An iconic pub named after American novelist Ernest Hemingway in Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv was destroyed by Russian shelling on Monday.
Old Hem, founded in 2012, was a popular pub for young creative minds in the city. Patrons had to walk past a statue of the author to enter the pub, which was adorned with portraits of writers such as Charles Bukowski, Mark Twain and Sergei Dovlatov along its walls.
Ukrainian poet Serhiy Zhadan and musician Oleh Skrypka were some of those who regularly performed at the pub.
Images shared on social media showed a part of an entire building torn down, with fire billowing on the corner.
According to the Kharkiv prosecutor's office, two people who were reportedly living in apartments above the bar died in the attack.
Owner Kostiantyn Kuts said the pub turned into a makeshift bomb shelter when Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine on 24 February.
“We did not completely believe in what was happening and hoped that soon the bar would work. But the illusions were destroyed with the first bombs on residential buildings,” he told BBC News.
Mr Kuts, who is hoping to make it to Germany, added that the days leading up to the war were “business as usual”, with many feeling at home. “The pub was popular among young people, and they were all optimistic and did not believe in war,” he said.
For over two weeks, Russian forces have incessantly shelled Kharkiv, which has led to dozens of civilian deaths and destruction of property.
Kharkiv governor Oleh Synyehubov on Monday said the city was hit by short-range Iskander ballistic missile systems. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that 600 houses, including 50 schools and several medical institutions, were hit by Russian missiles.
“They are firing at us constantly,” the mayor said on national television.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that negotiation talks between Ukraine and Russia will continue on Tuesday as the war entered the 20th day. In a video address, Mr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian delegation did good work during Monday’s talks.
A senior US defence official said that Russia’s military advances outside of a number of cities in Ukraine have “stalled”. There has been no “appreciable” change on advances on the capital city of Kyiv or Kharkiv, but the southern port city of Mariupol is “isolated”.
Meanwhile, a convoy of more than 160 cars departed from Mariupol on Monday, according to local officials, in what appeared to be the first successful attempt to arrange a “humanitarian corridor” to evacuate civilians from the besieged Ukrainian city. People have been trapped in Mariupol for more than two weeks and are reportedly running out of supplies after being surrounded by Russian forces.
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