Kiev, Ukraine (AP) – The explosion has come without warning. a Russian missile We ripped a cluster of townhouses at the edge of Kyiv, tore the facades from nearby apartment blocks, scattering the debris across the street like a mass of confetti.
The neighborhood was stunned by destruction. But within hours at the beginning of Monday, it transformed again – this time by volunteers who rushed in to sew life together.
I cleaned the tile rub using a tractor and earth mover, and my neighbor hammered onto particle boards and tarp pieces on a broken window. Smash grass was always carried in paint buckets.
Still still out of the kitchen, the family carried donated bags of beetroot, potatoes and onions. They cooked batches of steamed borshut and suddenly nourished them without a stove. Chaos has become a familiar type of choreography: hauling, sweeping, mixing.
At the heart of the effort was an underground cafe with the hopeful name, “You too,” which doubles as a bomb shelter and a nearby shelter.
Its owner, Svitlana Shtanko, 38, dragged the mattress to the floor, served teddy bears as children’s beds, and laid out pancakes, cold cuts and sweets for residents. “It was terrible, very loud and very scary,” she said. “I’m grateful that the people here went downstairs. If they were staying in their apartment, they wouldn’t have survived.”
By morning, the cafe had become a recovery hub. The stranger flowed with offers of food, essentials and even spare apartments. “It was like an estuary,” Stanko said. “Everyone is moving, helping, doing something. Some people have been cooked, some have sealed broken windows, others have hugged people who are shocked.”
Her own volunteer work has grown since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion February 2022. “When the alarm goes off, you panic and others take action,” she said. “Those who act help those who panic. Together, they go through it.”
All that help remains for Oksana and Mykola Pastukh. The 58-year-old couple had just bought a townhouse. It was wiped out a week ago by a missile explosion.
“We don’t have a house anymore,” Oksana said. “What we have is debt to the bank, which is horrifying,” they spoke in thanks to their neighbors and strangers who provided food, guidance and shelter.
Alona Chiameiva, who lives nearby, recalls the sudden attack. “Everything was on fire. The missiles were very low. The drones flew until 9am and so many people came to help. They were incredible.”
For Stanko, the answer to why Ukrainians appear together is simple. “Maybe it’s in our genes. It’s not going to pass someone who’s getting into trouble,” she said. “The most important thing is that people know they’re not alone. That’s why we created this place. So everyone can sit and drink coffee to keep breathing and keep breathing even if they don’t have the money.” ___
Associated Press journalists Evgeniy Maloletka and Dmytro Zhyhinas contributed to this report.
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