Ukrainian chef turns restaurant into bomb shelter to feed civilians fighting Russian forces
Ievgen Klopotenko, 33-year-old Ukrainian chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school graduate, cook borscht in his restaurant in the center of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on November 25, 2020. (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
KYIV, Ukraine - A Ukrainian chef is taking matters into his own hands to aid his country's resistance in the war against Russia – by turning his restaurant into a bomb shelter to feed civilians fighting Russian forces.
Ievgen Klopotenko, who won Master Chef Ukraine, joined "Fox & Friends" Monday to discuss his efforts and how he is helping those fighting on the front lines to protect Ukraine's sovereignty.
"I want Ukraine to be Ukraine," Klopotenko told co-host Ainsley Earhardt. "I'm fighting for that already for eight year[s]… There's only one thing I can do. I should fight for my country.
"If I'm not good to soldier, so it's better not to go to the army if I cannot kill someone," he continued. "But I can support. I can do a lot of things which will help the Ukrainian Army. They need to eat, they need to be, to have money. They need to be to have what to wear... A lot of things which someone could do and this one, I can do very good."
Despite many Ukrainians being concerned about running out of food, Klopotenko said he has contacted suppliers to help make sure he has sufficient supplies to feed those who are fighting.
"We don't have a problem for now, but it's only four days of war," Klopotenko said. "We will see what is going to be in a week, but for now, thanks God, everything okay."
The Russian invasion entered its fifth day on Monday as Russian and Ukrainian officials meet in Belarus for negotiations.
Meanwhile, Russian forces attacked Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, with rockets reportedly prompting hundreds of casualties.
The United Nations has estimated there have been well over 120,000 Ukrainian refugees that have already left the country seeking refuge in neighboring countries like Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.
That number could climb up to four million people, they've warned.