“To be grateful for what you have been given.” An Ukrainian Refugee Couple to Speak in Nagaoka City

Mutaru Salif and Iryna Shevchenko, an Ukrainian Refugee Couple

こちらの記事は、「「与えられているものに感謝して欲しい」ウクライナからの避難夫婦が新潟県長岡市で講演」の英語版になります。日本語版の記事はこちらから　→　https://www.niikei.jp/617178/

The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, which began abruptly on February 24, 2022, continues to be a difficult situation as we approach the one-year anniversary of the attack. On January 14 of this year, new missile attacks were launched by Russian forces across Ukraine, hitting the capital city of Kyiv, the eastern city of Kharkiv, the southern city of Odessa, and numerous other cities. In Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in the eastern part of the country, a housing complex was destroyed, reportedly killing at least 14 people, including children. Civilians who have lived their lives free from war are now in mortal danger. More than 5.91 million people, including children, have been forced to flee their homes in Ukraine, and more than 17 million have fled the country in search of safety.

Japan began accepting Ukrainian refugees in March 2022, immediately after the invasion of Ukraine. By late July of the same year, the number had exceeded 1,600, exceeding in just four months the 915 refugees recognized by the Japanese government in the 40 years from 1982 to 2021. As of December 9, 2022, 2,179 displaced Ukrainians had traveled to Japan, according to a survey by the Nippon Foundation.

In May 2022, the Nagaoka Soushi Lions Club (3 Sanwa, Nagaoka City, Rieko Ishida, President) will host a meeting with Salif Mutaru and Iryna Shevchenko, a couple who fled Dnipro to Ojiya City, to let them know the current situation in Ukraine and the tragedy of the war. Shevchenko, a couple who evacuated from Dnipro to Ojiya City in May 2022, and others were invited to give special lectures on February 5. The venue was Hotel New Otani Nagaoka NC Hall (2 Daicho, Nagaoka City). About 170 people attended the event and listened to the two speakers.

Her husband, Mutal, is a Ghanaian national. She obtained her nursing license in Ghana and worked at a large hospital for six years. Concerned about the inequality and lack of resources in her country’s healthcare system, she moved to Ukraine to obtain a medical degree, but soon after obtaining her license, Russia began its invasion of the country. His wife, Irina, also criticized Russia for its invasion, but still works remotely for a company in Ukraine. His parents remain in Dnipro to this day and live an uneasy life. He chose Japan as his destination because he wanted to avoid racial discrimination in the destination country.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, which began abruptly on February 24, 2022, continues to be a difficult situation as we approach the one-year anniversary of the attack. On January 14 of this year, new missile attacks were launched by Russian forces across Ukraine, hitting the capital city of Kyiv, the eastern city of Kharkiv, the southern city of Odessa, and numerous other cities. In Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in the eastern part of the country, a housing complex was destroyed, reportedly killing at least 14 people, including children. Civilians who have lived their lives free from war are now in mortal danger. More than 5.91 million people, including children, have been forced to flee their homes in Ukraine, and more than 17 million have fled the country in search of safety.

Japan began accepting Ukrainian refugees in March 2022, immediately after the invasion of Ukraine. By late July of the same year, the number had exceeded 1,600, exceeding in just four months the 915 refugees recognized by the Japanese government in the 40 years from 1982 to 2021. As of December 9, 2022, 2,179 displaced Ukrainians had traveled to Japan, according to a survey by the Nippon Foundation.

In May 2022, the Nagaoka Soushi Lions Club (3 Sanwa, Nagaoka City, Rieko Ishida, President) will host a meeting with Salif Mutaru and Iryna Shevchenko, a couple who fled Dnipro to Ojiya City, to let them know the current situation in Ukraine and the tragedy of the war. Shevchenko, a couple who evacuated from Dnipro to Ojiya City in May 2022, and others were invited to give special lectures on February 5. The venue was Hotel New Otani Nagaoka NC Hall (2 Daicho, Nagaoka City). About 170 people attended the event and listened to the two speakers.

Mutal, is a Ghanaian national. he obtained his nursing license in Ghana and worked at a large hospital for six years. Concerned about the inequality and lack of resources in his country’s healthcare system, he moved to Ukraine to obtain a medical degree, but soon after obtaining his license, Russia began its invasion of the country. His wife, Irina, also criticized Russia for its invasion, but still works remotely for a company in Ukraine. His parents remain in Dnipro to this day and live an uneasy life. He chose Japan as his destination because he wanted to avoid racial discrimination in the destination country.

Hotel New Otani Nagaoka NC Hall where the lecture was given

First, Irina gave an overview of Ukraine and the current situation in the country using a PowerPoint presentation. Since the attack by the Russian military, the water and electricity supply has been cut off, and citizens in Ukraine are living anxiously day after day without heating. Since the electricity supply has been cut off, people have been cooking outside by bonfires, and since the water supply has been cut off, people have been lining up with containers to get water from puddles and melting snow. The sudden attack by the Russian army on that location has claimed the lives of several civilians, and those who have taken refuge in the basements of their homes to protect themselves from the bombing, a situation that has kept some people out for as long as three months, parents of children with lung disease who are unable to get out during the power outage so that their children can use necessary medical equipment, gas stations and she explained, with pictures, the situation of parents of children with lung diseases driving to gas stations and supermarkets during power outages so that their children could have access to necessary medical equipment. Local schools and hospitals have been forced to operate amid the power outage, and even now, classes and surgeries are being held in the dark.

When it came to an account of the deaths of 45 people, including children, when a Russian missile hit a house in her hometown of Dnipro in January of this year, Irina, who until then had spoken in a matter-of-fact manner, could be heard speaking with a tremor in her voice.

She said, “We had a harsh winter this year, with temperatures lower than in Nagaoka, but everyone is doing the best they can.”

Irina explains about the country of Ukraine

In Ukraine, Salih’s colleagues are still treating the injured.

Her husband, Salihu, began by saying, “I stand before you today not as a Ghanaian, but as a citizen in this world, not just as one African, but as one human being, regardless of the difference in our skin,” and he asked the audience in the hall, “Have many of you forgotten to nurture our love for one another? He cast doubt on this. He then went on to say, “The whole world must recognize and respect the borders it was created with. We cannot shake hands with clenched fists. He reiterated the importance of mutual respect, consideration, and dialogue. Salif replied, “To be grateful for what we have been given, that is happiness.

After the lecture, we had the opportunity to hear directly from both of them. About the lecture, Salih said, “I am very happy. It was very good. Next time I want to speak well in Japanese. Irina added, “I am very grateful for this opportunity. I hope everyone enjoyed it,” she said with a smile.

The two have been in Japan for more than half a year now and said, “Japanese people are very kind and warm. Nagaoka and Ojiya have nature. Nagaoka is our second home with people who are like friends and family,” he said.
Salih also said that before coming to Japan, he thought Japan would be a difficult life and culture for foreigners, but when he actually came here, he found that everyone follows each other’s rules and it is an easy country to live in. In Ghana, I had heard that the Japanese are a people who never die, but I have learned since coming to Japan that this was not true,” he joked.

The president Ishida said, “I also have heard war stories from my parents. It is also a service to pass on the tragedy of war. I hope that people will learn the spirit of peace and always have a kind heart, and pass it on from mouth to mouth.”

Salif and Iryna taking questions from the press after thier speech

“It is also a service to pass on the tragedy of war,” says Chairman Rieko Ishida.