Japanese Fuminori Tsuchiko, who volunteers in Kharkiv and owns a café called FuMi Caffe in the city, says he may leave Ukraine because he cannot obtain a residence permit in the country and the State Migration Service does not accept him.
The Japanese volunteer posted the corresponding message on his Facebook page.
Japanese Volunteer May Leave Ukraine
According to Fuminori, he has applied to the State Migration Service in Kharkiv several times to obtain a temporary residence permit. However, the Japanese says that the migration service does not accept him.
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— I have repeatedly contacted the migration department in Kharkov, but they do not accept me.
When I jokingly asked if it was because I was offering a bribe, the employee laughed. Next week I plan to go and try to pay about $1000. Maybe they will really take it. This is a country where everything is possible. I volunteered in Kharkov for three years, and here is the result, — wrote Fuminori Tsuchiko.
According to him, if he does not receive a temporary residence permit by the end of next week, “not to mention a permanent residence permit”, he will have to stop his volunteer work and return to Poland.
ICTV Facts sent a request to the Main Directorate of the State Migration Service of the Kharkiv Region in order to learn more about the circumstances and future fate of the Japanese Fuminori Tsuchiko. At the time of publication, the editorial office had not received a response from the State Migration Service.
Who is Fuminori Tsuchiko
Fuminori Tsuchiko was in Kyiv in early 2022, before the start of the full-scale invasion. However, due to the warning of the Japanese government that Russia could carry out aggression against Ukraine, the Japanese left for Poland. After the start of the large-scale Russian invasion, Fuminori returned to Ukraine.
First, Fuminori volunteered in Ukrainian medical institutions, and then went to Kharkov, where, together with Ukrainian Natalia Grama, he opened his own cafe, Fumi Caffe, in 2023. The establishment where the Japanese man provides free aid to Kharkiv residents is located in the most affected area of Kharkiv, Saltovka.
In the spring of 2023, the Japanese man was awarded an honorary diploma from the Kharkiv OVA, and already in August of the same year, the President of Ukraine awarded Fuminori the National Legend of Ukraine badge of distinction.
