Birthdays Aira Samulin, who turned 95 on Sunday, doesn’t get the memories of the war in her mind: “I’m living again the day we left the evacuation”

The war in Ukraine is like a copy of history, thinks Aira Samulin, a Karelian evacuee who escaped the Winter War.

Dance legend Aira Samulin turns 95 on Sunday, February 27th.

“The doorbell rings all the time,” he says on the phone.

There is laughter and murmur in the background, as Samulin is just celebrating his birthday party. There are as many as four generations of partygoers.

We will continue the debate at a better time.

Anniversary nevertheless, Samulin’s thoughts are somewhere else. The war in Ukraine has brought to his mind painful memories of which he wishes to speak openly.

“No one else remembers these things anymore, so I have to tell you about them.”

“I have 12-year-old grandchildren, and I know how much a child understands. Things are not to be missed. The most important thing is that the adult stays calm. ”

Last the events of the days are like copied history, Samulin thinks.

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“Even before the attack, the atmosphere was similar to before the start of the Winter War.”

He himself was evacuated three days after the outbreak of the Winter War. Sunday is also the third day since Russia invaded Ukraine.

“I don’t get it for a moment I think these days. I have sorrow in my heart because of the Ukrainians. ”

Only At the age of 13, Samulin had to flee the war. His father Viktor was a guard at the border.

“Our house was shaking as the bombers flew over. We were two miles from the front line, and our family had a two-month-old baby, ”says Samulin.

A soldier who rode a Finnish horse spotted the family and took them to the last evacuation train.

“I was already preparing for the enemy to come and kill us.”

Now the media tells how Ukrainians are fleeing the legs of war on congested roads and crowded trains.

“They have a small property in their bags and the kids are involved. I have experienced it all, and I remember it so well. Now I am living again the day we went for the evacuation. ”

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Already hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homeland since the Russian invasion began. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), some 368,000 people had fled Ukraine to neighboring countries by Sunday.

Samulin is concerned about both fleeing civilians and soldiers on both sides.

“They are all the same boys whose lives are not valued by the attacker.”

Lotta Svärd Foundation named Samulin Lota of the Year 2021. Recognition is given to a Finnish woman who has earned a lottery job or worked hard for others in the lottery spirit.

Samulin joined the little lottery at the age of 8, and the actual Lotta became him at the age of 17.

The foundation was credited with Samulin’s active mental health work, and he is best known for his encouraging attitude.

In times like these, grief overwhelms even the most positive person.

“I’m the kind of person who doesn’t cry much. I’m not afraid, and I won’t panic. Now I have tears in my eyes all the time. ”

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Samulin the attitude to life is that the future must be trusted.

“Only then will there be a chance to survive.”

He sees a lot of things around him to be grateful for, like the light of spring and the people close to him.

“I’ve already had time to celebrate my birthday with them and the sequels to them. I want to thank everyone else who has remembered me. The celebration may take the rest of the year. ”

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