Despite The War In Ukraine, Kyiv’s Cafe Culture Remains – This Is The Reality Of Running A Business During Conflict
On the morning of 25 March this year, the Macoca Cafe in Kyiv opened for its daily breakfast rush, brewing fresh coffee for a regular stream of customers. “We were going about our usual business, but Russia had other plans,” recalls Karina Gromova, the cafe’s co-owner, who started the business with her partner Andriy Petrie.
A Russian missile, which had slipped past the Ukrainian capital’s defence systems, had landed in Macoca’s otherwise quiet neighbourhood. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, missiles frequently target cities including Kyiv. In one of the most recent attacks in July this year, a children’s hospital in Kyiv was bombed as part of an aerial assault across the country that killed at least 43 people and injured dozens more.
There were no fatalities or major injuries caused by the attack on Macoca, but the damage to the cafe was immense. The force of the explosion shattered the cafe’s windows, sending shards of glass and splinter across the small space. A life-sized mannequin shielded the cafe’s barista from much of the flying debris, allowing her time to duck for safety. Gromova was at home when the explosion hit, but rushed to the site once she heard – and the sight that awaited her sank her heart.
“The building across the street was completely ruined. In the cafe, there was glass everywhere, the doors and windows had fallen off the hinges,” she told Service95, trying to recall memories that she has since attempted to block out.
08.08.2024
“I don’t remember much about that moment, or what I said, or how I got here, but I remember seeing Andriy and he said that everyone had survived. And then I could breathe,” she said. “That was the most important thing for me. I hugged them all, and for everything else, I knew we could fix it.”
It’s not easy running a small business in a country at war, where missile attacks remain a real threat every day. Yet cafes around Kyiv continue to thrive, packed with customers, some even with long queues. It’s not unusual to find dozens of small kiosks along major streets in the city centre, providing customers with their daily caffeine fix or a croissant for their commute.
“We are in a tragic situation, but life has persisted, which is why people are able to do some of things that help them feel normal, help them feel safe. It is what we are fighting for,” explains Anton Polishchuk, a former TV presenter and founder of a chain of cafes across Kyiv called 1900, the first of which was started in 2015. The most recent opened in May 2022, three months after the start of war.
“We are in a tragic situation, but life has persisted, which is why people are able to do some of things that help them feel normal, help them feel safe. It is what we are fighting for”
Anton Polishchuk
“All of us Ukrainians are experiencing a form of emotional illness during this time. There is so much negative news in the media. We need to find spaces that are safe, that are good, to protect our mental health,” he says. For him, Kyiv’s vibrant cafe culture has always been about building “micro-worlds with good people, smiles, good coffee, that’s all!”
Polishchuk’s decision to expand his business despite the war was a risky move that paid off. “When we reopened our cafes after the first few weeks, we felt that this city was really our home and we wanted to build our future here,” he explained. “During that time, there were a lot of signs of victory [against Russia]. We felt brave venturing into something new because we felt the war would end soon,” he said, admitting that after more than two years of war, he no longer feels as brave.
Running a cafe in wartime Ukraine has plenty of challenges beyond Russian missiles exploding in your street. “We have issues with lack of electricity, lack of employees, and even currency instability impacts us. It’s even riskier than 2022,” says Polishchuk.
Macoca Cafe also opened since the outbreak of war. Gromova and Petrie met in March 2022, as volunteers working in the aftermath of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Together they dreamed of doing something more for their wounded country. “We wanted to start a business, pay taxes, create jobs and build a cosy, healing space,” says Gromova.
“When we started, we knew it would be a bit risky, but now we know that it is a lot risky,” she says with a chuckle, recalling the initial days of building the cafe from scratch, at times literally with their own hands.
“There would be blackouts and we would work with flashlights and small bulbs run with generators,” she says. “We couldn’t afford a new coffee machine, so Andriy found an old one we could rent. We worked through difficult circumstances. We did it then, we know we can do it again.”
Petrie believes that the unique challenges they face as young businesspeople in Ukraine only makes them stronger. “I can’t tell you what it must be like to be a business owner in a country where you don’t have to worry about missiles and explosions. It is scary, but we understand the risks, and I feel stronger facing them,” he says. According to Polischuk, the restaurant industry before and after 2022 are two entirely different realities. “Before 2022, we spent a lot of time thinking about profits and expenses. But after 2022, it was entirely about our people and their sense of safety,” he said, recalling the first days of reopening his cafes after the initial weeks of closure in February 2022.
“We reopened in April 2022, and when we welcomed our regular guests, it was an emotional reunion with a lot of hugs and tears,” he says. “I don’t know how to explain… it was no longer about business, it was about creating something for our community.”
Gromova and Petrie echo his sentiment. When asked what drives them, they answer in unison, “The people!”
Macoca Cafe was built to serve the community, Gromova says. When it was damaged in the attack, the community responded. The street had been blocked off by the local police and fire department as they investigated the attack, but that didn’t stop the service at Macoca. “Friends and families from the neighbourhood showed up to help out within minutes,” she recalled.
“It all started as a joke. I asked the firefighters, police and other rescuers who were working if anyone wanted coffee, and many of their hands shot up. I looked at the bar, and there was no way to get in – everything was packed with debris – but there was a filter coffee machine, so we prepared that and started handing them out,” Petrie shared, adding that, of course, they didn’t charge the rescuers for the coffee.
“Within minutes, 40 people had lined up. Before they knew it, people from the neighbourhood showed up, wanting to buy their coffee and even pay for the rescuers’ coffee. Some even brought food and desserts from their homes to support us. Others offered to help us clean,” he said, adding, “This is Kyiv. This is our strength.”
Ruchi Kumar is a freelance journalist based in India. She has previously lived and worked in Kabul, Afghanistan, and writes about the region for publications including The Guardian, Foreign Policy and NPR
