The wavy yellow “M” remains attached to the facade, like the symbol of a battered resistance. At the exit of the led metro station, this McDonald’s partially burned during the massive air attack carried out by Russia on the night of May 23-24. The chain’s iconic letter “M” melted from the heat. “They will rebuild and reopen very quickly, as usual,” says a passerby visibly annoyed at no longer being able to buy his morning coffee before rushing into the metro. Not that he particularly likes McDonald’s, but the establishment was the first open in the neighborhood, before 6 a.m. The man will not have long to wait: against all expectations, McDonald’s reopens its doors at midday, following an express renovation.
The place is legendary in kyiv, as the first local of the American chain to open its doors in the capital in 1997, a time when it was synonymous with market economy and post-Soviet democratization. Since 2022, it has been hit no less than seven times during Russian air raids. Each time, it was restored and reopened in record time, an exception in a neighborhood that is healing its wounds. In the surrounding area, the food market and the “Kvadrat” shopping center went up in flames. Dozens of buildings lost their windows. 69 meters underground, the ceiling of the metro station crumbled under the repeated shock of the explosions, while dozens of civilians took refuge on the platforms. A wooden panel even came loose, injuring one person.
This article is reserved for subscribers
Would you like to read more? Subscribe without obligation to our digital offer
I subscribe
