Mila Inukai, 46
Mila Inukai
Age: 46
Highland Park
Monday, March 7, 2022
I was born and raised in Moscow. I left for France in 1997. After living in France for a long time, we were transferred for work to Japan; from there we moved to L.A. in 2012 for work in the entertainment industry.
My son left L.A. to study computer science and the Russian language in Moscow. He is currently finishing his degree there, with only three months to go. Every day we have dramatic phone conversations with him, trying to convince him to return to L.A.
In my social group in Russia, everyone has divided into two camps. Some people are entirely on my side and think this is the end of the world, that you cannot attack another country, regardless of the reason. Then there are others who refuse to understand and really see what’s going on. They are finding strange explanations. If Russia supposedly wanted to “liberate” Donbas or Luhansk, then why did the Russian troops keep going into Ukraine?
I never voted for Putin. I’ve always taken my constitutional right to vote very seriously and wherever I’ve lived, I’ve always voted in Russian elections. Friends in Russia tell me, “You emigrated a long time ago. You don’t know what’s going on here. You don’t have a right to an opinion.” But I cannot remain silent. To be silent is to be complicit in the crime. I have lost many friends, as have many others.
I’m not a religious person, but I believe in the power of repentance. This war has to be stopped immediately. We have to begin to ask Ukrainians for forgiveness, and then the world, and then our own people. I don’t see any other way out. Repentance saved Germany in the end. It saved Japan to an extent, although they are still in the process. It takes great intellectual courage to stand up and say, “Please forgive me.”
I’ve visited Ukraine many times, including Kyiv and Lviv. When you arrive in Ukraine, you are filled with happiness. First of all, it’s always sunny there. I never remember there being bad weather. You land and there are banners everywhere welcoming you. I’m not saying that it’s an ideal country. I’m certain Ukrainians have many problems. Nonetheless, they have this quality of hospitality, as if you are at the home of a very close friend. There’s laughter, a feeling of joy.
In Russia we develop friendships over shared problems. I’m not saying that Russians are not good at friendship, but that the strength of friendships is tested by misfortune. I think that in Ukraine, friendship is built around joy.
