Russian and Ukrainian workers at Russian Samovar are united in their opposition to the war.

Transcript

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, New York City restaurants with roots in both countries are watching the terror of war reach dining tables, bar counters and kitchens. Camille Petersen has this report from Russian Samovar, a restaurant in Manhattan.

CAMILLE PETERSEN, BYLINE: Russian Samovar is surrounded by glittering Broadway marquees, but the restaurant's front door has two simple signs on it - stand by Ukraine, no war and a printed Ukrainian flag. Inside there is a red carpet, a long wooden bar and a white piano. John Retsios is drinking vodka infused with dill and horseradish. He's been coming here for almost 20 years.

JOHN RETSIOS: I didn't even have to think twice about seeing that sign on the door because I saw it and it caught my eye. And I was like, oh, of course, of course, we're all on the same page here.

PETERSEN: But the restaurant's third-generation owner, Misha Von Shats, worries other customers are staying away because of the Russian in Russian Samovar. He says in the first few days after the invasion, business already fell more than 50%.

MISHA VON SHATS: We have many Ukrainians that work for us. We need business in order for them to make money, for them to support and send money out there.

PETERSEN: Von Shats is Russian and Ukrainian. He's trying to make it clear the restaurant supports Ukraine. He removed a bust of Putin from the dining room and is hoping to host fundraisers for Ukraine. He wants to gather the flags of every former Soviet Republic state.

VON SHATS: I want to tie them all together and raise the banner. We're all one. We are all supportive.

PETERSEN: Von Shats' biggest worry is his Ukrainian employees. One is stuck in Ukraine. He went to visit family a few days before Russia invaded. Others are terrified for their loved ones back home.

VON SHATS: First thing I do is I come in, say, how's your family? How's everything? You heard from them?

PETERSEN: The restaurant's accordion and piano player lost his niece, who had worked at an army base in Ukraine.

VON SHATS: So I had a grown man, somebody I'd had known for years, crying, crying in my arms.

MARIA MEDVIEDVA: Am I supposed to be here or am I supposed to go back?

VON SHATS: For over nine years, Maria Medviedva has been a server here. She grew up in Kharkiv, where her family is hiding underground from Russian attacks. She's a pharmacist and says she could be helpful at home.

MEDVIEDVA: I'm not deserving to be here. I'm not deserving, like, to have food, you know, to sleep. But that's the only way you can help. It's like you have to help them with the money.

PETERSEN: She says her Russian co-workers are also grappling with the war.

MEDVIEDVA: They are so ashamed for their country - so ashamed, so embarrassed. And I'm seeing their eyes, like, I'm sorry, I'm feeling bad and also helplessness.

PETERSEN: For Medviedva, working at the restaurant, serving chicken Kyiv and piroshki and honey cake is a distraction from group chats about bombings and where to find food.

MEDVIEDVA: What is going on, it shouldn't be in any part of this world at all. Nobody deserves this.

PETERSEN: She fears that any moment she'll find out the day's phone call with her parents was the last.

For NPR News, I'm Camille Petersen in New York. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.