Ruslan Mocharskyy (right) in one of his Art Of Coffee outlets in Dublin in 2016, with Katelyn Kearney of 98fm and Petar Lijovic. Pic: Damien Eagers
Tony McCullagh
March 01 2022 02:44 PM
The Ukrainian owner of a chain of Dublin coffee shops has been left speechless by his customers’ response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in his country.
Ruslan Mocharskyy, who has 13 Art of Coffee branches across the city, launched an appeal on social media yesterday seeking vital medical supplies and other essential items for those affected by the Russian invasion.
He told Independent.ie they had filled two vans in the space of four hours, with donations continuing to flood in today.
“The phone never stopping ringing,” he said. “One woman was crying, asking what she could do to help. She said she was going to go to Boots to buy some medical products for us.
“The response from people has left me without words – I have shivers down my body when I think about it.
“Mentally, this has been very rewarding, knowing I can do something to help – it has become a full-time job.”
He said a group of Ukrainian doctors working in Ireland had secured the use of an ambulance, which will leave for Poland on Wednesday, packed with medical supplies.
“We also have a van departing on the ferry tomorrow, in addition to three pallets going to Poland on a lorry tonight,” he said. “People have donated everything from children’s nappies and baby food to toothbrushes and colouring books.”
Mr Mocharskyy said Ukraine-based doctors had provided a detailed breakdown of the most urgent medical equipment needed and praised the Ukrainian Embassy in Ireland for their assistance with the operation.
“They have been totally supportive and have provided us with any paperwork we need,” he said. “They are in touch with the Ukrainian consulate in Poland, who will be meeting the ambulance to make sure it can get through special corridors to Ukraine.
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“The Polish have been amazing and have opened logistical centres close to the border.”
Mr Mocharskyy, who has lived in Ireland for 20 years and has two Irish-born children, has arranged for his wife’s parents and his mother to fly to Dublin on March 8 and will be travelling to meet them in Poland later this week.
“There is a 24-hour wait to just get on a train at the moment, so that’s the main difficulty,” he said. He remains “terrified” for his friends in Ukraine and has offered them accommodation in Dublin.
“There are no words to describe it,” he said. “My day starts and ends watching the news.”
Mr Mocharskyy’s hometown of Ivano-Frankivsk, close to the Polish border, has largely been unaffected by the conflict so far, apart from a bomb that fell on a local airport.
While he remains optimistic that a diplomatic solution can be found, he urged NATO to immediately close Ukrainian airspace.
“The Ukrainian army are the best in the world and can win on the ground, but we are weak when it comes to protecting ourselves from the sky,” he said.
Mr Mocharskyy, who runs The Art of Coffee with business partner Anatoliy Kyrychenko, set up the successful chain in 2009, with six branches operating as franchises.
Donations for the Ukrainian appeal can be accepted at all 13 branches, located at Grand Canal Dock, Spencer Dock, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Ringsend Road, Capital Dock, Pembroke Road, Hogan Place, Harcourt Road, GPO Arcade, Rathmines, Leopardstown, Merrion Road and Dún Laoghaire.