A boy playing the accordion near the ruined "Kvadrat" building has touched the hearts of people online
Near the “Kvadrat” shopping mall in Kyiv’s Lukyanivka district, which was destroyed following a Russian attack, a young boy played the song “How Can I Not Love You, My Kyiv” on an accordion. The video quickly went viral on social media and touched the hearts of thousands of Ukrainians.
The footage that went viral on social media was filmed near the “Kvadrat” shopping mall in Lukyanivka. It was this very shopping mall that suffered severe damage during the massive Russian attack on Kyiv on the night of May 24.
The video shows a little boy with an accordion. Behind him is the charred building of the shopping center, with traces of fire and destruction. Despite this, Lyubomyr stands calmly and plays a melody familiar to every Kyiv resident—“How Can I Not Love You, My Kyiv.” It is this contrast that touched people the most: a child, music, and a ruined city behind him.
It later became known that Lyubomyr wasn’t playing just for the sake of it.
The boy is raising funds for a vehicle for one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ units. People noticed a QR code for donations on the accordion’s case, and passersby simply left money while he was playing. This was reported by blogger Vasyl Moiseenko, who posted the video. “A boy named Lyubomyr is playing the accordion and raising money for a vehicle for the military. May God grant you good health, boy,” he wrote.
The video featuring Lyubomyr quickly garnered thousands of views and hundreds of comments. Ukrainians wrote that the video literally brought them to tears. Many thanked the boy and his parents for his upbringing and compassion.
Here are just a few of the comments under the video: “My child, you are an example of Ukrainian childhood to the whole world.” “Thank you to the parents for raising their son. Lyubomyr, thank you.”
The footage also shows Lyubomyr himself playing the accordion, with the destroyed “Kvadrat” shopping mall in Kyiv standing behind him—it burned down during Russia’s massive attack on the night of May 24. The video also features the melody of the song “How Can I Not Love You, My Kyiv,” which Lyubomyr played.
As a reminder, on the night of May 24, Russia carried out one of the largest attacks on Kyiv in recent times. Explosions rang out in the capital, air defense systems were activated, and fires broke out in several districts. One of the targets hit during the shelling was the “Kvadrat” shopping mall in Lukyanivka. After the strike, the building was gutted, and nearby structures and cars were damaged. It was against the backdrop of these ruins that Lyubomyr appeared with his accordion.
The boy’s story quickly became a symbol for many of what life is like in Ukraine today. While Russia destroys cities with missiles, Ukrainian children are raising money for the army, playing music amid the ruins, and never losing their love for their city.
The melody of “How Can I Not Love You, My Kyiv,” performed by Lyubomyr, sounded completely new to many at that moment. “This video is both painful and hopeful,” users write on social media.
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