11 Slices of Death

Who hasn’t been to a pizzeria? It’s a well-deserved respite at the end of day or week for the entire family. Adults love it and so do kids. We all have our favorite pizzeria, which is different from the one down the street or around the block. With an assortment of toppings or plain, the ubiquitous pizza is so popular that it can be considered America’s favorite food. It’s comfort food. It’s a safe place for family enjoyment.

It’s a culinary delight around the world, even Ukraine.

But thanks to russian terrorists, Ukrainians’ image of this food has dramatically changed. A pizzeria was the latest russian crime against humanity. It was thoroughly obliterated in the bombardment of a Ukrainian city, a non-military target frequented by civilians, a tactic russian war criminals have been using heavily in this 16-month-old war.

Russian cutthroats killed at least 11 people and injured 61 in a strike on a popular restaurant in Kramatorsk on Tuesday, June 27, thanks to the help of a Ukrainian traitor who provided exact coordinates that resulted in a direct hit on the eatery.

Three children, including twin sisters shown here along with mom and injured baby, are among the dead in the attack on the only major city in eastern Ukrainian controlled by Kyiv.

Rescuers have been digging through the rubble of the destroyed building, looking for people throughout Wednesday, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The shocking images broadcast by BBC this morning showed a mass heap of rubble and injured patrons and passersby.

The strike destroyed the Ria Pizza restaurant in the center of the city of 158,000 residents, popular with journalists, aid workers, soldiers, families and teens. According to Ukrainian sources, the russians used S-300 missile systems to attack the city.

Ukrainian authorities have arrested a local man they accuse of helping Russia direct the missile strike.

Three Colombians, famous writer Hector Abad, politician Sergio Jaramillo and journalist Catalina Gomez were slightly injured while having dinner in the restaurant with the Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina, according to local information. Amelina was taken to a hospital with head injuries among other wounds. She is the founder of the New York Literary Festival in Donetsk region. She read Oleh Sentsov’s stories translated into English at the Frankfurt Book Fair and participated in numerous actions in support of his release from russian captivity.

The unanswered question of how long will the free world tolerate russia’s war crimes in Ukraine persists? You hear it from Ukrainians around the world. You now hear it in the hearts of the parents of the killed children. There is no excuse for hearing this question if you are human and feel the pain that has enveloped Ukrainians.

Don’t get used to that pain.

Wouldn’t it be grand if the U.S. pizza industry, independent and chain pizzerias and distributors issued a statement of support for the Ukrainian people that condemned russia for this latest war crime?