A day in Kyiv for the defenders of the ChNPP and families of prisoners of war.

A military unit asked us for help. Defenders of the Chornobyl NPP were coming to Kyiv together with the families of those still in captivity. We had to make them a day after which things would feel at least a little easier.

We had no budget, no hall and no orchestra. All we had were people we could call.

Yaroslav wrote to chef Ievgen Klopotenko, ready for a refusal: it is hard for restaurants these days to host groups for free. The answer was short: "Yes, of course, here's the contact, I've let them know." The guests were treated to the "UNESCO" borscht.

Ihor Bykovskyi of the Exemplary Band of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was in restless regions when we called, but he fit a performance into his packed schedule. The Sviatovyd ensemble lifted the hall so much that nothing was left of the heavy thoughts. The hall was given free of charge by Tetiana Fedosieieva at the NaUKMA Museum. Together with Diana Protsenko, she also introduced us to the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Preserve: the director approved everything at once, and the head of the research department met the group in the caves, dressed as a wise old monk.

That morning at about nine the Lavra bell rang over Kyiv. It was a defender of the ChNPP who had climbed the bell tower.

The guests were shown around the city by Denys Kondratiuk, one of the best Chornobyl guides, even though he had important business of his own that day. Coffee and tea before the concert were served at the National Museum "Chornobyl."

"I am happy to have caring people around me, with whom no misfortune is frightening," Yaroslav wrote after that day.