On Feb. 24, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stretched past the two-year mark. As fighting continues and hopes of a lasting peace falter, the situation is no more clear for those on the ground in the Eastern European country under siege.
For those few Ukrainian evacuees who managed to find their way to refuge in Japan, their experiences can sometimes be similarly discomforting — if not from the direct threat of violence than the extended dislocation from their homeland.
“I am not fighting the war from Japan,” says Alisa Tsiapa, a Ukrainian evacuee who goes to Temple University in Japan.“In Ukraine, some people say ‘The only fighters are soldiers.’ I only support my country.”