Hroza to build memorial in place of café that was the site of Russia’s deadliest civilian attack
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The owner of the Sputnik cafe in Hroza in Kharkiv Oblast, where 59 people werekilled in a Russian Iskanders missile attack on Oct. 5, has no plans to rebuild the establishment. He will instead create an on site memorial to honor those killed in Russia’s deadliest attack on civilians.
Anatoliy Tverdokhlyebov lost family members and his business in the tragic incident.
"I still mourn everyone in my soul,” Tverdokhlyebov said.
“It's difficult to talk about it. All the memories weigh heavily on me. My own sister, her husband, and my nephew—her son with his wife—all perished. Two of my former classmates were among the casualties. I knew almost all those who perished and had interacted with them before. These were the people who took part in everything: repairing the roads, contributing their own money to fix potholes, helping with cemetery cleaning—everything. It's an unbelievable loss.”
The cafe was the center of life in Hroza, hosting various events such as funerals, weddings, and birthdays. Tverdokhlyebov does not know what he will do next, but he does know the cafe will not be rebuilt.
"I can't bring myself to do anything there. There's no desire because so many people died.”
"People suggest putting a monument there. I don't object to that … it's already a memorial site. Everyone comes there.”
Residents of Hroza hope to open the memorial before the anniversary of the tragedy.
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