A 19-year-old woman, who was evacuated from Ukraine to Edogawa Ward in Tokyo after the Russian military invasion, gave a lecture in the ward, talking about her experiences before coming to Japan and her thoughts on peace.
The speaker was Ms. Anastasia Vykova (19), who evacuated from northern Ukraine to Edogawa Ward.
In front of about 50 people, including residents of Edogawa Ward, who gathered at the venue, he appealed that ordinary citizens in various parts of Ukraine were also targeted while showing images of buildings that were damaged by the attack.
In addition, he talked about how it was difficult to evacuate within the country due to restrictions on movement from city to city in Ukraine, and how he was able to come to Tokyo in July this year with the support of acquaintances in Japan.
He added, "It's important not to turn a blind eye to what's going on. War has left us in a world where we don't know if we'll be alive tomorrow, but I don't want to hand over that kind of world to the next generation. Let's make a world that values happiness in the heart." We need the power of many people for this,” he said.
While studying Japanese at a language school, Anastasia works part-time at a temple in Tokyo, and will continue to call for support for Ukraine through events.
A 66-year-old woman who listened to the lecture said, "I'm glad I participated because I don't have many opportunities to directly hear about my experiences and thoughts. I want to think about what I can do to support myself."