Photo/Illutration A Siberian cat called Mir relaxes at the private residence of Akita Governor Norihisa Satake in Akita city on March 4, 2022. (Provided by the Akita prefectural government)

AKITA—A furry messenger of peace from Russia passed away without witnessing the end of the Ukrainian war.

The male Siberian cat, named Mir, was gifted by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Akita Governor Norihisa Satake as a symbol of friendship between Russia and Japan.

Mir recently departed for feline heaven.

In 2012, the year after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern Tohoku region around Akita, the prefecture sent Putin, a known dog lover, a special gift to thank Russia for providing relief to disaster-affected areas.

That gift was Yume, a female Akita Inu dog.

In return, Putin sent a fluffy gray cat to Akita Prefecture in 2013.

As Tokyo and Moscow are often at odds over various issues, including fisheries and the Northern Territories, a group of islands off Hokkaido administered by Russia, Satake named the feline “Mir.” 

“Mir,” meaning “peace” in Russian, reflects the Akita governor’s hope for bilateral reconciliation between Japan and Russia.

At a meeting with the Russian ambassador to Japan, Satake once admired their international ties and stated that “peace must be maintained so that dreams can come true,” referencing the dog’s name, “Yume,” which means “dream” in Japanese.

Unfortunately, Russia began a military invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine, in February 2022.

Satake defended his lovely feline, while strongly condemning the invasion.

“Our cat is innocent,” Satake said at the time. “Our beloved pet, Mir, is very gentle—unlike President Putin.”

Satake went on to say, “(The invasion) is extremely vicious from a humanitarian perspective, and I feel immense anger. Members of the international community must unite to stop the aggression by any means necessary.”

After coming to Akita at around age 1, Mir was raised at the governor’s private home alongside his other cats.

Satake, a devoted cat lover, would film Mir relaxing with his fellow felines and share the videos online.

Mir’s health declined in June, with his appetite waning. Mir died of illness early on Dec. 3 at the age of 12, with Satake at his deathbed.

“I told him that he would be able to play together with the cats (from the Satake family) who had gone to heaven before him,” recalled Satake sadly.

Satake said he has been flooded with messages of condolences and flowers from across Japan.

Asked if Yume is doing well, the governor said the last time he saw the canine was in a video of her playing with Putin in the snow.

He added that the footage was recorded a long time ago and there has been no information about Yume since then.

“I’m most worried about whether Yume is all right,” said Satake.

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