Late in the summer of 2022 Yehor Lohvynovskyi, owner of Lunca Bar, and his team were walking through central Kyiv. They spotted a courtyard that was empty. “We should open up a bar here!” said one of his coworkers half-jokingly.
They didn’t know that less than a month later, in February 2023, the joke would become a real business plan. The bar’s first location, the southern town of Kherson, was constantly under Russian shelling, even after it was liberated in November 2022 from Kremlin forces.
The only way to keep the business open was to rebuild in Kyiv.
The Lunca Bar is located in the heart Kyiv. Its vibrant courtyard fills up during the summer. The team recreated the cozy atmosphere from the Kherson location. Some of the original tables were used, and the walls were still decorated with artwork by local artists.
The war has changed the face of Ukraine‘s economic landscape, forcing businesses to relocate or adapt. Small and medium-sized businesses, which account for 99% of the economy, have been particularly hard hit.
These businesses account for 82% of Ukraine’s jobs, and 65% of the total sales and production. According to Ukrainian analytics firm Opendatabot, 7,820 companies have relocated in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion.
Lohvynovskyi, his partner and Lohvynovskyi founded Lunca Bar in 2015. It started as a speakeasy for 30 people. Over the years, the bar has grown into a hub for the local community.
Lohvynovskyi explained that the philosophy was more than just drinking alcohol. “It was all about the atmosphere, and bringing people closer together.”
By 2022, Lunca’s size had doubled and a terrace was added. Then war came. After the Russian invasion of Kherson, the Lunca Bar provided clean water and bread to the locals as supplies became scarce.
Everything changed on June 3, 2022. The Russians knocked at Lunca’s front door and demanded the bar. Lohvynovskyi knew that it was time for the team to leave Kherson. He had already left Kyiv back in May.
The team decided to use company reserves for the evacuation. The plan was to relocate all of the team members to Kyiv and secure temporary employment. They would then volunteer together every Friday at a charity in the center.
Six months passed between the team’s decision to reopen and the time it took them to settle in Kyiv.
Lohvynovskyi: “I gathered the Team.” “I told them that this was going to be a team effort. It will be difficult — we are strangers in the capital and we’ll need to do everything by ourselves. Are you prepared to give it your best shot at 105 %?'”
The team did not flinch. Their answer was simple, “Easy.”
The team was faced with a new challenge. Lohvynovskyi stated that the war had also taken his phonebook. “All the connections that we had built over the years are gone — everyone is scattered around the globe.”
Then, a group local Kyiv attorneys offered their pro bono services. They helped them overcome the logistical obstacles and gave them the boost to move forward.
Once they had found the perfect location, the team decided to open the stadium on June 22, 2023. Russia intervened once more. On June 6, 2023 Russian forces blew the Kakhovka Dam up. Lohvynovskyi, his team and the Lunca Bar were rushed to Kherson to salvage what they could before the water reached right bank.
They arrived too late. Lunca Bar had already submerged when they arrived. 70% of their furniture and equipment was floating.
The team, despite the devastation, launched a rescue operation, saving whatever they could, including a dog stuck on a roof, and offering assistance to towns nearby also affected by the flooding.
The opening was delayed a month because of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. They used furniture that had been rescued during the flood and attached QR codes to videos about their recovery efforts.
Lohvynovskyi smiled and said, “We invited Khersonians that had relocated to Kyiv because who better would understand our journey than them?”
Lohvynovskyi says: “I’m an optimist.” When asked what it means for small businesses to stay in Ukraine, he reflects on the issue. I believe that our country will have a better future, and I am willing to do my part to secure it. I feel a great responsibility for my hometown, and for the capital that has welcomed me as a businessman.”
Lohvynovskyi admits he never would have imagined moving to Kyiv if Russia had not invaded.
“I was happy in Kherson. We had the river and the sea. I had a motorboat, a house on the water, and a job at the sea. Every Friday, I went to the house near the river to spend some time with my family.
But I had no other choice. I made a conscious decision to move from Kiev. Although I didn’t like it at first, Kyiv is safer than most cities and I knew that I could provide employment for my team here, if I couldn’t at Lunca Bar then at other bars.”
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