José Andrés Says Missile hits humanitarian kitchen in Ukraine

A missile hit a restaurant in Ukraine that was working with Washington, D.C., based World Central Kitchen to feed people impacted by war, leaving four staff injured, the humanitarian organization’s leaders said.

The Associated Press reports a 15-year-old boy and at least eight other people died after rockets hit a residential area of the northeast city of Kharkiv.

World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés confirmed an explosion impacted a restaurant in Kharkiv in a Spanish-language message on Twitter.

World Central Kitchen CEO Nate Mook said that the restaurant had been working with the well-known Washington, D.C., chef’s organization.

Mook shared a video on Twitter that shows debris and burned cars. Mook said he had met with the restaurant’s team just 24 hours earlier.

“This is the reality here — cooking is a heroic act of bravery,” Mook said. The four staff injured are expected to be OK, Mook said. Andrés said that his team was unnerved but safe.

World Central Kitchen has been operating at Ukraine’s borders since just after Russia entered on Feb. 24. It also partners with local restaurants to prepare meals, according to its website.

Russian forces have restarted dispersed attacks on Kyiv, western Ukraine, and beyond after warning that it planned to step up missile strikes on the capital.

Moscow denies all the allegations and says the transform attacks targeted Ukrainian military sites. But each day brings more civilian victims of a war that has shattered European security.

The strikes on Saturday were a reminder to Ukrainians and their Western supporters that the whole country remains at risk despite Russia’s pivot toward a new offensive in the east.