Russia-Ukraine Crisis: This Indian eatery in Kyiv offers free food and shelter amid invasion

Amid Russian invasion of Ukraine, an Indian restaurant in Kyiv has turned a saviour for Indian students and Ukrainian nationals by providing them shelter and free meals. According to the Times of India, Saathiya restaurant has provided sanctuary to at least 70 people since the onslaught began.

Owner Manish Dave said that the restaurant has become a type of bomb bunker due to its location in the basement of Chokolivs’kyi Boulevard. As bombs started to explode around them, people flocked to Saathiya restaurant with their luggage.

Dave came to Kyiv from Gujarat's Vadodara in 2021 with plans to open an Indian restaurant for Indian students studying in the country. “I opened the restaurant to bring Indian culture to the country,” Dave told the Washington Post.

After a series of explosions when civilians desperately sought shelter, Dave thought of opening the doors of his restaurant. He said, "A basement is a safe place. The place is so big, and I should help.”

In a tweet, a Twitter handle called Good shared pictures of the restaurant and wrote, ”A man called Manish Dave has turned his restaurant into a shelter for over 125 vulnerable people in Ukraine. He & his staff cook food & risk their lives in search of ration for them all. The world needs more people like Manish Dave.”

Nataliya Hernandez Flor and her family have been at Dave's shelter since Thursday. She said Dave and his employees were 'very hospitable, polite and attentive.'

Dave does not take any financial help from the people who took shelter in his restaurant. Instead, he asks them to help him with groceries. “We are like one family. We all contribute things, not money. People are donating rice, food and vegetables. We are all contributing and sharing,” he said.