea. [speaking non-english] >> did you understand the risks of what you were doing, the danger of what you were doing if you were caught? [speaking non-english] >> i was standing in the very center of the city, and there were two cruise missiles that hit the building. >> it was march 1st, less than one week into the war. days earlier, he had been skiing in the austrian mountains. now his city was on fire. >> i was in a hurry to get back. people were prepared to fight back, to defend their land and to defend their city. >> it's not your typical soldier. he's a ukrainian agriculture mogul that felt compelled to build a volunteer unit of soldiers, funded with his personal fortune. we joined him in a secret bunker in the city, the night before his return to the front lines. so this is some of the explosives that you have amassed. wow. >> the guys doing these things, they are using -- >> oh, to drop them from drones? informerly known as the bil billionaire's battalion, the unit pushed russian forces out of what a kharkiv, but what they lack in training, they make up for. what made you want to start your own unit? >> i am an entrepreneur, and this is the enterprise. it's a new company, but it's created not for profit, it's created to kill the enemy. >> how has ukraine been so successful in fighting off the world's second largest military? >> we're right. we're fighting for our freedom, for our way of life. we didn't want this war and they started it so we have to fight. ♪ >> how many members of your unit have you lost? >> a few people. the last loss was a very bright 28-year-old woman. >> does her death in some way motivate you to, you know -- >> to revenge? >> to revenge, to -- >> of course. no, of course, which is why we continue fighting. and remember all these people who were with us, and we will always remember them. >> are you thinking that in the future this will be a war that is predominantly fought with drones? when we come back, meet the maverick minister that has helped to change the face of this war. these are the upshaws. and this is their playground. there's a story in every piece of land, run with us on a john deere tractor and start telling yours. this cough. 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[together] the chookie! manage all your sales from one place with a partner that always puts you first. godaddy. tools and support for every small business first. with the freestyle libre 2 system, know your glucose level and where it's headed. no fingersticks needed. manage your diabetes with more confidence. freestyle libre 2. try it for free at freestylelibre.us (sniffs) ew. gotta get rid of this. ♪ tell me why ♪ because it stinks. ♪ tell me why ♪ no, you tell me why i can't get rid of this odor? ♪ have you tried new downy rinse and refresh ♪ it doesn't just cover up odors, it helps remove them 3x better than detergent alone. ♪ yeah ♪ guess the odor went bye bye. no, that's not us. sorry. rinse odor away with new downy rinse and refresh. save $10 when you spend $30 on tide and downy. people are obviously incredibly affected by this situation. they're frightened. they're exhausted. it's march 5th, just one week into the invasion. the people of a suburb at the doorstep of the capitol have already withstood days of russian strikes. for many this bombed out bridge is their only opportunity to escape. [speaking non-english] >> weeks later, putin's plan takeover of kyiv had failed. russian troops were forced to with draw from the north entirely. it was the first of many hard-fought ukrainian victories. one not only with bullets and bravery, but with creativity. and cutting edge technology. at 32 years old, this is ukraine's youngest minister in charge of digital transformation. a piece of the war puzzle that many argue have been the single biggest game changer on the battlefield, known as al tkpwau rhythmic warfare. when you are on the front lines, you see people fighting with artillery and tanks in scenes that are reminiscent of the first and second world war, and yet at the same time this is the most technologically sophisticated war that ever has been fought. at what stage did you understand the power that technology could bring? [speaking non-english] >> after the invasion, he was quick to adapt. he took an app called dea, and he transformed it giving citizens in russian-occupied areas like yvonne a way to provide information to security services. videos like this showing russian weaponry and troop movements could be easily and secretly uploaded. [speaking non-english] >> to be sure ukraine has not transformed the digital battlefield alone in the run up to the invasion, support poured in from silicon valley's top tech companies to help the country prepare. [speaking non-english] >> what has that support meant to you? [speaking non-english] among the many companies offering assistance was pallen tear, a secretive american software company that got its start working with u.s. intelligence services. alex carp was the first ceo to meet with president zelenskyy after russia's invasion. >> here you have a culture that is able to perform at a level of any of the world players we have ever dealt with. >> according to carp, most of ukraine's military targeting is done using advanced palenter software, and there's delta, yet another innovation fedderoff says has transformed the way wars are fought, and he hopes the way they are won. are you thinking in the future this is going to be a war that is predominantly fought with drones? [speaking non-english] >> and you don't rule out the possibility that russia could catch up? [speaking non-english] >> so it's not the time to get c complacent? [speaking non-english] coming up, the true costs of putin's war. how do you try to understand why russia would do something like this? >> i don't understand. i brought in ensure max protein with 30 grams of protein. those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. uhhhh... here, i'll take that. 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(soft music) for much of the war, the central city of dnipro has been a large part of ukraine, but one of the many cruelties of this war, the longer you survive it, it could feel normal, until one day reality comes crashing down. on january 14th, the 325th day of putin's war to dnipro was hell on earth. in all, 46 people were killed including six children after a 2,000-pound russian missile as long as a city bus slammed into this apartment building. so the blue wall -- >> that's my bathroom. >> that's your bathroom? >> yeah. >> the 24-year-old was at home in bed sleeping. when you look at it now, what do you feel? the missile sliced her one-bedroom apartment in half killing both parents in the kitchen while just inches away she slung on to life. i think for a lot of people it's hard to understand why russia would use this huge missile that's intended to take out an aircraft carrier in a residential area. how do you try to understand why russia would do something like this? >> i don't understand. >> can you tell me a little bit about your mom and dad, what they were like as people? [speaking non-english] >> do you ever wonder why you were saved? there's an extraordinary image we see of you surviving the unsurvivable. [speaking non-english] >> take your time, if you want to take a break. this is not the first grieve she has experienced in this war. in september her boyfriend was killed while fighting on the front lines in kharkiv. did you think this might be the man you would marry and start a family with? [speaking non-english] >> you have experienced so much sadness and so much loss. in some ways your story is the story of ukraine, of people who have given so much but who continue to survive. [speaking non-english] >> that courage and grit have come to define ukraine and the price has been painfully high. ♪ >> tens of thousands of lives have been destroyed. estimates suggest it will require close to a trillion dollars to rebuild the country when this is all over. but today the end is still nowhere in sight. back in kharkiv where the damage seems irreparable and the present remains dark, after 365 days of war, the people of ukraine still have hope. >> we saw you from the window. you are the only one here rebuilding. why? [speaking non-english] renewing micro moisture for continuous care. new dove body wash. change is beautiful. the first time your sales reached 100k was also the first time you hit this note... 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