Closed since the war began in Ukraine because of the dangers of bombing and martial law banning the sale of alcohol, the Kryivka bar in downtown Lviv, in the west of the country, reopened there a few weeks ago.
Decorated in honor of Ukrainian rebels who fought in the Soviet Union during World War II, the establishment plays Ukrainian music and serves local specialties. One of the most popular remains a beer from the Pravda microbrewery in Lviv.
Marked with inscription Putin Huilousually translates as Putin is an assholethe label refers to a popular song of protest throughout Ukraine among supporters of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Russians and Putin are non -gratuitous people here. And in more ways than one. For example, to get into the Kryivka bar, you need to knock on the door. An evil -looking guard, armed with a submachine gun, asks for a password. What to answer Slava Ukrainian : glory to Ukraine, glory to its heroes.
This protocol is something to smile about, knowing that it was introduced a few years ago. But this rallying cry took on a whole new dimension in these times of war. The slogan was President Zelensky’s repeated ad nauseam in his appearances.
The Russians don’t say “Glory to Ukraine”, so it’s like a test, says Marian Matveyev, one of the servers in Kryivka, showing us around the area. There are artifacts from World War II and every customer can wear the military uniforms of the Ukrainian rebels at that time to get their picture.
The weather is different, but the protagonist remains the same, explains Marian, who drew a parallel between the Ukrainian resistance in World War II and the Russian invasion that is devastating his country so far. Proof of this is that this lone bar has a shooting range where patrons can practice aiming for a fairly obvious target here: the face of Vladimir Putin.
Even though he is far from the bombs raining down in the east of the country, Marian Matveyev remains hopeful and thinks that Ukraine will recover 20% of its territory that has fallen into Russian hands. Both Crimea and Donbass, he believes. Prior to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, he often spent his holidays in this region which was very hospitable at the time.
Now, knowing that he is in relative safety in a town located 70 kilometers from the Polish border, he says he is always ready to receive refugees from the Donbass. At the start of the war, when thousands of survivors arrived from Luhansk and Donetsk, he served them free food at the bar to show his support for their cause.
Hardly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and after the war Russia unleashed in February, the Kryivka bar gradually began to attract customers again. A firm believer in the success of the Ukrainian, the staff here aims to celebrate the arrival of that day. With beer bottles and gunshots at their favorite target …
Source: Radio-Canada
