In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops are amassing in anticipation of an upcoming offensive in the Donbass. Further north, near the border with Russia, the country’s second city, Kharkiv, is under constant bombardment. In the northern districts of the city especially, but also in the center and the south of the city. Businesses in Kharkiv have been closed for several weeks now. But a handful of restaurants have decided to reopen in recent days, above all to support the morale of the inhabitants who have remained there. An oasis in the midst of war.
With our special correspondents in Kharkiv, Mary Normand and Julien Boileau
In the dead streets of Kharkiv, with shops inevitably closed, music escapes from an open door. A little corner of paradise, explains Lyuke. Seated with his salad and his soda, he did not expect to find such a place in Kharkiv in the middle of the war. ” It’s not so secure because there are big glass windows which are not protected, he confides. But we feel safe, we stop worrying for a few minutes, just enough time to enjoy the moment. »
This restaurant, frequented by the trendy youth of Kharkiv before the war, had closed its doors since February 24. A problem of employees above all, explains Lena, the manager of the restaurant. All the waiters and cooks had fled to the west of the country. She stayed. And she decided a few days ago to give a new impetus to her neighborhood. ” People should find this place safe, more or less. »
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It was the first restaurant to reopen in central Kharkiv, with reduced prices to keep customers coming back. Getting her out of the air-raid shelters, Lena explains: We are also afraid. Our second restaurant was bombed. But people sit here. They don’t hear the sounds of explosions because the music is loud. And we hope that everything will be okay soon. »
