Tag: orphans

Russians plan to ‘Eat at Home’

Russian renowned film directors and brothers, Nikita Mikhalkov and Andrey Konchalovsky, are willing to create in Russia a chain of fast food restaurants, alternative to Western ones, and have asked the government to allocate one billion rubles ($18.65 million) for the purpose, the Kommersant daily wrote on Thursday citing the brothers’ letter to the Russian government.

“Andrey Konchalovsky and Nikita Mikhalkov ask the government to help in establishing a nationwide chain of public catering, alternative to the Western chains of fast food,” the newspaper writes. “But to launch a pilot project of cafes branded ‘Let’s Eat at Home’ the partners need 971.8 million rubles ($18.13 million).”

The Kommersant says that “today the topic will be on the table of Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.”

A nationwide chain of cafes branded “Let’s Eat at home” is supposed to be set up, the daily says, and Konchalovsky’s wife Yulia Vysotskaya, actress and TV hostess, who is the brand owner, is expected to become the face for new chain.

“The project aims to substitute imported foods and to create an alternative to Western chains of fast food restaurants,” the film directors say promising to gain profit in a span of 4.8 years.

“Let’s Eat at Home” eateries are planned to combine small shops and cafes, with regional foodstuffs making up 30-40% of the menu.

Also, the eateries are expected to provide dishes to social facilities, in particular to children’s homes.

Yulia Vysotskaya
Yulia Vysotskaya

Ukraine believes children would be better off bombed

The children’s rights ombudsman of Ukraine demanded Russia send back Ukrainian orphans who cross the border after evacuation from battle zones in the country’s east. The ombudsman accuses Russia of “kidnapping” and violation of children’s rights.

“Ukraine’s ombudsmen requests not to let orphans into Russia, probably thinking they’d be better off bombed,” tweeted Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in response.

There have been repeated reports of the Ukrainian army and national Guards shelling schools, kindergartens and orphanages over the last month.

Valeria Lutkovskaya sent an open letter to the head of Russia’s border guards, Colonel General Vladimir Kulishov, demanding the passage of orphans leaving eastern Ukrainian war zones be prohibited. She also published the letter on her Facebook page.

Lutkovskaya accused Russia of violating the rights of Ukrainian orphan children, who are being admitted to Russia “without proper paperwork.”

The directors of two orphanages refused to let children travel to Russia. They refused to prepare the proper documents.

In case children get to Russia, Lutkovskaya promised to regard the issue as “kidnapping” and would apply to international organizations to have the children returned.

At this point, there is no information on whether the children have started their journey to Russia, or if the buses transporting them have crossed the Russian border.

Ukraine’s heavy artillery shelled Donetsk all night long, the militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic said. “The cannonade continued all through the night until 8 am. The sound of explosions was coming from all parts of Donetsk,” Southeast Front spokesman Konstantin Knyrik told Interfax. “Immediate reports indicate that Grad launchers were used. Reports about casualties are being verified,” Knyrik said.

The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic announced on Twitter on Saturday, “as a result of the shelling of Maryinka, a suburb of Donetsk, an orphanage was destroyed; information about the victims will be specified”.

Source: RT