Man wanted for stealing over $2,000 in donations from Ukrainian restaurant in Toronto

A popular restaurant in Toronto’s west end is looking for answers after security footage captured a man stealing a donation box that contained a large sum of money raised for Ukraine.

Barrel House Korchma in Etobicoke took to social media on Thursday, sharing a photo of a man they say stole a donation box for humanitarian aid from inside their restaurant.

The restaurant’s co-owner, Tetyana Barylko, tells CityNews the man attended the business around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday and is said to have asked staff for takeout containers without placing an order.

“He first asked the server to use the washroom and then asked if he could buy some takeout boxes,” Barylko said. He didn’t buy any food.”

Barylko said when the server went to the containers, the man grabbed two donation boxes and left the establishment.

“Our security cameras caught him running around the building and jumping the fence,” she said. “At the entrance of the fence is where we found one of the donation boxes, broken but with no money.”

“There was at least $2,000 he stole,” Barrel House Korchma wrote on social media. “If you have any information that can help our case for the police, please contact us.”

Barylko substantiated that, noting that “there was about $2,000 in the boxes, if not more.”

Toronto police confirmed with CityNews that investigators are aware of the incident but have not yet assigned anyone to oversee the case.

A popular restaurant in Toronto’s west end is looking for answers after security footage captured a man stealing a donation box that contained a large sum of money raised for Ukraine. Photo: Barrel House Korchma/Instagram.

Barylko says it’s the first time staff members noted this particular person in their restaurant, but that community members have reached out, telling them that the man is believed to be from the Mimico area.

In the winter, Barrel House Korchma was one of many local restaurants to announce an initiative to raise funds for Ukraine after Russia invaded the eastern European country.

The business partnered with “Friends of Ukraine Defense Forces Fund,” which provides humanitarian aid and assistance to Ukraine’s soldiers, volunteers and their families.

The Canada Ukraine Foundation recently said that it has delivered food boxes to 130,000 families in 21 Oblasts in the past six months and purchased three months of medicines for 100,000 people.

There have been 42 million donors, according to the website.

As of June 28, Canada has committed $320 million in humanitarian assistance to respond to the needs of people affected by the situation.