A team of foreign volunteers had just finished dinner at a cozy hotel restaurant in Kryvyi Rih — a city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast where they had recently arrived to bring locals humanitarian aid — when a notification on their phones suddenly made the atmosphere tense.
A Russian ballistic missile was heading toward the city.
"We decided to go to the shelter, but we did not have enough time," British volunteer Karol Swiacki told the Kyiv Independent.
"We stood up and made a few steps, but then there was a big hit, loud noise, and a huge explosion. And then dust all over. There was so much dust that we couldn't breathe or see anything."
The powerful blast from the strike, which occurred around 10 p.m. on March 5, heavily damaged the five-story hotel.
As a result of the attack, five people were killed and 32 were injured, including two children aged 13 and 17, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.
Apart from the hotel, the missile strike also damaged 14 apartment buildings, a post office, almost two dozen cars, a cultural center, and 12 shops, the governor said.
"We saw the damage that (the missile) had done, not only to the hotel, it was all on fire," Swiacki recalls. "People were screaming. There were people with blood on their faces, dead people."
"People died in front of our eyes. It was a nightmare. We were in hell."
Sitting roughly 70 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the nearest front line, Kryvyi Rih remains a frequent target of Russian missile attacks. With a population of about 660,000, it is the second-largest city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"(After the explosion) we tried to get out of the hotel and went through the broken windows."
"Just before the strike, volunteers from a humanitarian organization checked into the hotel — citizens of Ukraine, the U.S., and the U.K.," Zelensky said after the attack. "They survived because they managed to escape their rooms."
Swiacki, who heads the U.K.-based NGO Ukraine Relief, says that all of the eight people he was with were fortunate enough to escape injury in the deadly attack.
"(After the explosion) we tried to get out of the hotel and went through the broken windows. It was so dangerous, we didn't know if it would collapse," Swiacki recalls.
"But when we saw it from outside, oh my God… We realized the reason for that big explosion: a missile."
Swiacki says that if they had been in their rooms when the missile struck the hotel, they likely would have been killed.
"Everything was smashed. It was just an absolute disaster," he says.
Originally from Poland, Swiacki dropped his career in entertainment shortly after the full-scale invasion started, launching the non-profit: "I remember my grandma's stories of what Russians were doing to our people in Poland, so I understand what it means."
"I am fully aware of what this war is about. This has nothing to do with peace. They want to destroy Ukraine, take it over, and break the nation completely. This is an absolute disgrace," Swiacki says.
Since Feb. 24, 2022, Swiacki and his team have delivered over five tons of humanitarian aid across Ukraine, as well as power generators, wheelchairs for people with disabilities, medical beds, and other essential supplies.
During their latest trip to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, they brought sports equipment and other items to support Ukrainian children affected by the war.
Swiacki says the attack on Kryvyi Rih destroyed three of their cars parked outside the hotel.
His team was able to recover the equipment from the "smashed van" and plan to deliver it to the children soon.
"We're continuing to support Ukraine. Many people would say we should stop, but no, it works the other way around. We will never stop and are stronger than ever," he says.
The attack on Kryvyi Rih took place amid the Trump administration's decision to freeze military aid and limit intelligence sharing to Ukraine — affecting warnings about Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukrainian military and civilian sites. Swiacki says he wishes U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance would come and see the war for themselves.
"Please come to Ukraine and see it yourself," he says. "People are dying here."
Overnight on March 7, just two days after the Kryvyi Rih attack, Russia launched at least 67 missiles of various types and 194 attack and decoy drones against Ukraine, targeting energy and gas infrastructure across the country.
"We need air defense all over Ukraine to stop these killings. No one can defend against these rockets without air defense," Swiacki says.
"I hope the West will finally wake up," he adds.
Note from the author:
Hi! Daria Shulzhenko here. I wrote this piece for you. Since the first day of Russia's all-out war, I have been working almost non-stop to tell the stories of those affected by Russia’s brutal aggression. By telling all those painful stories, we are helping to keep the world informed about the reality of Russia’s war against Ukraine. By becoming a member of the Kyiv Independent, you can help us continue telling the world the truth about this war.
Daria Shulzhenko
