On the fourth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, residents of the capital of attempted to stock up on food ahead of the curfew imposed on the city. But many store shelves were already empty, with supplies unable to reach local supermarkets.
"I've never seen such long lines," said one resident of the city on Friday. But even those who managed to enter the shop found there was little left to buy.
"The woman in line before me took the last two remaining lemons," the woman said. "I grabbed the last pack of noodles, yeast to bake bread and some candy," she said, adding that despite the long line, people exhibited "exemplary" behavior. "People helped each other, letting the elderly in first."
Among NGO's tying to help is Israel's Yad Ezer food charity from Haifa, which sent Israeli volunteers to join local Jews and distribute food not only to the Jewish community, but also to other displaced Ukrainians.
"We sent a truck full of food from Odessa and are distributing food in Lviv, Kyiv and elsewhere," CEO Shimon Sabag said.
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Israeli NGO Yad Ezer Lehaver prepares food to be distributed amid shortages in Ukraine
(Photo: Yad Ezer Lehaver)
"We have a Magen David marking on our vehicles and are interviewing in local and international media outlets so that Jews in the world see what we are doing and can donate to help us.
"It is hard to see hungry children," he said. "These are tragic times and I am worried about the humanitarian cost to innocent civilians. Russia could bring chaos to all of Europe and I want to show solidarity with the Jews of Ukraine," he said.
"This is an opportunity for Israelis to show solidarity."