"A 4-year-old son was found dead" Ukrainian children April 25, 17:33
"I believe I'll definitely find it,"
said one mother, who had been searching for the whereabouts of her four-year-old son for more than three weeks.
However, that wish never came true.
Coverage in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
We meet many children and women.
There are also pregnant women and newborn babies.
What has the Russian military invasion robbed and brought about?
I heard each person's voice.
(Ukraine coverage group Shoichiro Beppu Sreyman Adel Kota Suzuki)
Poster with a 4-year-old boy
A Polish station about 70 kilometers away from Ukraine.
At the temporary volunteer center in the corner, there was a poster calling for information on boys.
"I'm looking for a missing boy. I'm four years old. I'm missing in the turmoil of the war. Maybe I've been taken away or I've already crossed the border. To be found alive. I hope. Thank you. "
When I contacted my mother, she told me about the boy.
The name of the 4-year-old boy was Sasha.
Evacuated with his grandmother from the suburbs of the capital Kieu on March 10, when Russia's military invasion continued.
However, my grandmother and Sasha went missing on the way.
Her grandmother then found her dead.
On the other hand, Sasha's whereabouts remained unknown.
My mother has been asking for information that connects to Sasha on SNS for more than three weeks.
"I believe Sasha will definitely find it,"
said her mother.
However, on April 5, her mother posted on social media:
"I found Sasha's body. Thank you to everyone who believed and searched for me. Thanks to that, I was able to meet my son."
Small hands that cover eyes and ears
A campsite on the outskirts of Lviv in western Ukraine.
The time I visited for the interview was originally a quiet period, but I was accepting internally displaced persons from all over Ukraine, and about 30 families were there.
There I met a boy, Timofei.
In early March, I was evacuating from eastern Kharkiv with my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
The day he arrived at the campsite was said to be his third birthday.
Timofei's family who escaped leaving their father behind.
"Everything was destroyed in the town," shed tears from her grandmother, Galina.
At the back of the room, Timofei was crying behind her mother, Sbitra.
I approached while saying "Come over here", but the crying just got louder.
She had a painful expression on her face, covering her eyes and ears with her hands.
"When I see a man, I think a soldier has come and I'm very scared."
My mother, Svitra, told me:
Bombing sounds heard many times.
A shooting received on the way to escape.
She said she was scared because her grandmother thought the interview team's camera was a "weapon."
She said, "I'm sorry to scare you," she told
Timofei and immediately left.
On that day, volunteers opened a clay crafting class.
About 10 evacuees, including Timofei, participated.
At first, Timofei had a dark expression, but after a while, he began to touch the clay, imitating the children around him.
I also saw a smile.
Thirty minutes later, the cream-colored walls and purple triangular roof were completed.
It was a house surrounded by forests.
Mr. Svitra, who I made together, explained as follows.
"I made it in bright colors so that I can live brightly. My home is the best."
6 year old boy
A boy who says he will be celebrating his 6th birthday a week after the day of the interview.
My name is Dima.
And he showed me a doll clasped in a small hand.
According to her mother, Karina (27), Dima and Karina have evacuated from eastern Mariupol, where fierce fighting continues.
I evacuated in a hurry, so I only have one Boston bag.
Dima could only bring one of her favorite dolls.
They met at the central station of Lviv, a major city in western Ukraine.
I was on my way to evacuate to neighboring Poland.
Karina was a single mother and ran a small nail salon locally.
However, due to the military invasion by Russia, the salon was also attacked and had to evacuate.
And the evacuation was to protect Dima above all else.
"No one can rely on Poland, but my boy is my" hope to live ". It's been hard every day since the Russian army attacked, but I can't shed tears in front of him. Hmm"
Karina speaks so patiently.
But as she continued to interview Dima, she saw her turning her back to us and organizing her bags, wiping her tears down her cheeks. ..
War fire smiles and tears
In Ukraine and the surrounding countries, we often see mothers evacuating with small children.
Women and children are the first to suffer in the event of a conflict or economic crisis.
The number of people evacuated from Ukraine is more than 5.18 million.
Of these, more than 2 million are children.
Apart from this figure, up to 2.8 million children are forced to “evacuate in the country”.
(UNICEF = United Nations Children's Fund, as of April 23)
Also, at least 184 children have died by April 21.
(Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as of April 23)
I would like to continue listening to the voices of each child and woman in order to understand the unreasonable situation that is occurring in front of me.
In addition, NHK summarizes the contents of the interviews of correspondents and reporters who entered the site in the form of a column "From the site of the interview".
The special site can be viewed from the link below.
Column "From the interview site"
Johannesburg Bureau Chief
Shoichiro Beppu After interviewing the United Nations and the Middle East, he has been
in his
current position since 2018.
Cairo bureau
Sreyman Adel
Joined in 2015 Kobe bureau, after working in the international department,
in charge of coverage of
current Middle East and African countries from 2021
International Department Reporter
Kota Suzuki
Joined in 2011 After working at the Sapporo Bureau and the Social Affairs Department
, we interviewed people who evacuated to Poland
from 2021 and those who supported them.