Today, we found ourselves at a tire shop in Lviv. They are not selling a lot of tires.
The bomb had struck early in the morning, as the workers had been gathering, getting ready to begin their day. Six men were smoking cigarettes, as many here do; sipping very strong cowboy coffee; and talking together, when the cruise missile hit. Men and tires were instantly vaporized, leaving the steel belting and the rubber in a dark cloud of smoke. The Ukrainians struggling to clean up the site told us that they had found only one human hand — the only reminder that there had once been six men here this morning: fathers, sons, and brothers.
The missile was meant for the railway infrastructure adjacent to the tire shop, but it missed, and now six men will be missed forever.
Slava Ukraini, Heroyam Slava
Author Brian O’Dea & Cinematographer Frank Vilaca are in Ukraine filming a documentary. The Independent is sending their series of dispatches from the field.
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