As sounds of explosions rang through Kyiv, the staff of Indian restaurant Saathiya would huddle in the establishment’s basement with around 130 others, praying for an end to the attacks, in the initial days when Russian forces began to target Ukraine.
Manish Dave arrived in Kyiv in September last year and opened the restaurant in January. Less than two months later, tensions between the two countries mounted as news reports confirmed a build-up of troops near the Ukrainian border. Dave’s establishment on Chokolivs’kyi Boulevard was soon to turn into a safe haven for locals and Indians in the area. “On February 14, there was a siren-like sound and two Ukrainian locals asked me if they could take shelter at my restaurant. They told me it is a good shelter in case of small bombings as it is underground,” he said.
Over the next few days, US intelligence officials said a Russian invasion was likely while two of Ukraine’s biggest banks came under a cyberattack, disrupting payments and showing zero balances on accounts. An advisory from the Indian government asking its nationals to leave Ukraine, unless their stay is essential, cemented worries.
On February 15, Dave shut his restaurant. Soon, many arrived there to take shelter. “I needed to do something. So I put a small note on a Telegram group informing people that shelter and food is available at the restaurant,” he said. The restaurant’s WhatsApp group – which usually informed Indian students about offers and discounts – also served as a platform to amplify the message.
Dhaval Bhatt, a staffer at the restaurant who hails from Gujarat’s Anand, said Indian students and locals from nearby buildings came to the eatery-turned-shelter. “There were some children, with whom we would play, and some got their pets too. We had decided by then that we will get through this together,” he said.
