“They are like a bleeding wound, and no one sees it,” a schoolteacher said of her pupils, many of whom have fled frontline areas or lost family members in the fighting.

Children and teachers across the country began their first day of classes for the new academic year on Monday at a time when Russia has been stepping up bombardments of Ukrainian cities.

Class 6H is the most troubled group of the sixth grade in Ms. Kovaliova’s school. The children, she says, dislike discipline and cannot sit still after going through lockdown during Covid and then two years of disruption with the outbreak of war.

They often ignore teachers, Ms. Kovaliova said: “It’s a difficult group.”

But, she added, she could see reasons behind their behavior.

“These children are loud. They want to shout something. But we never asked what they are shouting about,” she said.

“These children are crying for help,” she added. “They are like a bleeding wound, and no one sees it.”

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Edit: Changed to better reflect the story.