Indian restaurant offers food, shelter in Kyiv as Russian missiles pound Ukraine capital

As Russia stepped up attacks on Ukraine, an Indian hotel in Kyiv opened its doors to several people in the war-torn country and provided them with food and shelter.

“I will continue to offer shelter and food for as long as I can,” Manish Dave, the owner of 'Saathiya' restaurant in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv said. Manish Dave's restaurant has offered shelter and food to many in the past few days as people were urged to take shelter amid deadly shelling by Russia.

His restaurant now houses dozens of children, pregnant women, students, homeless people and older locals. He has provided food and shelter to over 132 people till now.

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.

Located near a hostel for international students of Bogomelets National Medical University, he opened his restaurant in January. “Everything was going nicely. Suddenly, all these things happened here. There was fire, blasts, bombs. It has been very scary. People are scared,” he said.

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.”

At first, he reached out to his customers, who are mainly students, and then he posted on social media, inviting anyone in need of shelter or food. “If you don’t have any proper safe place to stay during this time, please go here,” he posted. He added the address of his restaurant. "We will try our best to arrange free food and stay according to our capacity. Stand united with Ukraine,” he said.

“Any nationality, any person can come here and take shelter,” he told the Washington Post.