2021 Activity Report

March Activity Report

30 March 2022
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

Cancellation of Study Abroad for International Students

As for the Japanese student who gave up his studies and returned to Japan in February, we were told that it was possible to issue a certificate regarding his studies at the University of Lviv (under prewar conditions), but I have not received a response on this matter.

I still feel sorry that he was not able to study as much as he would have liked and that his life plans were disrupted to a greater or lesser extent. I still feel sorry that I couldn’t be in Lviv during this most difficult time.

Other

A professor at the University of Lviv asked for assistance with documentation and e-mail correspondence regarding prospective students from Lviv to Japan (end of February to early March).

Another request came later this month for e-mail support for correspondence regarding support for Ukrainian students offered by Japanese universities and Japanese language schools.

I had planned to return to Ukraine at the end of March, but since I have no place to stay in Ukraine at the moment and unscheduled work in Japan suddenly started piling up, I decided not to return for a while. I am extremely unhappy to have my schedule changed.

A friend of mine in Kyiv (this time I left via Kyiv, so I went to his house before returning to Japan), there was a battle between defense forces and agents in his neighborhood, and the company he worked for for many years (he retired a few years ago) was hit by a missile. I think it was March 9 when he was finally in danger, so he took 3 days to leave the country, even though he was sick and not well. It was a tough time.

December Activity Report

31 December 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

This month at the University of Lviv

As soon as December arrived, Lviv became a snowy landscape. However, the weather has been somewhat unstable, with rain falling and melting the snow, sun shining, and icy roads. Still, I think it’s much better than being cloudy all the time. When the humidity is not high, the temperature feels warmer than in Tokyo.

The University of Lviv is closed and all classed are online. I haven’t been to the university campus for a while. The examination period began in mid-July.

Ice crystals

The spread of COVID-19 infections

The number of infected people from the end of last month to the end of this month improved somewhat at 229,268 nationwide (516,079 last month), of which 11,001 cases were in Lviv (26,989) last month).

The average number of infected people per day is about 7,642 nationwide (about 17,203 last month) and 355 in Lviv (about 900 last month). The rate of increase in the number of new infections has slowed somewhat, with the minimum number of new infections per day decreasing to 1,864 (on the 27th). However, the number of deaths seems to be higher than in other countries. In terms of color coding to indicate the situation, Lviv, along with many other provinces, has dropped to “yellow”. It seems that it is no longer necessary to present the proof documents that were required in stores.

The number of new infections has been decreasing, but the detection of Omicron strains has been reported, and there are concerns about the spread of the disease. Vaccinations have stopped, but schools seem to be reopening gradually since the middle of last month, and children have returned to the neighborhood (there are two schools across the street from each other in the neighborhood where I currently live). In Ukraine, schools (equivalent to elementary, middle, and high schools) are given priority over universities, and nursery schools (kindergartens) are given priority over schools. The universities will be the last to be permitted to reopen. The third round of vaccinations will begin soon.

In addition to the problems with COVID-19, the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army is a growing reality, and the new year has started with anxieties over the pandemic, war, and and power outages due to electricity shortages (also related to Russia).

Environmental measures in Ukraine

Restrictions on the flimsy, thin plastic bags seen in supermarkets has become a global trend, and in Ukraine, the free provision of such bags has been banned since December 10 this year. It appears that they are now being sold at supermarkets and other retailers for 10 kopiyka (about 40 sen) per bag. At the self-checkout counter, there is now a button for thin plastic bags that has to be used to enter the number of bags needed. There is criticism that this is just a way for stores to make money, but I think it will definitely lead to a change in consumer awareness about using plastic bags without much forethought. In Lviv, the problem of waste disposal is still as serious as ever and changing the mindset of consumers seems to be important.

The supermarket I used to frequent now charges for all plastic bags, but it seems that this is not the case everywhere, and at another affiliated supermarket, thin plastic bags used for fresh fish and meat sold by weight do not seem to be counted in the number of bags charged by the cashier. It seems there were no strict rules in this neighborhood.

What I am wondering is, if I try to reuse a bag I got from that supermarket and the cashier looks at me and says, “Didn’t you just take that?”, how can I prove that I brought it from home? It would be nice if they would put some kind of sticker on the plastic bags that we have paid for. . . . . Fortunately, there are several kinds, such as colorless, green, peach, etc., so I think it’s safe to use different ones for different stores, but just putting them in my pocket looks like shoplifting.

Aviation in Ukraine

What is air travel in Ukraine like in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic? Last month, I wrote about a new airline, Air Ocean Airlines, and when I had a chance to fly this month, I thought I would use it and introduce it here. However, due to my luggage and a little late departure time, I ended up using the existing Motor Sich Airlines.

Currently, due to quarantine measures in Ukraine, documents related to the novel coronavirus (vaccination certificate, negative test certificate, etc.) are required for medium- and long-distance travel by public transportation, including airlines. So I prepared the certificates and went to the airport, but they didn’t ask me to present them anywhere, and I ended up not having a chance to show them to anyone even once. . . . You might say I was disappointed.

I was surprised to see many people openly violating the requirement to wear a mask even in the airport facilities (because most of them were obeying it in the summer). In addition, there were many passengers with bad manners on the plane (I have never seen this on a domestic flight in Ukraine before), which made me feel uncomfortable, but I also got the impression that people were generally less abiding of the rules on the plane than in the summer. I still don’t understand those people who insist on sticking out their noses. (I’m prejudiced, but maybe it’s the difference between so-called “high-nosed Westerners” and “flat-nosed Easterners”.) This was unfortunate and made me feel I was in danger. I think it is better not to use public transportation unless you have something important to do.

Now, Motor Sich Airlines of Ukraine, which is well known here, is an airline started by an aero engine manufacturer called Motor Sich, which powered its aircraft with its own engines.

The aircraft I boarded this time was a 50-year-old An-24RV, which is the most common aircraft for this company. It is a domestically produced aircraft developed by a company called Antonov in Kyiv. The first flight of this model was in 1959, which is not so surprising since the Boeing 737, which has become famous in recent years due to its accidents, was originally a Boeing 07 that first flew in 1957 (same fuselage design). The aircraft I will be flying on this time was built in 1973 in Kyiv and is the newest An-24 operated by Motor Sich Airlines. The comfort of the flight depends largely on your seating position, but on average, it is a little noisier and vibrates slightly more than the DHC-8-Q400, a Canadian-made propeller airplane that is touted for its quietness. If you are in the back of the plane, it is very quiet, but if you are right under the wing or right next to the propeller, you will feel the vibration in your internal organs all the time.

They used to offer snacks on board, and even after they stopped doing that, they still offered coffee, tea with fresh lemon, and candies (ordinary candies), which have long been considered effective in coping with changes in air pressure. However, even this service was discontinued due to the COVID-19 regulations, and in the summer, 500 ml bottles of natural water were distributed instead (still better than other companies).

This time there was a pleasant surprise. They handed out several kinds of cute Christmas-style cookies, and offered coffee, lemon tea, and candy. I asked the flight attendant about it and was told that it was a Christmas-only offer (since this is Ukraine, I assume it will continue not only through December but until January 7, the lunar calendar Christmas). I think this kind of service is wonderful. The flight attendants were a bit unapproachable during normal business hours, but when I spoke to them personally, they were friendly. It is not only in Japan that there is a separation between public and private life (although the time I spoke to this one flight attendant must have been during business hours).

On the day of the flight, the previous Air Ocean Airlines flight was delayed due to bad weather, so the Motor Sich flight departed first, passing by the delayed An-148 that had just arrived. When we arrived at our destination, Kyiv, the An-148 was right beside us. Now that was strange. It had arrived late in Lviv, so how could it already be in Kyiv? Must be because it is indeed a new jet.

I was impressed by the Kyiv International Airport that day, which was full of new and old model An aircraft.

By the way, the national airline that the president is trying to build has also announced that it will eventually introduce domestically produced An-158s. It seems to me that it would be a good thing if they listened to the public criticism against the decision not to use domestically produced aircraft and changed their plans.

I am familiar with and comfortable with Motor Sich Airlines, but I would like to try a new airline next time.

An-148-100E , the Air Ocean Airlines flight that arrived first

The slow boarding process in snow country (Lviv International Airport)

Other topics

For the first time in five years, the Lviv tramway has received completely new set of cars. This is the latest model from Electron, a company headquartered in Lviv. As of December, it has not yet been put into operation, but it is expected to help improve the heavily congested traffic in the city, since it is a long-awaited 5-car train. (Most tramcars in Lviv are either double- or triple-coupled, depending on the model, and both have the same number of seats as a large bus. Five-coupled cars have 165% more seats than triple-coupled cars). It is unlikely to solve the terrible traffic congestion, though. . . . By the way, streetcars basically run on the same road surface as cars, and there have been many drivers who go out of their way to hit shiny new streetcars (I’ve seen many new cars that were hit by cars and had duct tape instead of bandages). I hope you will take good care of your new car. Apparently, there are many people whose driving skills are incomprehensible to drivers here.

In anticipation of the Russian invasion this month, the military service requirement was expanded to include women, but looking at the list of eligible specialties and occupations, it seems that literary researchers are listed, but linguists are not. There seems to be a difference even in the same literature department. I’m not sure why linguists were identified as useless for the country during the war. Why is that? For those of you who are specializing in linguistics at our university, don’t you think you can use your specialization to help others when the time comes?

Reference

万博体育官网app関係

オミクロン株発見のアフリカ諸国からの入国停止（2日16:06付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/2/7316040/

産業由来環境問題及び緊急事態国家委員会、リヴィウ州の「赤」区域離脱を決定（6日15:43付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/derzhavna_komisiya_teb_i_ns_vyrishyla_vyvesty_lvivshchynu_iz_chervonoi_zony_376734.html

90％以上の教師がワクチン接種完了（7日20:09付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/7/7316602/

マスクなし身分証なしのリヴィウ市民に罰金1万7千UAH（7日18:12付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/7/7316589/

「コロナウイルスの1000UAH」の受け取り方（9日14:43付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/9/7316829/

オミクロン株、ウクライナ国内で検出（18日10:20付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/18/7317859/

「赤」区域から最後の2州が離脱（28日17:28付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/28/7318837/

キーウで最初のオミクロン株検出（28日16:39付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/28/7318832/

リヴィウで最初のオミクロン株検出（29日12:06付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_vyyavyly_pershyy_vypadok_shtamu_omikron_377921.html

戦争?軍事関係

ワシントン?ポスト、2022 年初頭のロシアのウクライナ侵攻を宣言（4日13:32付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/vydannya_washington_post_zayavylo_pro_nastup_rosii_na_ukrainu_na_pochatku_2022go_roku_376635.html

妊婦や小さい子供のいる女性も兵役義務（26日16:47付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/26/7318695/

ウクライナ軍総司令官、女性の兵役義務について語る（26日14:56付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/26/7318688/

兵役義務に対応する専門?職業のリストについて定めた法律
https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/z1566-21#Text

その他

10日から使い捨てポリ袋禁止（9日13:40付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/9/7316821/

「さらば、プラスチックよ」ポリ袋制限開始（10日15:32付報道）
https://www.epravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/10/680568/

リヴィウの拘置所の新デザイン。魂は何か明るいものを求めている（9日18:43付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/12/9/7316874/

リヴィウ市電、新型車両を受領（10日16:19付リヴィウ市議会プレスリリース）
https://city-adm.lviv.ua/news/city/transport/289574-lviv-otrymav-novyi-tramvai-do-kintsia-rokuelektron-maie-postavyty-shche-dva

リヴィウ、欧州投資銀行の資金で導入する市電車両を受領開始（10日14:05付プレスリリース）
https://city-adm.lviv.ua/news/city/transport/289567-lviv-otrymuie-pershi-tramvaiprydbani-za-koshty-yevropeiskoho-investytsiinoho-banku

November Activity Report

30 November 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

This Month at the University of Lviv

The University of Lviv University is closed and all classes are online. Classes for foreign students are also held online.

In accordance with the government’s instructions, teachers and staff who did not get vaccinated in time were temporarily removed from the workplace. It is thought that they may even be dismissed in the future.

The JLPT was scheduled to be held on the 5th of next month, and I was working with the students to study for the exam but was notified at the last minute that it was cancelled. The students were discouraged. In particular, students who were planning to study abroad were troubled because this made it impossible for them to attain the N2 level, which is necessary to go to Japan. I believe that some of the host universities in Japan will take some kind of remedial measures. I certainly hope that they will do their best.

The spread of COVID-19

From the end of last month to the end of this month, the number of infected people increased to 516,079 nationwide (498,923 last month), with 26,989 cases in Lviv Province (31,904 last month). The average daily number of infections is about 17,203 nationwide (about 16,094 last month), and about 900 in Lviv (about 1,029 last month). The number of new daily infections reached an all-time low of 27,377 on the 4th and has been gradually decreasing since then. According to the color-coding used for infected areas, the province of Lviv remains in the red, and residents need a vaccination certificate, a recovery certificate, or a negative test certificate to enter shopping centers, restaurants, and accommodations.

Due to the worsening situation, Ukraine was excluded from the green category of the Schengen Area.

The government seems to be struggling to promote vaccination because vaccinations are not progressing and about 40% of the people say they will not be vaccinated. Earlier this month, President Zelensky announced he would give 1000 UAHs to those who get vaccinated. This money can be used for cultural activities (such as the theater and concerts, buying books, and watching movies) and domestic travel. I think the idea is to get people to enjoy a little cultural life without devoting all their resources to daily necessities.

Things are tense in Ukraine because of its problems with its neighbor. This month it is facing a power crunch due to fuel shortages. It is rumored that there will soon be rolling blackouts in some areas, but as the rolling blackouts are unannounced, they are indistinguishable from the usual accidental blackouts. . . . I’m worried if I can survive the winter.

The good news this month is that a new airline called Air Ocean Airlines has been launched in Ukraine, with flights between Kyiv and Lviv. What’s more, despite these hard times, they will also serve simple in-flight meals. The new company is attracting attention for using planes developed in Ukraine. Its flight schedules are almost the same time as those of the existing Motor Sich Airlines. It’s a shame that we do not have more options for flight times even though we now have a choice of airline. In the case of Motor Sich Airlines, the aircraft are nearly 50 years old, so from now on we have an unusual choice between a new Ukrainian plane or a Ukrainian plane that is a half century old. The new airline currently has only two planes, but will be gradually expanding its fleet. The aviation industry in Ukraine dates back to Mozhaysky’s airplane of the 19th century, but the new national airline, which the President has said would fly domestic aircraft in order to foster the domestic aircraft industry, will eventually be introducing Airbus aircraft, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the future.

Reference

?万博体育官网app関係

リヴィウ州、アストラゼネカ4万回分を廃棄（5日15:03付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/5/7312974/

EU、ウクライナを「緑」リストから除外することを決定（5日16:09付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_yes_taky_vyrishyly_vyluchyty_ukrainu_z_zelenogo_spysku_375048.html

リヴィウ市、バーやレストランの夜間営業を禁止、お持ち帰りのみ（5日20:33付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/5/7313022/

ウクライナ、COVIDの死者記録、800人近くが死亡（6日08:16付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/6/7313056/

EU、ウクライナを「緑リスト」から除外（9日12:41付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/9/7313341/

ウクライナで期限切れのアストラゼネカ50万回分を破棄（9日17:39付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/9/7313394/

仕事かCOVID予防接種か。ウクライナ人の選択（14日05:30付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2021/11/14/7313852/

保健相、ウクライナ人40％がコロナウイルス予防接種（15日16:12付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/15/7314060/

ゼレンシキー大統領、ワクチン接種者に100 UAHを約束（15日19:56付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/15/7314098/

ゼレンシキー大統領の1000 UAHは現金でなく用途も指定（16日11:41付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/16/7314152/

ウクライナの各宗派の寺院にワクチン接種所が開設（16日付報道）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2021/11/16/246523/

リヴィウ市、検疫措置を強化（17日08:50付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/10/17/7310676/

22日からリヴィウ州の郊外交通機関の利用規則変更（21日12:58付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/z_22_lystopada_na_lvivshchyni_zminyuyutsya_pravyla_podorozhi_u_poizdah_prymiskogo_spoluchennya_375891.html

リヴィウ州政府の要請でリヴィウ州は「赤」区分に残存（25日14:25付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/na_prohannya_loda_lvivshchynu_zalyshyly_u_chervoniy_zoni_376112.html

リヴィウ市の検疫措置規制12月13日まで延長（26日17:01付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_karantynni_obmezhennya_prodovzhyly_do_13_grudnya_376192.html

ワクチン非接種者は失職。ウクライナで3千人近い学校教員が職場から排除（27日付報道）
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-59444710

オミクロン株流行地域から帰国のウクライナ人は自主隔離義務（29日14:19付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/29/7315604/

その他

日本、恒常的にウクライナの軍病院を高額機器で支援（8日付報道）
https://milnavigator.com.ua/iaponiia-systematychno-dopomohaie-nashym-viiskovym-shpytaliam-dorohovartisnym-obladnanniam/

ウクライナの新航空会社エア?オーシャン航空のAn-148搭乗レポ（24日付報道）
https://www.avianews.com/passengerexperience/2021/11/24/airoceanairlines_an148_review/

October Activity Report

31 October 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

University of Lviv this month

The international students from TUFS are finally able to participate in the Preparatory School for International Students (PSIS) this month. According to what I heard, the class started with the basics such as the alphabet and pronunciation practice. Ukrainian has many similarities with other languages around it compared to other languages that use the same Cyrillic alphabet. However, there are letters that are only used in Ukrainian. Also, the pronunciation is slightly different compared to Polish and Russian, which are also majored in at TUFS (for example, [?] and [?]). So, while it seems easy to start with, I think it is worthwhile to study with strict caution.

As for the general student life of Lviv University, due to the rapidly worsening situation of the spread of Covid-19, all classes have been moved online. In addition, in accordance with the government's instructions, vaccination is now mandatory for faculty and staff, and a list of those who have not been vaccinated is being prepared in parallel with the requirement to submit certificates. If they are not vaccinated, they will be expelled from the workplace and will not get paid, although they will not get fired immediately. It's pretty tough.

Current situation of the pandemic

The number of infected people from the end of last month to the end of this month has increased to 498,923 nationwide (compared to 137,083 last month), of which 31,904 were in Lviv (compared to 19,380 last month); the daily average is about 16,094 nationwide (compared to about 4,569 last month) and 1,029 in Lviv (compared to 646 last month). In terms of new infections per day, 26,870 on the 29th was the worst number in the period up to the end of the month. The situation is getting worse due to the outbreak of the delta strain, and the Lviv region has been placed in the "red" color category. The worsening situation has led some EU countries to restrict entry into the country from Ukraine.

For long-distance travel, such as interstate travel, transportation requires a certificate of vaccination, a certificate of recovery, or a negative PCR test. As a result, free vaccination sites and paid testing sites were established at major stations. So far, there are no such restrictions on transportation in Lviv, but in Kyiv, there seems to have been a restriction on the use of the subway system, requiring people to carry a similar certificate (Random spot checks will be carried out to check for the carrying of certificates.).

In Lviv, similar certificates are now required at shopping centres, restaurants, public facilities, government offices and accommodation facilities. You can enter a shopping center, but you won't be able to enter each tenant, or won't be able to sell products if you don't show a certificate (the response may vary depending on the facility).

In Ukraine, people are less willing to be vaccinated, so the government is probably trying to increase the vaccination rate somehow. Restrictions on the use of facilities and compulsory vaccination by occupation are considered to be part of the measures. Vaccination is free of charge, while testing costs around 3,000 yen at the lowest. I heard that vaccines made in China are popular among anti-vaccine advocates. They say that the vaccines are less effective in preventing the disease, but also have less adverse reactions. This makes sense to me.

Reference

保健省、ワクチン義務化の職種を決定（7日18:21付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/10/7/7309744/

ワクチン義務化の職種は拡大予定（8日21:40付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/10/8/7309891/

21日より検疫措置の新規規制。ワクチン接種完了者は制限なし（11日17:43付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3331106-kabmin-zatverdiv-novi-pravila-pasazirskih-perevezen-na-cas-karantinu.html

「赤」地域では地域間交通はワクチン接種1回のみでは利用不可（12日17:27付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/10/12/7310262/

リヴィウ、検疫措置を強化（17日08:50付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/10/17/7310676/

リヴィウ、18日より検疫措置を強化（13日16:58付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_z_18_zhovtnya_posylyat_karantyn_detali_373764.html

リヴィウ、検疫措置を強化（17日12:05付報道）
https://gazeta.ua/articles/regions/_u-lvovi-vvodyat-posilenij-karantin/1056024

政府、旅行後の自主隔離を簡略化（21日13:55付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/10/21/7311181/

政府、入国後の自主隔離を新方式で追跡（21日付報道）
https://www.avianews.com/travel/2021/10/21/new_vdoma_application_rules/

非接種者はご乗車になれません。駅でワクチン接種会場が稼働（21日付報道）
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/58993888

リヴィウでは何曜日でも接種可能。常設および仮設接種会場が稼働（21日17:39付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_mozhna_vaktsynuvatys_u_budyakyy_den_diyut_statsionarni_ta_tymchasovi_punkty_vaktsynatsii_374164.html

「どれだけばかにされなければならないのか？」COVID証明書の初検査はどう行われたか（22日07:15付報道）
https://gazeta.ua/articles/kiev-life/_skilki-terpiti-oce-unizheniye-vpershe-pereviryali-kovidsertifikati-yak-ce-bulo/1056635

ウクライナ、過去最悪の新規感染者数と死亡者数を記録（22日08:19付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/10/22/7311261/

リヴィウ、検疫措置違反者の摘発を開始（22日15:30付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_pochaly_karaty_porushnykiv_karantynu_hto_i_za_shcho_otrymav_na_gorihy_374253.html

教育機関、遠隔へ（22日15:09付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/ukraina_perevodyt_na_dystantsiyku_vyshi_ta_shche_nyzku_navchalnyh_zakladiv_374234.html

リヴィウ、検疫措置違反施設の閉鎖開始（22日13:44付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_pochaly_zakryvaty_zaklady_sfery_poslug_cherez_nedotrymannya_karantynnyh_vymog_374243.html

ウクライナ、新規感染者数の新記録。2万6千人以上（28日08:33付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/10/28/7311943/

September Activity Report

30 September 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

Topics of international students

The new school year started on this month. This year, we welcomed a long-term exchange student from TUFS for the first time. The period is scheduled for 10 months until next summer. However, due to procedural reasons on the part of the University of Lviv, classes will not be available until October. He will be joining a new class that will open in October.

Therefore, there were no classes this month. Instead, I held an exchange meeting for him with students of Japanese language at the University of Lviv, and I looked for rental apartment with him.

Dormitories 8 have been renovated in recent years and are said to have the best facilities among the dormitories owned by University of Lviv, but there are many differences compared to Japan, especially TUFS. Then, what kind of equipment is it actually?

I heard that there are several rooms with different specifications, but let's take a look at the room Wada-san used.

First, you enter the compartment from the corridor by opening the lockable door, you will find two rooms, each with its own door, but each room is unlocked. When you go out, you must leave your key at the entrance of the dormitory. The showers and toilets are shared by the residents of both rooms.

The room is not a private room. The number of people varies from room to room, but in Wada-san's plot, one room has three beds and the other has two. And each person needs a place to put their stuff, so the room seems a bit cramped for three people. I have heard that in the past, dormitories used to have dozens of people in one room. Compared to that, I feel that even dormitories in Ukraine are becoming smaller and more private. (If I think back, in Western European countries and even in Japan, dormitories used to be also large groups of people.)

Cooking equipment and washing machines are located in different places and are shared throughout the building. I heard that there is a common laundry stand in the corridor, but it is almost full, so Wada-san had a little trouble hanging his laundry. In the end, he hung them in his room.

He said he thought the difference in the number of people in the room might be due to national or cultural differences. One of the students from our university who studied at a Russian university said that there were several people in the dormitory, so he felt that there was a sense of commonality with them.

Opinions on this matter are divided even among Ukrainian students. Some students enjoy living together with a large group of people, while others rent an apartment for personal time space. I think whether students can live in a rented house depends on their parents' financial situation.

Next, about finding a rental apartment in the city. We visited several properties through real estate agencies, but since September is the new school year when many students are looking to rent such houses, it was difficult to find a good place to live. In the end, we managed to find a satisfactory property by raising the budget slightly.

I asked Wada-san what he thought, and he said he felt that the way they used the space was better than in Japan. He said that they had all the necessary furniture and that the room was arranged with the furniture, and he had an impression that it was functional. He also had the strange impression that the buildings in the center of the city were old and looked as if they might be uninhabitable, but once inside, they were surprisingly clean and normally habitable.

Also, in Ukraine, there are often houses with central heating, which he found peculiar. I heard that there is a similar system in Hokkaido, but it is a unique facility in the north. However, this year (or rather every year), Ukraine is under pressure from Russia to "Just do as I say, or I won't give you gas", so even when it gets cold, the heat doesn't come on very often, and even when it's still cold, it's turned off immediately. This is a big difference between Moscow and other cities that start heating up as soon as it gets even a little cold. Well, in terms of the waste of limited resources and its contribution to global warming, I think Moscow has nothing to be proud of. However, it cannot be said that Lviv, where people are forced to live an "eco-friendly" lifestyle, is a better place to live.

Lviv University of this Month

Due to the improvement of the situation of the spread of the Covid-19 infection, the Faculty of Letters has started face-to-face classes for both laboratory and lecture courses, but due to the regulation of quarantine measures, everything has been shifted to online from the 23rd, when the risk level became "yellow". According to the new regulations set forth this month, face-to-face classes are allowed if 80% of the teaching staff have received one or two doses of the vaccine, but for now, they are not allowed because the staff vaccination rate is less than 80%, although the teachers meet the 80% requirement. If the color coding gets "red," 100% of the faculty and staff must complete two vaccinations, except for the types that only need one, to be allowed face-to-face, which seems unrealistic indeed.

Interesting data related to this has been published. This is data on the vaccination rate of faculty members of higher education institutions in Lviv(*1). The percentage of faculty members who have been fully vaccinated and who have not been vaccinated at all (xx% vaccinated/yy% not vaccinated) is shown below (university names are abbreviated).

1. Dnipro National University of Rail Transport (87.10%/12.90%)
2. Lviv State University of Life Safety (86.14%/13.86%)
3. Lviv University of Business and Law (80.00%/10.00%)
4. Lviv National Agrarian University (74.52%/19.03%)
5. Ivan Franco National University of Lviv (74.34%/25.14%)
6. Ukranian Catholic University (71.92%/22.31%)
...
9. Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University (58.52%/33.52%)
...
16. Lviv Polytechnic National University (47.21%/44.09%)

18. Lviv National Stepan Gzhytsky University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology (34.22%/65.40%)
...

Why is the vaccination rate low at medical colleges?

Status of spread of Covid-19 infection

The number of cases from the last day of last month to the last day of this month worsened to 137,083 nationwide (33,511 last month), including 19,380 in Lviv (1,570 last month). The average number of cases per day is about 4,569 nationwide (1,081 last month) and 646 in Lviv (about 51 last month). On the 30th, the number of new cases exceeded 10,000 for the first time in a long time, reaching 11,757. The situation is worsening due to the outbreak of the delta strain and the government is warning. It mentions a tighter crackdown on violations of quarantine measures against Covid-19, but so far I have not noticed any change. The color-coding of the spread of the disease, including how many beds are filled, was "green" until this month. When it was changed to "yellow" at the same time nationwide on 23th, and then to "orange" in several states. The Lviv region remains at "yellow" but is expected to become "red" in the near future.

The system has changed a bit, and there are now two different types of vaccination certificates. Those who are fully vaccinated can get a “green” certificate, and those who are not fully vaccinated can get a “yellow” certificate.

On the 26th, Ukraine had the second highest daily death toll in all of Europe, although it was usually in third place. It has been reported that most patients with severe disease and the elderly patients who died were not vaccinated, but vaccination is still not very popular nationwide. For example, in one survey(*2) conducted among elementary and secondary school students, 22% of the students said they wanted to get vaccinated and only 2% of the respondents had already been vaccinated. In Poland, which was used for comparison, the percentages of respondents were 42% and 22%, respectively. According to another survey(*3), 18.4% of students in Ukraine as a whole have been vaccinated, and 25.1% of students want to get vaccinated. In Japan, the percentages of respondents were 49.7% and 28.9%, respectively.

Also, the younger generation seems to be about 10 percentage points more likely to want to be vaccinated than the older generation. In another survey (*4), the cities of Sumy and Lviv had the highest vaccination rates among the central cities of the province, with 7% of citizens in both cities indicating that they had already been vaccinated (30% and 29% of respondents answered only the first time, respectively). This is followed by the cities of Ternopili, Poltava, Chernivtsi, and Mykolaiv with 6% of completed vaccinations. The cities with the highest number of requests for vaccination, when combining the responses of "completed" and "first dose completed" and "would like to get vaccinated," were Lviv, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Uzhhorod, and Ivano-Frankivsk. The cities with the strongest antipathy to vaccines (not wanting to receive them much or never) were Mariupol (Donetsk Oblast), Dnieper, Zaporizhzhya, Sievierodonetsk (Luhansk Oblast), and Mykolaiv. By the way, I don't know what the intentions are, but in the "Favorability toward Russia" survey (*5) conducted at the same time as this survey, the cities of Sievierodonetsk, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhya had the most favorable responses toward Russia. Looks like the researcher wanted to conclude that "Russia lovers hate vaccines," and indeed that seems to be the view, at least in Lviv. Whether that view is justified or biased, I think some more proper research is needed. ...... According to the survey, the vaccination rate in the city of Kiev is still only 2%. However, another report (*6) states that nearly half of the vaccines provided by the city have already been administered, which is equivalent to half of the population. In other words, it is estimated that many people came from outside the city to be vaccinated. In any case, there seem to be generational and regional differences in the way people think about vaccines.

*1:
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/yaki_lvivski_universytety_zryvayut_vaktsynatsiyu_vid_covid19_372741.html
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2021/09/29/246057/
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/09/30/7308953/

*2:
https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2021/09/20/245956/
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2021/09/20/245955/
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/09/21/7307872/
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/09/23/7308206/
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/09/26/7308433/

*3:
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2021/09/13/245888/
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3315613-novi-karantinni-obmezenna-u-moz-poasnili-so-zminilosa.html
https://life.pravda.com.ua/health/2021/09/14/245900/
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/09/14/7307114/

*4:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/09/17/7307541/

*5:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/09/17/7307546/

*6:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/09/7/7306367/

August Activity Report

31 August 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

University of Lviv this month

This month is summer vacation. We have an international student coming from TUFS after a long time. He will go to class from next month. Last year, due to the pandemic, there were no international students here.

Status of spread of Covid-19 infection

The increase of the cases from the end of last month to the end of this month worsened to 33,511 nationwide (17,689 last month), the same level as in July, of which 1,570 were in Lviv (739 last month), also the same level as in July. The average number of infected people per day is 1,081 nationwide (about 590 last month) and about 51 in Lviv (about 25 last month). It is gradually getting worse and the government is calling attention. The prediction of the next peak around mid-August in the worst case scenario has been overturned, but at the current pace, the government is calling for caution because of the possibility of a lockdown in November. If all goes well, the lockdown will be put off until after December or even no lockdown at all. I am concerned about the spread of the Delta strain.

The government was aiming to vaccinate 5 million people during the summer, and they have achieved about 4 million. I heard that they are considering preferential treatment for vaccinated people in case of lockdown. There are various policies to encourage vaccination, but there are people who do not want to get vaccinated or cannot get vaccinated for health reasons, so it seems that there is a long way to achieve an effective rate of vaccination in society. This month, vaccination centers were set up at airports in Lviv and Kiev (However, I'm not quite sure how to use it. ......).

Vaccination certificates issued in Ukraine was approved in European countries. In addition, as the spread of infection improved, European countries began to approve travel from Ukraine although conditions for approval vary from country to country.

Quarantine measures were extended until October 1.

Other topics

Ukraine celebrated 30 years of independence on August 24 this year. Events were held throughout the country. There was a parade in Kiev, and on 18, 20 and 22, the road was blocked for a rehearsal. I would have liked to visit, but due to concerns about Covid-19, I decided not to attend the large event where the crowds gathered in dense groups.).

In the resident awareness survey conducted in conjunction with this anniversary year, a variety of items were surveyed. For example, 26% of Ukrainians recognize themselves as European, and 76% feel happy about themselves. As for the definition of a successful person, 52% of the respondents said it is having a decent paying job and 47% said working at something they love. Multiple answers are allowed in the questionnaire, and they are followed by "starting a business," "becoming a representative," "becoming a new conglomerate," "good relationships," "becoming an IT specialist," "becoming a government official," "becoming a celebrity," and "becoming a law enforcement official" (17%-6%). The results show the high level of interest in occupational, economic, and social status of the Ukrainian people.

On the 23rd, the "Crimea Platform" was held to discuss the issue of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, and 44 countries including Japan and organizations participated.

The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have ended as if they were just another event in our live, but I believe that the activities of Ukrainian athletes were also reported in Japan. In Ukraine, the Ukrainian team was praised for its good performance, but there was a problem that the athletes could not take their coaches with them because of the travel of politicians and other so-called "tournament officials".

Reference

万博体育官网app関係

外国人のウクライナ入国方法が変更（18日19:02付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/18/7304275/

キーウ空港でワクチン接種所開設（6日22:50付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/6/7303045/

リヴィウ空港、新たなワクチン接種センターになる（5日付市議会広報）
https://loda.gov.ua/news?id=61064

検疫措置を10月まで延長（11日13:11付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/11/7303464/

ヨーロッパのCOVIDマップは暗いまま、「緑」はほぼウクライナの隣国だけ（19日20:03付報道)
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/19/7304401/

ウクライナ全地域が「緑」区分（23日13:02付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3302725-usi-regioni-ukraini-perebuvaut-u-zelenij-zoni.html

保健省、11月にロックダウン導入の可能性（26日18:15付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/26/7305117/

リャシュコー保健相、ロックダウン時にワクチン接種者に特権を予告（25日13:21付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/25/7304938/

検疫措置の制限はワクチン未接種者に対してのみ、専門家が政府にロックダウンのコンセプトを提言（21日18:00付報道）
https://www.epravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/21/677121/

オリンピック関係

ウクライナの五輪結果、スポーツ相メイントレーナーの交代を予告（9日09:58付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/9/7303194/

五輪へ渡航したスポーツ関係者の一覧（10日14:50付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/10/7303363/

政治関係

44カ国と機関、クレーバ外相「クリミア?プラットフォーム」参加者の一覧を公表（19日10:24付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/19/7304328/

ウクライナロシアが併合のクリミア返還目指し初の国際会議 2021年8月24日 4時32分
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210824/k10013219731000.html

独立30周年関係

独立記念日にはフレシュチャーティク上空を「ムリーヤ」が飛行（20日09:20付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/20/7304433/

ウクライナ住民の26％がヨーロッパ人、21％がソ連人と自認（19日12:26付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/08/19/7304345/

ヤーナ?オサーヂュチャ「ウクライナ人の76％が幸福」（19日付報道）
https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2021/08/19/245662/

July Activity Report

31 July 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

Vaccination in Ukraine

This month is summer vacation and there is no topic of university, so I talk about something else.

Recently, the city of Lviv has also begun vaccination of the general public, which means regardless of type of occupation or medical history. The doctor at the hospital told me that foreigners can take it, so I went there.

Currently, the vaccines for the general public are Moderna's vaccine and Corona Vac. Modelna is reported to have been provided by the United States. Personally, I didn’t feel like getting a Chinese vaccine, so I applied to Moderna. However, just before the vaccination day, I saw a report by NHK from the Japan Self-Defense Forces that Moderna had a strong side effect on 75% of the vaccines. Oh, no!

You can apply at the website (https://helsi.me/) for vaccine. This website service is originally used for hospital appointment. At public hospitals, you can make your online appointments through this website after seeing your “family doctor”, a contracted primary care physician. Information on each patient is also managed online. The digitization of Ukraine is advanced. I think it's the result of medical reform that was done before (and I think it's still going on). Vaccination is also scheduled by this system. However, compared to Japan, I felt that notification from local governments regarding the implementation date and procedure was more passive. For example, I heard the vaccination has started, but I don't know if there will be next week.

The venue for the vaccine was such places as shopping centers or some kind of halls, and I chose a movie theater this time.

Well, it's the day. Entrance to the venue is restricted. Depending on the situation of the person waiting inside, the door was opened by only one person in charge, and the appropriate number of people were allowed to enter. Therefore, there are crowds outside the building, especially around the entrance. Though the vaccination is based on online reservation and although it is relatively easy to make an appointment, it was not possible to actually receive the vaccination at the scheduled time. (It seemed it was allowed to get vaccines without an appointment, but I haven't confirmed exactly.) However, without the appointment, all applicants would rush at the start time of the vaccination, so time division would be necessary. However, it seemed to be a cause of dissatisfaction and confusion because everyone were told what time they did not booked.

What surprised me was the state of the people waiting, and although I expected that it would be crowded, somehow I got so excited that I was screaming. They didn't quarrel with each other at all (though there were a few). They were just so hyped. I was baffled as to what they were so excited about, but it seems that there are many things to talk about. For example, there was a lot of talk about where the Moderna was made, and whether the CoronaVac was made in China or Korea (it went to Korea, since the Sinovac is made in China). One of the students said, “I have a reservation for 5:15 pm!”, which means “So don't worry if people with reservations after that time haven't gotten in yet.” It's helpful. There were people revealing "inside information" about the poor quality of the vaccine. (I thought they're brave for coming to get vaccinated today with that information.) Some people were talking as if they'd seen it all before, saying that “Last Sunday there were supposed to be four groups but there was only one group, and that's why we had to wait so long.” (They are repeat customers who go for vaccinations every week, perhaps?) There were people claiming they had been waiting since morning (even though inoculations start at 3:00 p.m. ......) There were many other claims but regrettably I couldn't listen to all of them. It’s difficult to understand a foreign languages of ranting people.

Most people wore masks (but they're close to each other.), and some didn't. However, I don't think there is any particular legal problem, since the current Ukrainian regulations require wearing it indoors and in the car, but not outdoors, and restrictions on distance have almost been eliminated. If the vaccinations had been implemented when regulations were more stringent, they might have been managed differently.

Well, I waited in a daze and eventually they called me in. When I walked up the stairs to the second floor, things were different. People were waiting quietly in line. On the floor behind the glass, four doctors were interviewing each person who wanted to be inoculated (and entering the necessary information into the computer), and the inoculations were being done behind a glass partition (There is a partition so that the people who are meeting with the doctor cannot see the people who are being vaccinated, but the people in the row on this side of the glass can see them. Well, it doesn't matter if you can see them.) and after the inoculation, we were supposed to wait for a while at the back of the interview space.

I think the dramatic difference between the outside and inside is whether or not we can see the scene. Outside, we have no idea what's going on inside, and since the reservation time are not kept, we may feel anxious about whether we can really get vaccinated, or feel suspicious and jealous that someone after us has passed us. The anxiety of each person waiting in line resonates with each other, resulting in a vague sense of anxiety. On the other hand, once inside, everything is obvious, and people line up in an orderly fashion, feeling at ease. I could really see the impact that visibility of the situation has on people's psychological state.

Now, on the floor just up the stairs, we fill out a questionnaire and stand in line. A questionnaire is a general form to fill in when getting vaccinated, such as the name and address, how I feel today, past illnesses and allergies. I was the second person to enter the hall, but I was slow to read Ukrainian, so when I finished filling out the form and got in line I was almost last. Then, when it was my turn, I went behind the glass to interview the doctor. The doctors conducting the interviews were friendly.

So, as it turns out, I couldn't get vaccinated! They say that I need something called a taxpayer identification number (IPN) to get vaccinated (or more accurately, I could get vaccinated, but they can't issue a certificate of vaccination). According to the doctor I interviewed, doctors are opposed to the current system of requiring IPN to be vaccinated, but this is the system for the time being.

I think you can understand that IPN number is like a My Number in Japan. In Japan, there are many people who are opposed to the My Number system, which is designed to control the population, and this is also the case in Ukraine, where there are questions about the way in which vaccination eligibility is tied to the acquisition of a taxpayer identification number.

So, this was a report on the vaccination process in Ukraine, although it turned out to be just an observation of people in Ukraine. How about in Japan?

Status of spread of Covid-19 infection

The increase of the cases from the end of last month to the end of this month was 17,689 nationwide (32,602 last month), including 739 in Lviv (1,520 last month). The average number of people per day is about 590 nationwide (about 1,087 last month) and about 25 in Lviv (about 51 last month). In fact, it seems that there are many people who do not get a medical examination even if they have subjective symptoms, and there are many people who do not have subjective symptoms even if they are infected, but there is no doubt that it has decreased significantly.

This time, there is concern about the spread of the delta strain, and there have already been cases in Lviv, so people are being warned to be careful. The increase in the number of cases is not rapid yet, but it is predicted that the next peak will occur around the middle of August.

According to the Parliament, a survey showed that one-third of the residents of Ukraine have antibodies against the new coronavirus. It is believed that many of them were infected without knowing it.

It was also announced that the way of entering Ukraine will be changed on August 5, and inspections and regulations will be tightened (those who have completed vaccination will not be affected). Well, compared to Japan, it's almost nothing.

Other topics

Despite the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, the annual international military exercise "Sea Breeze" has been staged again this year. This year, the number of participating countries reached a record high, and Japan participated for the first time (a first-class officer from the Maritime Self-Defense Force participated as an observer).

In response to this international cooperation, the Russian president has released a Ukrainian document that says Russians and Ukrainians are originally one people and should not be separated. As it contains the official opinions of the Soviet era, anyone interested in the history of Russia or Ukraine has probably heard of it (By the way, the person who created the original story of this [myth] is Ukrainian, so it's like a self-destructive story.). Also, according to the Russian president, it was the Bolsheviks (a communist revolutionary group that emerged in Russia in the early 20 century) who founded the state of Ukraine as it is today. This story reminded me that a Russian instructor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies told a similar story in class almost a decade ago.

If you don't study history carefully, it's easy to reverse the order, fall into anachronism, or step into the realm of fantasy, so you need to be careful.

The Ukrainian president made a comment that he envied the Russian president because he had time to study Ukrainian. He also said he had succeeded in popularizing Ukrainian.

As the Tokyo Olympic Games have begun, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has pointed out that the official site uses a map that separates Crimea from Ukraine. The map was deleted immediately. It seemed to me that the Tokyo Olympics and Ukraine had nothing to do with anything other than the participation of athletes from Ukraine, but it showed the strong influence of Russia in the Olympic organization and in the sports industry. By the way, if there is no change, the team from Ukraine should have come to Hino-city. (commemorative stamps has been also issued.)

Reference

万博体育官网app関係

ウクライナ入国方法が8月5日から変更
https://www.avianews.com/travel/2021/07/30/entry_to_ukraine_rules_for_citizens_foreigners_from_5th_august2021/

ウクライナ人の3分の1がコロナウイルスの抗体を保有（6日23:51付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3276285-tretina-ukrainciv-maut-antitila-do-koronavirusu-raduckij.html

ウクライナで「デルタ」株の感染者が増加（10日18:43付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/07/10/7300129/

EU,ウクライナを緑区分へ（14日付報道）
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-57828057

ヨーロッパ連合、ウクライナからの自由な入域再開を決定（15日19:25付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/07/15/7300668/

保健省、国際COVID証明書の家庭医を通じた取得方法を説明（24日19:55付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_moz_poyasnyly_yak_otrymaty_mizhnarodne_covidsvidotstvo_u_simeynogo_likarya_368626.html

リヴィウ州で「デルタ」株感染3例を各人（24日14:35付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/na_lvivshchyni_pidtverdyly_3_vypadky_zahvoryuvannya_koronavirusom_delta_368624.html

その他の話題

ゼレンシキー大統領、「シーブリーズ」はウクライナが一人でロシア連邦の侵略に対峙しなければならないわけではないことのシグナルだ（4日16:06付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/07/4/7299385/

防衛省?自衛隊：防衛大臣記者会見｜万博体育官网app3年7月2日（金）11:06～11:20
https://www.mod.go.jp/j/press/kisha/2021/0702a.html

プーチン、「ロシア人とウクライナ人の一体性に関する」ウクライナ語の文書を公表（12日17:18付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/07/12/7300282/

プーチンにとっての現実のなかでは独立ウクライナを創設したのはボリシェヴィキ（12日18:31付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/07/12/7300293/

オリンピック競技サイトでクリミアがウクライナから分離（22日16:54付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/07/22/7301385/

June Activity Report

30 June 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

This month's University of Lviv and the talk of the town

This month is the exam period in earnest and the summer vacation starts as soon as the exam is over. GJO does not have exams, so this month we don’t not have direct interaction with students who are busy with exams.

Suddenly the summer is coming, and the daily highest temperature rises to around 30 degrees. In Lviv, the temperature from 16 to 17 o'clock is the highest of the day, which appears different from Tokyo. I think it is related to "standard time". The highest temperature in Kyiv, the capital, seems to be around 15 to 16 o'clock. When we look at European countries, there are some countries where the evening is the highest of the day. I was convinced that in these countries the idea of introducing summertime (one hour earlier) and finishing activities before it gets hot makes sense. (However, there are many workplaces that start their business late, so why don't they start their own business earlier before making the whole society start earlier? I guess) In any case, there is no way to expect this kind of effect in this country where the temperature breaks through 30 degrees by 7 am.

There are some unique reasons for Ukraine's summertime. Summertime is said to be popular among pro-Russian people. This is because Ukraine's summertime is the same as Moscow time. Ukrainian wintertime, on the other hand, does not match Russian time. The debate over the abolition of summertime, which occurs almost every year in the Diet, always leads to the conclusion that "As for this year, we will continue."

For these few years, the summer climate in Lviv has been dangerous. Because of climate change, torrential rain like Japan occurs frequently, and every time, houses are submerged, trees fall down, and power failure occurs. Power outages really happen every time. But even if the weather is good, there is a blackout. When power outages happen, the electricity is not be supplied throughout the day. And, electronic equipment is destroyed by repeated energization and blackouts. Because of the strong position of the service providers in Ukraine, water and electricity supplies are often suddenly and "systematically" cut off.

Global Warming is expected to bring a subtropical climate and desertification to Ukraine. Even now, southern Ukraine has Europe's only desert (Sand dunes?). That is a good tourist attraction, but if the entire country becomes a desert, it will be a problem. Lots of squirrels live in the parks and forests of Lviv, but as a result of the warming, the northern squirrels in Ukraine are said to go extinct.

Status of spread of Covid-19

The number of infected patients increased by 32,602 nationwide from the end of last month to the end of this month (132,957 cases last month), and by 1,520 cases in Lviv Province (163,396 cases last month). The daily average is about 1,087 nationwide (about 4,289 last month) and about 51 in Lviv (about 204 last month). The maximum number of cases on a day this month is 2,581 nationwide (June 3), and the minimum number is 182 (June 29). As you can see from the figures, the number of cases per day, which was once over 20,000, has decreased significantly. For this reason, the government has eliminated most of the restrictions on daily presence, except for the requirement to wear masks indoors and in cars (please check the public relations for the strict rules).

However, even if this situation continues, it doesn't seem that all classes will be held in face-to-face from next semester.

As the cases has improved in summer vacation, I feel people want to say, “Covid-19 is already over.” The situation in the town now is not so different from the summer before Covid-19. Looking at the sales of train tickets, last year when only half of the seats were allowed to buy, there were many vacant seats, but now the sales are the same as the summer before Covid-19. (However, I don't know the increase and decrease of the number of trains. Because of the busy season, the numbers of seasonal trains and special trains are greatly increased. On the other hand, regular trains that should be running are not always running. Furthermore, as a result of the last year's suspension of all trains due to the Covid-19, unprofitable lines continue to be suspended or reduced in number.) The transportation in Lviv is very crowded and there are many traffic jams. This is also different from last year.

The way of entry into Ukraine has been changed. First, those who have completed two doses are no longer required to present negative tests. This rule was then significantly relaxed only for the Ukrainian people. Ukrainian citizens no longer need a negative test, and only foreigners are required. It may have become clear that it was not a poor Ukrainian citizen but a brazen foreigner who brought the virus into Ukraine, but I don't know the truth because the data is not disclosed.

Traveling to Ukraine from India, which had been banned, was also permitted. Ironically, it was reported that patients with Delta variant were confirmed in Ukraine shortly after the deregulation. (However, the person who brought it with him/her was a returnee from the Russian Federation, not from India.)

If the new variant doesn't spread, we will be able to avoid an outbreak, but we need to be careful not to repeat last year's failure of the spread of the virus throughout the country due to the huge increase in the number of people moving during summer vacation.

Reference

ウクライナでは80年後に野生のリスが絶滅する可能性（10付報道）
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-57415273

国会議員にはファイザー、有権者には＊＊＊（15日13:24付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/nardepam__pfizer_elektoratu___366052.html

政府、帰国するウクライナ人にテストを廃止（16日15:51付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/06/16/7297468/

最も危険な変異株の一つ、すでにウクライナに。ロシアからの帰国者2名が感染（23日17:20付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/06/23/7298205/

ウクライナ全国が「緑」区分に（28日13:24付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/06/28/7298686/

リヴィウでウクライナ国家再興宣言80周年が祝われる（30日22:51付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_vidznachyly_80tu_richnytsyu_progoloshennya_aktu_vidnovlennya_ukrainskoi_derzhavnosti_367022.html

May Activity Report

31 May 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

University of L’viv this month

The situation surrounding infectious diseases is improving, but the school is still closed this month, and the classes are, in principle, remote. The examination started gradually. There are many exams in June, and summer vacation comes.

topic of the month

Even though it is cold this year and heating is necessary even in May, heating authorities representing public welfare and people's justice have turned off central heating (Is it "全体主義暖" in Japanese? Ah, mistranslation?). In Ukraine, "whether it's cold or hot today" is decided not by individuals, but by so-called authorities. Therefore, the aforementioned "It is so cold this year that heating is necessary even in May." is an unscientific error and should be self-criticized as an individualist's biased idea that goes against the interests of the whole people. I'm sorry.

Rising public transportation fares in the city of L’viv have finally been finalized. However, even after it was decided, the various fees were not decided easily and I had an impression that it was a mess. It can't be helped to raise the price, so I want them to operate properly. There is no timetable, so it runs randomly, and so many buses run together, and so the next one doesn't come at all, so it runs rather absurdly. In the first place, depending on the route, there are so few trains that you can't use them. I still wonder how I can fit my schedule into a bus or train that may or may not come every few tens of minutes without a timetable.

According to the calendar used by the Christian Eastern Church, which has the largest number of followers in Ukraine, Easter (In Ukrainian we say Великдень, or "Great Day") is late this year and May 2 is a holiday. In many years, Easter is in April and, together with the other holidays in May, spring is a kind of holiday and festive mood. This year, however, the holidays were concentrated in a short period of time, and the mood seemed to be compact.

Russia's occupation campaign to Ukraine continues, and the Ukrainian side says a significant number of troops are still stationed near Ukraine's eastern border. Amelia Coast Guard cutter (patrol vessel) made a goodwill visit to Odesa and conducted joint training with Sea Guard of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. In response, Russia reportedly obstructed the exercise by sending Offshore patrol vessel of the Black Sea Fleet and border guard ships of the Coast Guard of the Border Service of the FSBｄ.

As reported in Japan, Belarus, which has close cooperation with Russia, forcibly grounded a Ryanair airliner and detained some of the passengers, and Ukraine also banned Belarusian aircraft such as Belavia from passing through Ukrainian airspace. In addition, Minsk had been chosen as the location for the talks with Russia, but the Ukrainian delegation expressed the opinion that it was an inappropriate place for such talks.

Ukrainian President Mohamed Zelenskiy has investigated Ukrainian politician and oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and introduced legislation to regulate the oligarchs. The president initiated this issue because it is believed that many of the oligach are anti-Ukrainian people and organizations that use illicit methods to conduct economic activities and have strong economic and military ties with Russia.

Status of spread of novel coronavirus infection

The Minister of Health was changed on the 20th of this month. The new minister is Dr. Viktor Liashko, who has led the COVID-19 response.

From the end of April to the end of May, the number of infected people increased by 132957 nationwide (470872 last month), of which 6339 (25896 last month). The average daily population is about 4289 nationwide (about 15696 last month) and about 204 in Liviu (about 863 last month). The maximum number of infected people was 8549 (1 day) and the minimum number of infected people was 1022 (31 days). Nationwide, the color coding for the risk of quarantine measures has been improved to yellow, the second from the bottom.

However, there are 1000 infected people per day (the population is about the same as that of the Tokyo metropolitan area), so I don't think the situation is good at all. However, I feel that society is filled with the atmosphere that the coronavirus is over, that it's all right, and that it's a fun summer vacation. The route bus is full, and there are many people, which makes you feel that people's vigilance has been dramatically reduced. Recently I went to a central area where I usually don't go because I have something to do, but a group of children (excursions or field trips) who don't wear masks get in an airtight sightseeing vehicle and it may be fun, but I wondered what kind of education the school is providing.

On the other hand, there are people who wear masks outdoors, which seems to be a little higher than this time last year. There seems to be a difference in the way people hold their feelings.

The various ways of wearing masks that were popular around this time last year have been eliminated, and the age of jaw masks and throat masks that dominated the world seems to be gone. Now they are in the minority, and in many cases the three main styles are wearing them normally, showing a beautiful nose, or wearing nothing.

I think future outbreaks will depend more on the influx of mutants than people will (Indian strains have not yet entered), but we can only hope that the times will not be so bad. The progress of vaccination seems to be the same as Japan (per population).

Reference

?万博体育官网app関係

ステパーノウ保健相、復活祭の安全な祝い方を助言（2日14:07付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/2/7292294/

復活祭の礼拝、モスクワ総主教庁はマスクなし、ウクライナ正教会はマスク（2日20:31付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/2/7292310/

ウクライナでは感染症状況改善、「橙」と「赤」は消滅（13日11:57付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/13/7293364/

ウクライナ、欧州における万博体育官网app感染症死者数第10位（13日06:38付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/13/7293325/

黒海、新保健相にリャシュコー指名（20日11:01付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/20/7294181/

?政治関係

オランダ海軍フリゲート「エヴァーツェン」、イギリス艦と黒海へ（5日報道）
https://milnavigator.com.ua/40-raketnyi-niderlandskyi-hnlms-evertsen-prybude-u-chorne-more-razom-z-brytantsiamy/

ロシア連邦艦艇、オデーサ沖で米宇合同海上訓練を妨害（9日10:56付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/9/7292927/

ロシア艦艇、宇米軍事演習を妨害（9日13:28付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3242412-rosijski-korabli-namagalisa-zavaditi-vijskovim-navcannam-ukraini-ta-ssa.html

国家国境庁海上警備隊旗艦、アメリカ沿岸警備隊カッター「ハミルトン」を出迎え（9日08:01広報）
https://dpsu.gov.ua/ua/news/Randevu-ne-dlya-dvoh-Flagman-Morskoi-ohoroni-Derzhprikordonsluzhbi-zustriv-korabel-Beregovoi-ohoroni-SSHA-HAMILTON-/

「一緒ならもっと強い」アメリカ沿岸警備隊カッター、オデーサ入港（10日20:10付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/10/7293013/

宇米艦艇、オデーサ沖で演習実施（10日11:33付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3242677-korabli-ukraini-i-ssa-proveli-navcanna-poblizu-odesi.html

ゼレンシキー大統領「ウクライナの戦略はEUとNATO入り」（11日12:40付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/11/7293083/

ウクライナ国家安全保障?国防会議、ウクライナの新興財閥13人を指名（11日12:38報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/11/7293080/

「ロシアはウクライナ国境沿いの兵力を削減せず」ゼレンシキー大統領（11日11:49付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/11/7293068/

ゼレンシキー大統領、「メドヴェヂチューク時代」の終焉を宣言し、終結し難い時代を言明（20日12:42付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/20/7294203/

リヴィウ市公共交通機関の値上げが正式に決定（21日11:34付報道）
https://galinfo.com.ua/news/u_lvovi_ofitsiyno_pidvyshchyly_tsinu_na_proizd_u_gromadskomu_transporti_364475.html

新興財閥のコロモーイシケィイ氏「《新興財閥》という用語は《人民の敵》に酷似（26日17:53付報道）
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-polytics/3253289-kolomojskij-termin-oligarh-a-pririvnuu-do-terminu-vorog-narodu.html

ゼレンシキー大統領の新興財閥法案の詳細が報じられる（27日14:26付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/27/7295082/

クラウチューク代表「ミンスクはドンバスに関する話し合いの場になり得ない（27日11:43付報道）
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/05/27/7295049/

April Activity Report

30 April 2021
Global Japan Office Coordinator
HARA Masaki

University of Lviv this month

It's cold this year, but by the end of the month, the trees have begun to sprout and spring is gradually coming. I feel it is about February or March in Tokyo.

University of Lviv is still closed this month. In principle, all classes are conducted online.

Teachers are also eligible for vaccination in Ukraine, so University of Lviv began vaccinating applicants (Made in AstraZeneca). It was conducted in alphabetical order by faculty name, but apparently the vaccine had run out around the faculty of geography（Географ?чний факультет）of а, б, в, г. Despite the small number of applicants, vaccine did not reach our faculty of literature. (The Faculty of Letters is Ф?лолог?чний факультет in Ukrainian, 25th of the 33 letters of the alphabet.).

On the other hand, according to the media, the second vaccination has already started. Is there any bias in the distribution of vaccines? Also, I don't know what kind of qualification it is, but it is said that vaccination is being conducted for foreigners staying in Ukraine.

Now, when will the vaccine be delivered to the literature department? (By the way, my Japanese major is Японська мова. Я is the last letter in alphabetical order!)

Status of spread of COVID-19

From the end of March to the end of April, the number of cases increased by 470,872 nationwide (March: 326,319) and 25,896 in Lviv Province (March: 24,752). The average daily population is about 15,696 (Approximately 10,526 in March) nationwide, and about 863 (794 people) in Lviv. This month, the maximum number of infected people was 20,341 nationwide (3th) and the minimum number of infected people was 5,062 (26 th).

The city of Lviv was in the red category of quarantine measures, but it was changed to the yellow category on 26th due to improvements in the condition of hospital beds. Along with this change, Restaurants and shops in all industries were allowed to operate, and there were immediate changes in civic lives.

Unlike the city of Kyiv, where permit was required for those using public transportation, I was able to ride normally during the "red" season in Lviv. However, I think the number of users was less than usual, though it depends on the time and route. When I went to the front of the station, it was quiet with few people passing by during the evening when many night trains usually arrive and depart, so I could see people refraining from moving. (The Ukrainian railway is mainly a night train.)

At the end of March, Ukraine was classified as a "Countries where Covid variants are prevalent " by the Japanese government. There is a strong call to stop travel, and the strictest regulations such as quarantine for three days and tracking of location information will be imposed when you return to Japan. If you plan going abroad, you should reconsider.

Russian Federation Forces Engaging in "Practice"

This month, the Russian military's concentration of larger than usual troops near the border between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well as in the temporarily occupied Crimea Peninsula, has caused much controversy, especially in Europe and the United States. It was analyzed that the size of the Russian troops gathered was insufficient to start the invasion based on the number of troops and the number of amphibious vessels. (Six large landing ships and six landing ships). However, the deployment of airborne troops, whose mission was to take the lead in enemy territory, and 9K720 missiles "Iskandar"(the Russian military classification is operational-tactical missile complex), which are said to have a range of 400 kilometers, fueled the sense of crisis.

The Ukrainian government accused it of preparing a military invasion by Russia, called for an end to the provocations and asked friendly nation for help. In response, EU countries, Britain, the United States, Japan and others supported Ukraine and issued statements criticizing the actions of the Russian military. On May 14, Japanese Prime Minister Suga held telephone talks with Priesident of Ukraine Zelenskyy. This kind of case is quite rare, and I felt a sense of tension about the situation. Since the Russian navy dispatched additional vessels from the Northern Fleet, the Baltic Fleet, and the Caspian Sea Fleet in addition to the Black Sea Fleet, which normally stationed in the Black Sea area, NATO was on alert, and the British navy announced that it would dispatch destroyers and frigates to the Black Sea. In the meantime, the United States has announced that it will stop sending destroyers to the area, and instead will send Coast Guard cutters (patrol vessel) to the Black Sea.

It seems that the Ukrainian army also moved troops toward Crimea and carried out exercises. The Russian government has criticized NATO's words and actions and has called for its military exercises not to be considered "invasion". The Russian government has also announced Ukraine is planning terrorist attacks around the world and is preparing to invade Russia. Later, Russian troops declared that they had completed the exercise and started withdrawing troops from Crimea, but the Ukrainian government announced that a large military unit still remained on Ukraine's eastern border.