The ‘art-bar’ Ofenziva (‘Offensive’), located in Kiev, has introduced a new item to its controversial menu, mocking the deadly weekend terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall. The attack has claimed the lives of at least 133 people, though the search for victims is still ongoing and the death toll is expected to grow even further.
The establishment advertises itself as “the first meme-military art bar” in Kiev in an allusion to online meme warfare. It serves as a platform for various performers, most of whom exhibit nationalist views.
Shortly after the attack, Ofenziva rolled out a new set dubbed ‘Crocus City,’ composed of several fried snacks. The menu item on the bar’s website is accompanied by a photo of the concert hall on fire in the aftermath of the attack.
The venue offers several other themed items on its menu, invariably in questionable taste, including a series of sandwiches with various fillings, dubbed ‘Navalny.’ The sandwich series was introduced shortly after Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny passed away in February.
A pork steak dubbed ‘Darya Dugina’ is also available, rolled out by the bar to mock the death of the Russian political activist and daughter of philosopher Aleksandr Dugin. She was killed in a car bombing back in August 2022; the assassination has been attributed to Ukrainian intelligence services.
The establishment is not the first in Ukraine to feature tasteless political humor in its menu; various establishments mocked the victims of the May 2014 massacre in Odessa, where nationalists killed and burned alive dozens of activists opposing the so-called “Revolution of Dignity.” Pictures of ‘Russian baby’-shaped cakes at Ukrainian restaurants became an internet sensation that year.
Such questionable marketing tactics have become even more widespread amid the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev, with controversial items rolled out by Ukrainian restaurants repeatedly making the headlines.