A popular bar dedicated to Ernest Hemingway in Kharkiv now lies in ruins after Russian shelling of the city.
The Old Hem was completely destroyed in the attack on Monday.
Two people died according to the local prosecutor’s office.
The bar’s owner, Kostiantyn Kuts, told the BBC the victims were in an apartment above and that no staff were in the pub at the time.
A statue of the legendary American writer had stood at the entrance of the Old Hem, which was popular with young creatives in the eastern Ukrainian city.
It stopped serving drinks and became a makeshift bomb shelter when Russia launched its invasion on February 24.
“We did not completely believe in what was happening and hoped that soon the bar would work. But the illusions were destroyed with the first bombs on residential buildings,” said Mr Kuts.
The bar owner is now in western Ukraine but hopes to return to the city one day to rebuild the pub.
“I’m sure Hem’s story didn’t end today,” he said. “We will win and Hem will rise again.”
