"We poured all of our love into this": Relatives of Ukrainian soldier killed in the war open the bookstore of his dreams
A new bookstore in Vinnytsia honours the memory of journalist Mykola Rachok who fought in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and was killed in Donetsk Oblast in July 2022.
Rachok, then 27, dreamed about opening his own bookshop. His parents and sister decided to make his dream a reality, creating a bookstore of his dreams.
The bookstore, called Heroi (Ukrainian for Heroes) opened on 29 January, the day Ukraine honours the memory of the Heroes of the Battle of Kruty – Ukrainian students who tried to stop the Bolsheviksʼ offensive on Kyiv in 1918, and were captured and shot by the Bolsheviks.
Rachok’s sister Antonina told Ukrainska Pravda about the importance of honouring his memory for Mykola’s family.
Mykola Rachok was a journalist, publishing editor of the Kunsht magazine, and an editor for the InfoCar website.
Rachok joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, serving in the 58th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade named after Ivan Vyhovskyi.
He was killed during fighting with Russia’s Wagner Group in Donetsk Oblast on 21 July 2022. During the battle that claimed Rachok’s life, his unit stopped a Russian assault and eliminated an assault group. Rachok was awarded the Order for Courage, 3rd degree, posthumously on 17 August 2023.
"Kolia [short for Mykola – ed.] is a very special person. He really is someone that you’d never forget once you met him. That’s what happened with everyone who knew him. He was loving, caring, generous, profound, and very very tactful. He always respected and accepted everyone’s opinions, even when he didn’t share them," Antonina Lulka-Rachok, Mykola’s sister, recalls.
Rachok always loved literature: he studied it, and he loved reading, wrote poetry, and dreamt of opening his own bookstore in Kyiv.
He talked to his sister about it many times, but the war cut his life short before he was able to make it happen. His family took up his dream in an effort to honour and preserve the memory of his life.
"When he was killed, we knew what we had to do: open the bookstore. Then we will work on making his other dreams come true. They’re just as wonderful, but this one had to come first. This is a really special place, we poured all of our life in it," Antonina says.
Mykola Rachok’s family spent 10 months working on the bookshop. On 27 January 2024, they hosted Mykola’s friends there for an evening honouring his memory. Antonina and Mykola’s friends put up the bookshop’s sign together.
The next day, the Rachok family invited their friends and relatives to visit the store. The store opened its doors for the general public on 29 January.
"We expected that Vinnytsia residents will come on 29 January, but we couldn’t imagine quite how many people would show up, bringing flowers and gifts. I know that everyone feels at home here because we wanted to make this store a place where people would want to linger and spend time," Antonina says.
Mykola Rachok’s family is learning the ropes of running a bookstore on the fly; this is a completely new endeavour for all of them. For now, the bookstore’s events calendar is filling up, and the visitors are streaming in.
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