Rotarian who lived in Ukraine gives presentation

By Ted Pennekamp

Rotarian Maurice Redwine gave a presentation about his experience in Ukraine during a Prairie du Chien Rotary Club meeting at Huckleberry’s Restaurant Friday afternoon.

“Mariupol was home for me,” said Redwine who left Ukraine about a week before the war with invading Russia began. 

“There were things (during the war) people should never see,” said Redwine as he choked up briefly, as he also did at various other times during his speech. 

During his talk, Redwine showed a slide presentation which began with pre-war photos of Mariupol. “It’s a beautiful city,” he said in noting that he was in Mariupol on business, although his excursion to Ukraine began because he was pursuing a romantic relationship with a Ukrainian woman. 

The romance ended, but Redwine stayed on in Mariupol, which is 40 kilometers from the Russian border.

“I lost contact with everyone I know in Ukraine about two months ago,” said Redwine while showing a slide of a steel plant after a missile strike. 

Redwine also showed a slide of a map depicting how big Russia is compared to Ukraine. He said he would sometimes drive from Germany into Poland and then into Ukraine. 

The map also showed the Port of Mariupol that Redwine said is very strategic to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The port controls a lot of business around the world,” Redwine said.

Several slides depicted everyday, typical cityscapes of Mariupol to which Redwine said he will return someday. 

He said the people of Ukraine are very friendly and generally treated him quite well, but he also noted that Ukrainian friends advised him to not say that he is an American and not to stick out like a sore thumb. This was not because the people of Mariupol dislike Americans, but because of being not familiar with the region. Redwine said the people like Americans, but, just like any big city, sometimes newbies can get taken advantage of such as a cab ride he had in which he got charged a lot more than he should have. 

Redwine told the audience during the question session that he speaks several languages, including Ukrainian and Russian, although he is not fluent in all the languages he speaks. “My girlfriend would challenge me on the difference between Russian and Ukrainian,” he said. “I read and write better than I speak.” He said Ukrainian more closely resembles Polish than Russian, at least in the regions he has become more familiar with.

He said that when he first traveled to Mariupol (while traveling alone), and he saw McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and several other American brands, he felt more at ease.

There is a dichotomy of governments between Russia and Ukraine, noted Redwine. “The people of Russia and Ukraine get along more than the governments do,” he said. 

“The primary hope is just to live in peace, and to raise their families,” said Redwine about the Ukrainian people, many of whom are poor by American standards.

The people of Mariupol were not concerned about a possible invasion, said Redwine. He said the invasion was not expected and the people were surprised.

Redwine told the Rotary Club audience he owns some buildings in Mariupol, but the city looks rather flat now as depicted in news reports. “They (his buildings) may not be there anymore,” he said.

“I fell in love with the country,” said Redwine, who noted he was in the process of becoming a Ukrainian citizen but the paperwork is now lost.

Redwine said there is a lack of honesty on the part of the Russian government, and the war will probably end when Putin is no longer in power. 

“I am hopeful an individual close enough to Putin will terminate his reign,” said Redwine. “Sooner or later, he will be removed.”