WASHINGTON — So many of us are watching the horrifying pictures out of Ukraine and wondering what we can do to help the victims. In D.C., two Russian exiles and two Ukrainian Americans are working together to raise what relief money they can.
Putin has tried to drive a wedge between Russians and Ukrainians. But the exiles at Dacha Beer Garden refuse to be divided. They working to help the victims of this horrible war.
"They’ve been our support from the beginning," said Iryna Kosavan, of Dacha co-owners Ilya Alter and Dmitri ChekaldinIlya. "They were actually the first ones who called us and said, 'How are your parents? Do you need anything?'"
The two owners of Dacha are members of the LGBTQ community and fled the repression of Putin’s Russia years ago. General Manager Zoriana Makar says they hate Putin as much as she does.
Makar's mother just made it out of Western Ukraine on Tuesday. Kosovan’s parents are still there, still listening for the air raid warning urging them to take cover.
"I would love the Russian people at night to hear the siren because personally, I can’t imagine that, and I don’t know how my mom feels. I can’t imagine," said Kosovan, crying.
"It could be any of us," said Makar.
Dacha means the same thing in Russian and Ukrainian: a summer cottage where you can take refuge. Dacha has long been a beloved refuge for Washingtonians and now they’re turning that energy into cash to help refugees.
"With this wristband, you can get our happy hour deal" all the time, says Makar, waving a blue wristband echoing the color of the Ukrainian flag. You get one for a $20 donation and they entitle you to happy hour prices any time.
So far, they’ve raised nearly $20,000 to help Ukraine in just the last few weeks.
It sounds like a lot, but Kosovan says "Nothing feels like enough."
The wristbands are available all the time. So you can sit outside this weekend and mix a little pleasure with a good cause. The money goes to UNICEF (the UN Children’s Fund) and other agencies working inside Ukraine.
They also do Cause Tuesdays at Dacha, and they’ll continue sending that money to Ukraine for as long as it takes.