New Moscow cafes to be named after rebel-held regions in Ukraine

Two cafes opening in Moscow are to be named after rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine. The cafes Donetsk and Luhansk, launched by an anonymous founder who claims to be on the side of the pro-Russian separatists, are being established as meeting places for those interested in discussing the latest on the regions.

A marketing consultant for the project, Anatoly Aranov, told Izvestia news website: “More than anything, these cafes will be places where you can find out about news first hand. Videos about the situation in eastern Ukraine will be shown, and people will be able to meet with representatives of the DNR (Donetsk People’s Republic) and LNR (Luhansk People’s Republic).”

The initial investment for each cafe is around 400,000 roubles ($10,382), a sum to be raised through crowdfunding, according to the founder. He plans on making the cafes “accessible establishments…where people can pay however much they feel they should, with this money funding the cafes,” according to Izvestia.

Much of the east of the Ukraine was plunged into conflict following the ousting of Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president in February. Donetsk and Luhansk declared themselves independent from Ukraine in April and May respectively after they were taken over by pro-Russian rebels.

The new cafes are planned to open later this year.

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