to canada, the 85—year—old pontiff said his age and frailty had led to his decision. now on bbc news, locked away: ukraine's stolen lives. a warning — this programme contains scenes some viewers may find upsetting. i've been to hundreds of institutions, and i get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever i come. this is the search to uncover ukraine's most shameful secret. oh, my god, this is his ribs. this is his ribs hanging out. it's a nightmare. it's a living hell on earth. we're with human rights investigators eric and halyna, exposing the abuse and neglect of disabled people. translation: there is nothing we can do to help this child. - unfortunately, naturei has decided their fate. they're in pain. and you're not doing anything to help. teeth grinding this is a sound of the war you haven't heard. anna's teeth—grinding anxiety hints at the hidden trauma of ukraine's disabled children. they are nervous, disorientated, and distressed. and they've been dumped in a place that can barely cope. because of their disabilities, they're not treated as human beings. they are only kept alive here. these are teenage girls, brought here from an orphanage in the east to escape the fighting. what must be going through young minds like daria's. daria moans and she is blind. she can only hear what's going on around her. just as we came in here, we saw the children being given books to read, or at least to look at. but it appears that's probably been done for our benefit. the nurse says she's not used to dealing with this level of disability. she says she believes the girls don't know what's happening to them. translation: these children do not understand the situations - they are in. the most important thing for them is to have something to eat, because they don't understand anything else. she asks, "what intellect can you see here"? she tells us oksana can't speak because of severe learning disabilities. but halyna makes a connection. she says, in a full sentence, that her toe hurts. and just like that, oksana, a child the nurse says is without intellect, is holding a conversation. we've heard this a lot, when a doctor says there's no intellect here, the child is non—verbal, they cannot say a phrase or a sentence. they can only use separate words or sounds. and then, i come talk to her — she says her name, she says then that her she has a headache. she asks me if i have a headache. i say, "a little bit". so, we are able to have conversation. the biggest, saddest thing i see is underestimating the potential of children and letting them languish. to me, human dignity is undermined here. these homes are relics of an outdated system. the director insists one of the older residents sings for us. singing in russian staffing is so short, residents are relied on to care for the 22 new arrivals. and the boss couldn't believe how they were left here when their carers fled. translation: they were | so selfish that they ran out of here as fast as they could. i thought they'd come i here and tell us who had epilepsy, who was - incontinent, and so on. but then, they sat here till lunchtime and left. i i don't like criticising my. colleagues, but this is not the way it's done. are you certain you can give these children the care they need? nyet. so, what does that mean for someone like victoria, with severe epilepsy and frequent seizures? we're told she's put in restraints at night. victoria is 14 years old. this flies in the face of any sort of international good practice, in terms of the care these girls should be receiving. but then, on the other hand, this is people trying to do their best in the toughest of circumstances. and at the end of the day, these girls are the victims of a system that is substandard, but also a country that is at war and in crisis. it's ok, it's all right, - just let her have it, it's ok. before we leave, oksana spots our microphone. there's a flicker of the potential that could be unlocked. are you taking myjob, oksana? da. fora moment, oksana is seen... i think you'd be very good. ..her voice is heard. but only for a moment. so many lives have been upended by the war. but ukraine's network of institutions long predates the invasion. every day, every week, every month that the child is in that facility, they are losing part of their life. these are factories of disability. and there are nearly 700 of them. so, what are your feelings as you approach another of these places? heavy feelings. i have a heavy heart. thousands of children live like this — out of sight, locked away. look into these cots, and you see the smothered potential and stunted growth of lives stolen by a state system that is stuck in the past. these are not children. they're young men in their 20s or 30s. what you have here is failure to thrive, because this is this person's life. inside this crib, this is all of the stimulation he has. this is notjust malnutrition from the start of the war. this is a sign of malnutrition over a lifetime. this person is dying a slow death in this bed. and some of the youngest new arrivals, evacuees from the east, are the most in need. oh, my god, this is his ribs. this is his ribs hanging out. to have this kind of lack of development, that is a product of many years of neglect. he's skin and bones. the need is great, but improving life here can be as simple as this. oh, there he is — there, he's reaching out, there's a fist bump. this guy is capable of much more. look, he smiles, he responds, he appreciates touch. yeah! hi, how are you doing? how are you doing? when was the last time someone reached into your crib and actually touched you? you could use a little more than this crib, couldn't you? it would be great to get out and do something. hey — hey, that's a good smile. and here's how lunch is served — by hand, in bed. oleg's face is pale from years of confinement. he doesn't get to sit up, even to eat. how are you, oleg? "very good." there's a spark of recognition. he remembers halyna's last visit. you've met oleg before? yes — i've been here about seven years ago, and oleg was here. speaks in russian ..journalist. hi, it's good to meet you. he said, "oh, wow, you're a journalist"? it's my pleasure to meet you. he's excited. oleg is 43 and has cerebral palsy. and how long have you lived here, oleg? "very long." he had to stay in bed in this position for a long time. years to be like that. i'm just concerned about the potential that he hasn't lived up to because he was staying here for his whole life. he's been denied the chance to live independently by attitudes from a soviet past other countries have put behind them. so, why are oleg, elena, and natalya, a 35—year—old woman, stuck here? translation: this is the situation as it is. l i'm sure that for these i children, instead of being in dysfunctional families - where they could be uncared for, without food, here - we have all the essentials. here, taking care means providing. there's a sense facilities, equipment, the farm take priority. ..100% of bread that they bake... self—sufficiency�*s something to be proud of. the director's keen to show off a washing machine bought with international funding. it's very easy to place a washing machine into the group setting and say, to tick the box we helped, rather than think about, how can we make the lives of these children better? not only them as physical objects that they need clean clothes, but how can we actually help each child to reach their full potential, both physically and mentally? and there will be pressure to improve these young people's lives, now ukraine's a candidate to join the european union. here, there's some acknowledgement they need more than this. translation: we don't need material support, | but we definitely need advice from doctors or other- organisations, because i- understand nothing is ideal. an hour away, another institution... mama, mama! ..with its own unique sights and sounds. this is vasil, a teenager wearing a nappy and tied to a bench. and he's not the only one who's been restrained and left. there are signs the staff can't look after everyone. they went from ten residents to 52 overnight, taking in those escaping the east. like sacha, carrying the trauma of war and the bewilderment of a new home. there is extra help. one—to—one support provided by international funding. which also pays for this physiotherapy to unlock victor's gnarled limbs — rigid from years of institutional neglect. it's another painful illustration of a system that can seem rough and uncaring. do you think the needs of the children here are being met at the moment? no — i think it's really difficult in this context to have this... ..the needs, exact needs of what would be ideal for the children to be met, like, we are doing all our effort to... ..go as close as possible. we improved a lot, i think, and the situation of the children. but still, a lot needs to be done. three hours after we arrived, vasil�*s still tied down. he wants to be free, and his frustration is growing. vasil, like so many in these places, is not an orphan. his parents have come to see him. but they're among the few who visit their children. vasil�*s mum and dad were told to give him up when he was five. he's now 18. and what was that like, to place him here, rather than to have him at home? translation: when your child is ill, and we couldn't _ help him, it was extremely hard for us. we were told that for him, it would be better to stay here, because our apartment is on the second floor. vasil couldn't sleep at night. he was crying, throwing things, and breaking the dishes. we had no choice, because our neighbours were constantly complaining about the noise. translation: a parent's heart can't forget their own child. - if we lived in the uk, our son would probably live with us. we love our country and are proud to be ukrainian, but we need to have the support from our state. we would like to have better conditions and more staff, of course — but this is the reality. the reality for generations of young ukrainians. their parents, the staff, everyone, persuaded these institutions are where disabled people belong. everyone except, perhaps, vasil. this is remote, even by institutional standards. you can't get in, you can't get out. the roads are impassable. deeper into the country, here we discover what vasil�*s future may look like. that guard dog — that wasn't just to keep the detainees in, that also keeps visitors out. it was terrifying. a former children's summer camp... this is really the ends of the earth. ..from which there's now no escape. these young adults will spend the rest of their lives here. like antonina, who's 26, tied down by staff in a system devoid of humanity. the nurse says there's nothing she can do to help antonina. she says, "unfortunately, nature has decided their fate". and it's this system that looks natasha in the eye and says, "this is all you're worth". the doctor says they have a bath once a week, but there aren't enough staff to take everyone outside. so, most of these young people barely ever leave their beds, and rarely see beyond these walls. so, there's some children that it's not possible to take them outside? yes. and down the corridor, we find lesha — who does something you would not believe. so, whenever he's unattended or his hands are not restrained, he takes his eyes literally out. she says that this is a big problem for her. she has to either carry him around after her, orjust constantly be watching him. but she's watching two rooms. two rooms, 12 people to watch on a shift that is 2a hours long. and next door, there's more desperate need. the staff are consumed by the hopelessness of an unfeeling system that reduces life to this. it's like work, so you get used to it. and she says that it's... she pities them, but somebody has to do it. somebody has to watch them. we've seen children in distress, some of them clawing their own eyes. translation: he does it all the time, and it's not. the first time he has shocked people. do you think they're actually feeling pain? yes. they're in pain. and you're not doing anything to help. we try to help them. it doesn't mean that we are doing nothing, but our abilities are very limited. we're not able to change either the situation or a patient. they are as they are. but you're a medical doctor. you're qualified. you know what these children need — and you know you're not meeting that need. yeah... but it's notjust our institution. it's the way the system in ukraine works. how do you come to work every day in a system that can't meet the needs of the children it is looking after? it doesn't mean it works badly, and we don't meet children's needs. i don't say we have to blame ukraine. it is just how things are. and there it is — the long, stubborn shadow of an outdated soviet system that darkens these places and the mind—set that sustains them, dehumanising and condemning disabled people. it's intolerable. if ukraine wants to be part of the western world, a law—abiding democracy, it can't write off children with disabilities. they're part of the picture. you can't have democracy without basic human rights for your most vulnerable citizens. teeth grinding. anna's anxiety has alerted us to a system that is failing thousands of disabled people. with the right support, oleg's world could extend beyond the end of his bed. and with a different approach, vasil�*s family wouldn't have to say goodbye. there has to be a change in mind—set. institutional care has to be viewed as something that cannot exist. everything starts in the hearts and minds of people. so, we first need to make sure our heart is in the right place, and our mind is in the right place. other countries have made that change. 30 years ago, these pictures from romania stunned the world and brought the closure of many of these orphanages. if ukraine wants to join romania in the european union, similar changes and a fair chance for all its children could be crucial. the government hasn't responded to our request for a comment. they did start reforming the system a few years ago, but progress was slow — and now, the war�*s brought that to a halt. this country is fighting doggedly for its future, for its right to exist, for the freedom of its people. and there's even more determination to reject its soviet history and everything, really, that russia now stands for. there's also a desire to be a really modern european country — and yet there are so few signs that ukraine is ready to address the needs and the rights of its most vulnerable people. we know orphanages do not need to exist. we've abolished orphanages in much of the world. children with disabilities need to grow up in a family. and, no matter what their disability, we've shown that all children can thrive — can not only live, but thrive inafamily. where are you going to find those families, at a time when this country is at war, when so many people are refugees, are running from their homes? yeah, there are billions of dollars and billions of euros in international funding going into ukraine. if anyone tells you you can't do it because of the war, it's an excuse, don't believe it. it can happen now, and it needs to happen now. so, for how much longer will ukraine tell victor and ivan, and so many more, this is all they deserve in life? hello there. saturday was a warm and humid day for many of us. in places, we got to see some sunshine. in other places, the humidity gave rise to a lot of cloud, mist and murk and some outbreaks of rain, and there's more cloud and rain in the forecast for sunday across some parts of the uk. the sunniest conditions will be up to the north. the earlier satellite picture shows this pipeline of cloud bringing some outbreaks of rain. we're starting sunday on a pretty soggy note across parts of wales, northern england, the north midlands, eastern england, too. very little rain getting down into the south but quite a cloudy, murky start to the day here. much of the rain will tend to peter out. still a few showers into the afternoon but a bit more in the way of brightness developing, particularly in north wales and northern england. all the while, northern ireland and scotland will have the lion's share of the sunshine. always a bit more cloud for eastern scotland. cool and fresh here — 16 for aberdeen, 18 degrees from belfast. still quite warm down towards the south and the south—east. it's triathlon and para—triathlon day at the commonwealth games. quite a lot of cloud, some spots of drizzle to start. should brighten up later on. and for the women's euro 2022 final at wembley, the chance for a shower. i think, on balance, it should be dry, quite warm and muggy for the kick—off. so, yes, we could just see the odd shower drifting across the south—east corner during sunday evening but overnight into the early parts of monday, we'll see largely clear skies overhead, light winds and, actually, particularly up toward the north, something quite cool and fresh. seven to start monday in glasgow. still 17 there in london, so still a bit of warmth clinging on in the south. monday getting off to a fine start in most places with some spells of sunshine but we see another area of cloud starting to push in from the west. that'll bring rain into northern ireland through the afternoon, perhaps fringing into parts of west wales and the far south west of england. ahead of that, actually, another relatively warm day — 21 degrees for newcastle, 26 once again in london. as we move out of monday into tuesday, we see this area of low pressure bringing frontal systems and outbreaks of rain but not much of that rain getting down into the south, where we really do need some. in fact, southern areas through tuesday are likely to be very warm indeed — 27, maybe 28 degrees — with the rain further north and west. it is then set to turn cooler but drier for the end of the week. good morning. welcome to breakfast with sima kotecha and rogerjohnson. 0ur headlines today: the pride of england, the lionesses, prepare to take on germany in the final of the european championships. lam the i am the first in the in wembley, there_ i am the first in the in wembley, there will— i am the first in the in wembley, there will be 87,000 the stage is set. a man is under suspicion of murder, a nine—year—old