Why don't you stop? Gimon, an elementary school student who invaded Russia and Ukraine | NHK

Why don't you stop?

Ukraine Invasion 1000 Gimon Jan 27 16:21

"Why is the war continuing?"

"How do you feel about the war?"

Almost a year has passed since the war started in Ukraine.

All the elementary school students told me what they thought, "I don't know."

An NHK commentator will answer that question again.

*To all adults*The

questions asked by children cannot be easily answered even by detailed commentators.

If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you could read it while thinking about it together.

table of contents

*Click on a question to jump to that location.

In April last year, with the cooperation of 10 elementary schools in Shizuoka, Nagano, Gifu, and Aichi prefectures, we asked 4th to 6th grade students at that time, "What do you doubt or don't understand when you see the news about Ukraine and Russia?" 980 people asked questions.

These two people faced questions and doubts.

NHK commentator Hideo Amma and Go Kamoshida (Kamoshida has been at the desk of the International Department since August last year).

Amma has been stationed in Moscow for 28 years, devoted to covering Russia.

Kamoshida, on the other hand, has covered conflicts in the Middle East and terrorism in Europe and the United States, and has a wealth of experience covering the United Nations.

Both of them are well versed in Russia and the conflict, but I was worried, lost, and thought about how to answer the children's questions.

The answers to the children at that time are summarized in the following article from June last year.

why are you doing that?

Invasion of Ukraine Gimon of 1000 Elementary School Students

Six months later, the war is still going on.

It will soon be a year since the war started.

A 4th grade elementary school student in Nagano, who responded to the previous survey, sent us new questions about the war that has not yet ended.

The children's questions are straight and sharp again this time.

Amma and Kamoshida are once again troubled by their worries, and when they don't understand, they explain their own thoughts.

The situation is changing day by day at the site, but this article is written with information as of January 20, 2023.

Let's start with this question.

Q1.

when will the war end?

Will peace return?

<Kamoshida Desk>

It's almost been a year since the war started.

It is said that at least 7,000 Ukrainian citizens (non-soldiers) died.

Most people in the world did not expect this war to last this long.

But now more and more people think that it will last longer.

At first, it was thought that Russia would end up beating Ukraine in a short time.

However, Ukraine put up a lot of resistance.

The U.S. and European countries have provided a lot of support to Ukraine, such as sending weapons to fight.

Japan also did not send weapons, but it has provided tools such as bulletproof vests for soldiers to protect themselves in war and assistance to support the lives of citizens.

So Ukraine is pushing back the Russian offensive.

The Russians began to intrude into the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine to say, "It's their land."

Ukraine is unacceptable, so we are fighting and taking back the land that was taken, bit by bit.

It's been a year and still no resolution.

In winter, Russia's offensive changed from destroying Ukrainian towns one after another to attacking places that produce electricity, such as power plants.

By turning off electricity, gas and heating in the cold winter, we are trying to make Ukrainian people less willing to fight.

There are people who say that wars last longer than a year, and that they last for years and even decades.

This is because they cannot see the road ahead, saying, "If we do this, the war will end."

When a war starts, there are various triggers, but the "how to end" is limited.

One is when one of them invades the center of the country and ends up removing the country's top = leader.

The other is, even if it doesn't go that far, when one of them can no longer fight and surrenders.

World War II ended with Japan surrendering.

In addition, the offensive using weapons (combat) may stop before either side wins or surrenders.

They get stuck, unable to move forward or backward.

No one knows how this war will turn out.

It's been nearly a year now, and the more time passes, the more difficult it becomes to quit.

The longer it goes on, the harder it gets to finish.

<Commenter Amma>

The reason why they don't say, "Let's stop the war," is that President Putin and President Zelensky have goals that the other can never accept.

Since the current President Zelensky is always opposed to Russia, President Putin wants to make them listen to them in a way that is not normally possible, such as war, or they want to defeat President Zelensky and do what they want. wants to be the top of Ukraine.

On the other hand, he believes that President Zelensky will drive Russia out of all Ukrainian lands.

Before this war, eight years ago, he said that he would drive Russia out of the land in the south called the Crimean Peninsula, which was stolen by Russia. .

The goal is not to change President Putin, but to drive out the invading Russia.

It is natural for the side that was attacked.

However, it is not easy to say whether we can really do it.

Many people died in the long and terrible battle.

As a result, the responsibility of presidents will also increase.

Putin, with so many mothers who lost their sons who were soldiers, would think that the war would not end unless it was "a great success for Russia."

President Zelensky cannot give up or give up halfway through the war, as it is a war that Russia has unilaterally attacked.

I want to win against Russia by receiving weapons from various countries, and I want to drive Russia out.

Many Ukrainian people have died, and their livelihoods have been sacrificed.

The country is getting worse and worse.

At this rate, Ukraine will become the “losing” side.

There is also a method called ``diplomacy,'' in which countries talk with each other and think about what to do while filling in the differences in each other's way of thinking.

But in times of war, this is rarely the case.

I'm trying to keep fighting until the end, thinking that I'm right.

So I think the battle will continue.

If something happens and the situation changes dramatically, if it becomes clear who is stronger and who is weaker, or if the presidents think that things can't go on as they are, things might change.

But it's not easy because presidents are responsible for the lives, land, and history of their country.

Q2.

Is Russia still attacking?

I would like to know what is happening in Ukraine now.

<Commenter Amma>

The Russian army is still fighting to attack Ukraine, and President Putin is trying to continue the fight.

Last fall, Ukraine began to take back the land it had initially taken from Russia.

Ukraine's backlash continued to push Russia back.

(*A map from March last year, one month after the war began, and a map from January this year. Move the button to compare the two maps.)

In order to change this situation, Russia is trying to increase the number of soldiers. I thought.

Then, in September last year, President Putin suddenly issued a mobilization order.

“People who used to be in the Russian army but now have other jobs”, “People who live a normal life who promise to join the army if something happens to the country” "Tachi" is called "Yobieki".

It was an order that even these "reservists" should become soldiers and fight.

With this order, people who worked in companies, shops, etc., entered the Russian army with almost no military experience.

But now it's winter time.

The number of Russian soldiers has increased, but the cold weather freezes everything, and it's so cold that you can stick your hands to guns without gloves, making it difficult to fight outside.

Russians are changing their minds about fighting in Ukraine.

Until now, the Russian people thought that there was no war in Russia, so it was a "fight in a distant place" called Ukraine.

Our towns were rarely attacked, so I thought that the Russian army was fighting in faraway Ukraine.

However, after the mobilization order began and many family members, such as fathers and brothers, went to fight in Ukraine, anxiety spread.

So the attitudes of the Russian people towards this war are also changing.

There is a survey by a Russian company asking Russians what they think about this war.

I asked the question: "Are you worried about what is happening in Ukraine?"

In August, before the mobilization order was issued, 37% and 37% answered that they were ``very worried'' or ``worried,'' for a total of 74%. Looking at September and October, September was 56% and 32%, 88%, and October was 58%, 30%, 88%, an increase of more than 10 points.

<Kamoshida Desk> When

the war continues for a long time, the difference between ``places where fighting is fierce'' and ``where it is not'' becomes clear even within the same country.

When the news shows a city far from the battlefields of Ukraine, it may seem peaceful.

You may think that life in the city is back to normal.

However, even people who seem to be living a normal life, for example, are living in a tense environment where their families are fighting in a faraway place, or they don't know when a missile will hit them. I'm doing it.

If we knew when the war would end, we might be able to say, ``The war is about to end, so let's just do nothing until then.''

But in a war that doesn't know when it will end, everyone has to think about their lives as well.

For example, even though the Russian offensive continues, children will attend elementary school classes when the new school term comes.

I don't know what will happen in the future, but for now I have to concentrate on my studies.

Fathers and mothers have to work and earn money for their daily lives.

We can't end the war on our own, so we have no choice but to try to get our lives back, even if our hearts are full of anxiety because we want to continue living.

At first glance, it may seem that peace has been restored, but the feelings of each person are actually very painful.

There are many such things.

How should parents and teachers of Ukrainian children talk to their children about what is happening now?

Should I tell you what will happen next?

I think they are suffering a lot.

In the midst of such a situation, Russia has now launched missiles at Ukrainian power plants, making it impossible to use electricity.

Imagine being unable to use the electricity and heating that you take for granted in your daily life in Ukraine, where the lowest daily temperature is -10 degrees Celsius.

Q3.

I want to know how Putin feels now.

Commentator

Amma: It may be difficult to understand President Putin's thinking, but he believes that what he is doing is for "justice," in other words, it is "the right thing to do." I think.

Putin always speaks to the nation at the beginning of the New Year on January 1st.

This year, when we approach 2023, I said, "Protecting the country is a duty (gimu) = something we have to do, and the 'justice' lies with us."

In the current war to protect the country of Russia, we, in other words, Russia, are right.

President Putin has been saying this for a long time and hasn't changed.

So I think he really, he thinks so.

In September of last year, Russia unilaterally explained that “the people living in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, which they invaded, wanted to do so,” and that the four regions were Russian territories = countries. land, said to have become.

The region is connected to a region of Ukraine called "Crimea," which Russia claims to have become its own territory in 2014.

So I think President Putin wanted four regions.

Until about 100 years ago, the four territories were the territories of then-tsar-ruled Russia (called the "Russian Empire," which had more land than today).

This is why Putin claims he has "reclaimed" land that once belonged to Russia.

Besides, I don't want Ukraine, a neighboring country, to get along with the United States and Europe, which Russia considers to be enemies, and I want Ukrainian President Zelensky to stop listening to Russia.

For that reason, is it okay to invade Ukraine and start a war?

I wonder if it's okay that many Ukrainians and Russian soldiers have died.

I don't really understand Putin's thoughts, but he seems to think that President Putin's "justice", which I explained at the beginning, is more important than the death of a person.

However, what President Putin is saying is too one-sided and is very different from our way of thinking.

I think that's why they say, "I don't understand President Putin's feelings," or "I don't understand what he's saying."

<Kamoshida Desk>

President Putin usually gathers a lot of reporters at the end of the year and spends a long time answering questions, but last month (December 2022) he didn't do that.

He seems to avoid explaining that the war has been heavily attacked by the Ukrainian side and that many Russian soldiers have died.

However, there are also hints in various places that it is becoming a bit difficult to win wars these days.

As for the reason for the war, I used to say, "To protect Ukraine from the bad guys" and "To save people of Russian descent."

Recently, however, they have been trying to change it to another reason, "to protect Russian territory."

I often say, "The enemy is not Ukraine, but the United States and Europe behind it."

He used the name of the old Russian leader, the Tsar, and insisted that he was also fighting for the people of Russia in the same way.

Looking back on history, those who were called ``dictators'', who were so powerful that no one could oppose them, believed that the war they promoted was for the sake of their country. I appealed and gradually began to identify myself with some of the greatest figures in history.

The people around you will be afraid and will not be able to give proper advice.

And the "dictator" himself becomes more preoccupied with his own way of thinking.

Before the war began, Putin was seen by the world as a "fighting leader."

People thought they could be very cruel, and they were also seen as someone who could discern what was good for them and what was bad for them.

But now, many people think that Russia will never be the same again. Putin made an irrevocable mistake.

I'm not sure if Putin himself really thinks he's right, or if he really thinks he's wrong.

But he, at least in the country and abroad, seems frustrated that things aren't going his way.

Ukrainian children today

The interview team will answer.

Last year, in the autumn of 2022, I covered the situation in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

In places where the fighting was fierce and in schools where buildings were still destroyed, children could not go to school and had to take classes online.

But there were places where the children were able to attend classes at school.

Children can go to school only at elementary schools that have "underground shelters" where they can evacuate together in the event that the school building is safe and there is a possibility of an attack by the Russian military.

When school started, some children were happy to see their friends after a long time.

12-year-old Dimitro goes to school in Kyiv.

I have face-to-face classes at school every other week.

In Ukraine, there are many blackouts due to the attacks of the Russian army, and in the evening the houses become pitch black.

It's hard to do homework and study.

On this day as well, Dimitro was reading a book with the light from his father's smartphone without any light in his room or study desk.

ディミトロ君は「電気があれば、部屋もあたたかいし、勉強のためにろうそくやライトをつかう必要もないです」と話していました。

ディミトロ君のお父さんも「このようになるとは想像（そうぞう）もしませんでした。いまでも現実とは思えません」と話していました。

小学生のみなさんへのメッセージ

〈安間解説委員〉

ニュースでは、とても悲しいことやひどいことがあった時や、何かが始まった時には、大きく取り上げられます。

でも、大きな動きがなくなると、テレビや新聞、インターネットでも見なくなりますよね。

ニュースで見なくなったからといって、戦争が終わったわけではないし、今もウクライナで、そしてロシアでも、苦しい思いをしている人がいます。

戦争をこの世界からなくすのは、すごく難しいです。

けれど、遠い国で起きていることだ、僕たちは平和にくらしていて関係ないと思ってしまうと、世の中で起きていることに目をとざすことになってしまいます。

戦争がもしかしたら自分の国でも起きるかもしれないと、想像してみてほしい。

ある日とつぜん、戦争が起きたらと。

たいせつな人たちが死んでしまうかもしれない。

たくさんの人が死んで、自分たちも死ぬことになるかもしれない。

戦いに行って、誰かを死なせてしまうかもしれない。

これが、戦争です。

それはとても悲しいことだし、絶対にいやなことなはずです。

それから、もうひとつ。

ロシアのことを、ふつうの国として見られなくなってしまう人も多いと思います。

ロシアを取材して28年になる私も、これからいつか戦争が終わったとしても、ロシアとどう向き合っていけばいいのか、とてもむずかしいと感じています。

戦争の前とまったく同じ向き合い方はできないだろうとも思います。

ただ、あきらめてはいけないと思っています。

戦争をしないためにはどうするかを考えていくためにも、こういう戦いを起こしたロシアと向き合っていく方法を、なんとかして探していかなくてはならないのだと思っています。

「遠くで起きているからいいや」と思っていると、自分の身に起きてはじめて、そういう悲しさがわかるということになってしまうかもしれない。

そうならないようにどうしたらいいかということを私も考えたいし、みんなにも考えてほしいなと思います。

日本もむかし、戦争をしました。

戦争を体験したひいおじいちゃんやひいおばあちゃん、おじいちゃんやおばあちゃんたちは、戦争はいけない、と言う。

それはどうしてなのかを考えてほしいです。

ウクライナだけではなく、世界じゅうに戦争はあります。

ウクライナで戦争が始まってから、こんなことが起きて悲しすぎる、という気持ちを持ったのなら、それを忘れないでほしい。

ウクライナでの戦争はまだ終わっていません。

いつか終わったとしても、ウクライナがもとのすがたに戻るには、長い時間がかかるでしょう。

ウクライナの土地を、取り戻すことはできるかもしれません。

でも、ウクライナの人たちが戦争の前のようにくらせるようになるには時間がかかりますし、心の傷がなおるのにも長い時間がかかります。

そして、失われてしまった命は、二度と戻ってきません。

そういうことも考えながら、いま戦争のなかにいる人たちのことを思い続けてほしいなと思います。

〈鴨志田デスク〉

ニュースでウクライナのことを見なくなった、もう戦争は終わったの？という質問もありました。

はじめは、世界中が「とんでもないことになった」と大さわぎになりましたよね。

ただ、今は戦争が続くのがふつうのようになってしまって、新しいことが起きないと大きなニュースにもならなくなっているのは確かです。

こわいことですが世界は戦争に慣（な）れてしまったのです。

みんなはウクライナの戦争について学んできて、なんでこんなことが起きるんだろう？なんでウクライナの人がこんな思いをしなくちゃいけないんだろう？と思いませんでしたか。

ウクライナで育った同じくらいの子が、何も悪いことはしていないのに、つらい状況におかれている。

こういう、理くつにあわないこと、でも自分ではどうしようもないことを「不条理」（ふじょうり）といいます。

わたしたちも、そんな「不条理」なことにいつかまき込まれるかもしれません。

そういうことを、おかしいのではないか、許してもいいのか、どうすれば少しでもよい方向に変えられるのかという気持ちを、持ち続けてほしいと思います。

ニュースで見ることがすくなくなって、情報がたりなければ調べてほしいし、どうなっているんだろう、という興味（きょうみ）関心を持ち続けてほしいなと思います。

もし、大人が君たちのそういう関心をないがしろにするようなことがあったら、それには引きずられないでほしい。

This war is engulfing the world.

Imports of food have stopped, and demand for things (commodity prices) is rising.

Even if you are not directly involved in the war, it affects the lives of people around the world, including Japan.

Continuing wars may threaten the future world you live in.

That's why I want you to continue to be interested even if adults lose interest.

I believe that if each and every one of us continues to think about why this is happening and if there is anything we can do to help change the world for the better.

Each person may be as small as a single drop of water in the big ocean, but if everyone has that kind of feeling, it will gradually change the world and eventually solve the problem. I might be able to do it too.

From now on, everyone will grow up and live their own lives with various jobs, but no matter what position they are in, each one of them will face this world and will not overlook the strange or "absurd" things. , if you continue to have the idea of ​​not ignoring.

And if you continue to think that you have to do something too.

I hope so.

(Interview team: Akiko Shimizu, Ayumi Yanagisawa, Network News Department Shinichiro Kuninaka, Fukui Bureau)

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