If a Ukrainian woman you met online says she needs money for an EU visa, Schengen visa, travel permit, insurance, ETIAS, or border fee, do not pay before verifying the story.
Many dating scams use visa confusion. The woman may sound sincere. She may say she wants to visit you, meet in Europe, or escape the war. Then the story turns into documents, fees, deadlines, and urgent payments.
For an American man unfamiliar with European travel rules, this can sound believable. That is why scammers use it.
Before sending money for any visa, ticket, insurance, travel document, or European border story, use our Ukrainian woman verification service. We can help check whether her identity, documents, photos, and travel story are consistent.
Do Ukrainians Need a Visa to Travel to the EU?
Ukrainian citizens with biometric passports have visa-free access for short stays in the Schengen area. The standard rule is up to 90 days within a 180-day period for short-term travel.
This does not mean every Ukrainian woman can enter any European country in every situation. Border officers may still check documents, travel purpose, funds, insurance, previous stays, and entry conditions.
But if a woman says, “Ukrainians always need an EU visa now,” or “the EU canceled visa-free travel for Ukrainians,” that statement should be checked carefully.
Why Scammers Use EU Visa Stories
Visa stories sound official. They involve embassies, passports, border guards, insurance, travel agencies, documents, deadlines, and fees. This makes them useful for romance scammers.
A scammer may say:
“I need money for a Schengen visa.”
“The EU canceled visa-free travel for Ukrainians.”
“I need travel insurance before I can leave.”
“The border requires a special document.”
“ETIAS is a new visa, and I must pay today.”
“The travel agency cannot release my ticket.”
“I need cash to show at the border.”
“My passport is accepted only with extra paperwork.”
Some of these words may refer to real travel concepts. The scam begins when real terms are mixed with false payment pressure.
ETIAS Is Not a Schengen Visa
ETIAS is often misunderstood. It is a travel authorization system for visa-exempt travelers, not a normal Schengen visa.
Scammers may use ETIAS as a new excuse for money. They may claim it is expensive, urgent, difficult, or impossible without your financial help.
Be careful with any story where a woman you met online asks you to pay for ETIAS, visa authorization, border approval, or a travel agency “guarantee.” Real travel requirements should be checked through official sources, not through romantic pressure in a chat.
Schengen Visa Scams in Online Dating
Some Ukrainian women may need specific documents depending on their travel situation, destination, passport type, or length of stay. But romance scammers often abuse this complexity.
A fake Schengen visa story usually develops in stages:
first, she says she wants to visit you
then she needs passport or visa help
then she needs travel insurance
then a travel agent asks for another fee
then the ticket is blocked
then border control requires more money
Each request may sound small. Together, they create a controlled chain of payments.
In many dating scams, the woman sends a Ukrainian passport to make the travel story look real. A passport photo can create trust, especially when the man wants to believe the relationship is serious.
But a passport image in a chat is not proof of identity. It may be fake, altered, stolen, expired, or unrelated to the person using it.
Travel insurance and proof-of-funds stories are common in romance scams. The woman may say she needs a specific amount of money to prove she can support herself during travel.
Sometimes scammers call this “cash to show at the border.” They may promise to return the money after crossing.
Do not send money based only on this claim. It is one of the most common travel-scam pressure tactics.
The visa story usually does not appear immediately. First, the woman builds trust.
She may write every day, send photos, call you “my dear,” and talk about a future meeting. Once the emotional connection feels real, she introduces the travel problem.
This is why visa scams are closely connected to internet relationship scams. The relationship creates trust, and the visa story creates urgency.
Warning Signs of a Fake EU Visa Story
Be careful if a Ukrainian woman you met online:
claims all Ukrainians now need EU visas
says visa-free travel was canceled
asks for money for Schengen visa documents
sends a visa image but refuses verification
asks you to pay a travel agent directly
claims ETIAS is a costly emergency visa
says she needs cash to show at the border
changes the amount several times
uses guilt or panic when you ask questions
refuses to explain the route clearly
If her explanations keep changing, read our guide on how to detect lies in dating. Contradictions often reveal more than one suspicious document.
Photos Do Not Prove the Travel Story
A scammer may send selfies, luggage photos, screenshots of tickets, or photos near a bus station or airport. These images may look convincing, but they do not prove who she is or where she is now.
Photos can be old, stolen, staged, edited, or taken from another person’s account.
If the photos look model-like, erotic, or connected to online adult content, our guide on how to find a webcam model from Ukraine may also be relevant.
EU Visa Scam vs. Real Travel Problem
Not every travel complication is fraud. Real people can have document problems, expired passports, insurance questions, rejected entries, or border issues.
The difference is verification.
A real situation should produce consistent facts. A scam situation usually produces more emotion, more urgency, more payments, and fewer verifiable details.
Ask yourself:
Have I verified her real identity?
Is her Ukrainian passport genuine?
Does she actually need the visa she describes?
Is the amount realistic?
Is she using official sources or only chat messages?
Why am I being asked to pay instead of checking first?
Does the story become more expensive after each payment?
What to Verify Before Sending Money
Before sending money for any EU travel story, verify:
her real identity
her real location
whether her photos belong to her
whether her Ukrainian passport is genuine
whether her visa or ETIAS story makes sense
whether her ticket or insurance document is real
whether the payment recipient is suspicious
whether other men have reported the same profile or photos
How Ukrainian Passport Verification Service Can Help
We help men verify travel stories before romantic trust becomes financial loss.
Depending on the case, we can help you:
verify a Ukrainian woman
check her Ukrainian passport
verify a suspicious Schengen visa image
review U.S. visa claims if the story shifts to America
identify her by photo
analyze whether her travel story matches known scam patterns
check whether photos are connected to webcam or adult platforms
prepare an evidence-based review after financial loss
Final Advice
EU visa rules can be confusing, and scammers use that confusion. Do not send money because a woman says the EU canceled visa-free travel, ETIAS is urgent, or a border officer needs payment.
Before paying for any Schengen visa, ETIAS, passport, ticket, insurance, travel agency, or border story, verify the woman and her documents first.
A Ukrainian ID card, often called a plastic passport, can look very convincing when a woman sends it in a dating chat. It has a photo, personal data, document number, issue details, and official-looking design elements.
But a photo of a Ukrainian ID card is not proof that the woman is real. It can be genuine, fake, altered, stolen, expired, or unrelated to the person using it online.
For American men who communicate with Ukrainian women on dating sites, this matters. Scammers often use passport photos, ID cards, visas, tickets, and other documents to create trust before asking for money.
If a woman you met online sends you a Ukrainian ID card, passport, or plastic document before asking for money, travel support, visa fees, or emergency help, verify it first through our Ukrainian passport verification service.
What Is a Ukrainian ID Card?
A Ukrainian ID card is the passport of a citizen of Ukraine in the form of a plastic card. It replaced the older paper internal passport booklet as the modern domestic identity document, while older booklet-style internal passports may still remain valid in certain cases.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs explains that a citizen can issue an ID card for the first time or exchange an old 1994-style passport booklet for an ID card through territorial divisions of the State Migration Service, regardless of the place of registration. The Ministry also notes that replacing the old passport booklet with an ID card is available at the owner’s request. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
For dating-scam prevention, the key point is simple: a Ukrainian ID card is a real document type. But a document image in a private chat still needs verification.
Is a Ukrainian ID Card the Same as an International Passport?
No. A Ukrainian ID card is a domestic identity document. A Ukrainian international passport is used for travel abroad.
Both documents may be called “passport” in English contexts, which can confuse foreign men. A woman may send an internal ID card and call it a passport. She may also send an international passport used for travel.
This confusion is often used in dating scams. The scammer may show one document and use it to support a completely different story about travel, visa, borders, or identity.
What Information Is Usually Visible on a Ukrainian ID Card?
A Ukrainian ID card may contain visible personal and document details. Depending on the side of the card and the design version, these may include:
surname
given name
patronymic
sex
date of birth
nationality
record number
document number
expiry date
date of issue
issuing authority
taxpayer number
place of birth
machine-readable zone
But visible data alone is not enough. A fake image can copy many of these fields. The question is whether the document, data, photo, formatting, security logic, and person behind the document are consistent.
Common Signs of a Suspicious Ukrainian ID Card
A suspicious Ukrainian ID card may have problems that are not obvious to an untrained viewer.
Warning signs may include:
wrong font type or spacing
incorrect field format
wrong transliteration
inconsistent date format
bad photo placement
low-quality editing around the text
blurred security elements
wrong issuing authority logic
inconsistent document number or record number
data that does not match the woman’s story
Many fake documents look good enough to deceive a victim in a chat. They do not need to survive expert analysis. They only need to create trust fast.
Can a Ukrainian ID Card Be Checked Online?
The State Migration Service of Ukraine has an official online service for checking invalid documents. The document-type options include the passport of a citizen of Ukraine, passport of a citizen of Ukraine in card form, and passport of the citizen of Ukraine for travelling abroad. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
However, this does not mean a foreign man can fully verify a dating profile by using one public form. A document may not appear invalid and still be misused, stolen, edited, or unrelated to the person communicating with you.
That is why dating-related verification should look at the full case: document, person, photo, phone number, social media traces, story, and money request.
Fake ID Cards in Ukrainian Dating Scams
A fake Ukrainian ID card often appears after the scammer senses doubt. The victim starts asking questions, and the woman responds with a document image.
The message may sound like this:
“Here is my passport. Now you can trust me.”
“Why do you doubt me if I sent my ID?”
“I need money for my documents.”
“My passport is being renewed.”
“I cannot travel without this new card.”
“The agency needs my ID and your payment.”
This is not proof. It is a pressure tactic.
ID Card vs. Photo Verification
Sometimes the ID card photo appears to match the woman’s selfies. That still does not prove the profile is real.
A scammer may use:
a stolen ID card image
a real woman’s document without her consent
a fake document with a stolen photo
a real photo combined with false data
edited document fields
AI-enhanced or manipulated images
If you are not sure whether the woman in the photos is real, use our identify a person by picture service. This can help determine whether the photos match the claimed identity.
Ukrainian ID Card and Travel Stories
A Ukrainian ID card is not the same as an international travel passport. If a woman claims she needs to travel abroad, the document story should be checked carefully.
Some scammers show an ID card and then ask for money for:
How Ukrainian ID Cards Are Used to Support Romance Scams
The document itself is only one part of the scam. The full pattern may look like this:
the woman builds emotional trust
she sends selfies and romantic messages
you ask for proof of identity
she sends a Ukrainian ID card
she asks for money for travel, documents, rent, food, visa, or emergency help
when you hesitate, she says you do not trust her
This is a classic internet relationship risk. Read our guide on internet relationship scams if the relationship exists only online and money requests have started.
What You Should Verify Before Sending Money
Before sending money to a woman who sent a Ukrainian ID card or passport image, verify:
whether the document format is correct
whether the visible data is consistent
whether the issuing authority and date logic make sense
whether the photo belongs to the person you are speaking with
whether the document matches her name, city, age, and story
whether her phone number and email match her claimed identity
whether her social media history is real
whether other men have reported the same photos or documents
whether the money request follows a known scam pattern
Posters with Stalin, tricolour flags with a double-headed eagle, military equipment on the streets, eradication of everything connecting with Ukraine, domination of Russian ruble, total mass insanity on Putin and prayers “Russia, come!” are realities of today’s Donetsk … Unless bears in the trapper hats and felt boots still have not gone on the streets.
In a short time Donetsk having been until recently a European city, a regional capital, a center of Euro-2012 will be perceived exactly in this way. During the mutual information war between Russia and Ukraine we have to separate the wheat from the chaff when reading media reviews, and especially social networks.
After establishing relative peace migrants began to return to their homes. Social networks are filled with posts that it is possible to live here, walk about the streets, there are a lot of people and cars, so please come easily and do not be afraid.
In any way, we do not call anyone to go and look at life in the Donetsk People’s Republic. However there are some tourists wishing to visit Donetsk, as my husband and I, who previously often have been in Donetsk on business.
Most our former partners left the city, but through their help we could find a guide who helped with the trip. Out of curiosity we asked Ukrainian travel agencies. They had got not any tour to the “DNR”, and a maximum of what they could help was finding a hotel or apartments. That we could do without their fees and charges.
So, we realized a tour in Donetsk at our own discretion- without any notification of so-called Ministry of State Security of the “DNR” and other similar agencies, without any announcements in social networks such as “we go!”, without any registration in the city. So we traveled as ordinary tourists without local registration and with maximum understanding of whither we went based on the general (often frightening) information. As a result of the trip we made travel advisory for tourists traveling to Donetsk.
General provisions
The Donetsk People’s Republic is an incomprehensible part of the Donetsk region. Legally it is occupied territory of Ukraine. But in the “DNR” it is considered as a territory independent from Ukraine (by not all, but many people). Despite the course on Russia, the area also can not be named as Russian. This is an outright unrecognized, as they say here, “republic”. If South Ossetia and Abkhazia are recognized even by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru, the “DNR” like Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized by anyone (without taking into account South Ossetia having signed documents on cooperation with the “DNR”).
Special living aspects of the “DNR”
Time
The “republic” has got a number of its features. Here people live by “Moscow time” (it is called “Donbas’s time” or “Donetsk time”), i.e. in the winter-spring period difference from Kyiv is one hour (when in Kiev 12:00, in Donetsk – 13:00).
Currency
Currency is Russian ruble. Not so long ago hryvnia has been also in use, but now everywhere only ruble is used. Hryvnias, Dollars and Euros are changed in exchange offices. There are many such points. It is interesting that all exchange offices have got unified rate, established by the so-called Republican Central Bank of the”DNR”. Coins and banknotes with nominal value less than 20 hryvnias are not changed. In mid-November the exchange rate in the exchange offices was as follows: 1USD – 63.50RUR, 1EUR – 66RUR, 1UAH – 2.56RUR. There is an advice for tourists: rubles are profitable to buy on the mainland of Ukraine – the rate is higher. Be not afraid to change money in the “republican” exchange offices: everything is “civil” – testing devices, security, calculators at the windows, allowing licenses on currency transactions stamped by the “DNR”.
Bank cards
There is no international banking system here, so bank cards are not useful. All consumer payments are in cash. So please stock up with cash in advance. In the extreme case you can withdraw cash from your bank card in special locations – on average at 4.5% if you withdraw hryvnia, or “at the rate of 1: 2 plus 25%” when withdrawing cash in rubles from hryvnia card. But we did not risk – even outside such locations had no credibility.
Mobile phone
Communication. Among all Ukrainian mobile operators only MTS and Life operate in “republics”. There is also a “republican” operator “Phoenix”, but it is not particularly extended. Try to top-up your mobile phone maximally being on the “big land” (so inhabitants of the “DNR” call a territory under the control of Ukraine), stock up with top-up scratch cards (they are on sale, but the price is half as much again). In the “DNR” you can top-up your mobile phone using terminals, but there are a few of them and topping up is already three times more expensive. There is Internet in the “republics”, so you can top-up the mobile phone via internet banking.
How to get to DNR
If you decided to visit the “DNR”, you should get an “e-pass”. Now this is no problem with it: fill the data on a special website of SSU (urp.ssu.gov.ua) and in two weeks you get an approval for crossing the boundary line.
It is not recommend going to the “republic” by your own car. Firstly, for safety reasons (great attention is paid to cars with car numbers from other regions of Ukraine – you will be examined at the checkpoints and when moving through the city the police of that place can stop you). Secondly, your car is an additional temptation for checkers. There is no blatant arbitrary, as it was in Donetsk in spring and summer of last year. But there are different situations. It is better not to risk. Thirdly, there is a huge queue of cars at a checkpoint on the boundary line. So the locals advise a more mobile way to travel: by train to Sloviansk, Kramatorsk or Kostiantynivka, and then by bus to Donetsk. Bus drivers fell in with the new rules and quickly, without any particular queue, transport their passengers through the checkpoint. The fare without changing at the checkpoint is 300-350 UAH.
Instead railroad you can use bus service. For example, a ticket “Kyiv-Donetsk” costs 600-700UAH for travel “with changing” (when you are brought to the checkpoint, debussed, then you let to check your luggage, and on the other side a connecting bus of the same company waits for you and carries you already in Donetsk). Also minivans “without changing at the checkpoint” ply, but the price of the ticket “Kyiv-Donetsk” is already 1500UAH.
Security
For obvious reasons it is the most delicate question. This was the first thing we discussed when the idea like “would we gone to Donetsk” appeared. It is difficult to gain an understanding alone. Therefore, another travel advice will be: choose a person for accompanying (among friends or colleagues) who resides on the “hosting side” and understand all nuances of the local “customs”.
Our friends recommended Mykhailo, who became our guide in Donetsk and undertook the main organizational issues. He instructed us “on behavior,” and a thing or two we learned of our own experience. So there are a number of safety adviсes.
Behavior features in the “DNR”
A martial law is applicable in the “DNR”, and one of its points is imposing a curfew (it is forbidden to be in the street from 23:00 to 5:00). As residents tell, the patrol may delay you for violation of this rule, then you can be put into pretrial detention facility (or rather, places for detainees are called “cellars”) for three days, be used in public works and then set free. In extreme situations you can take a taxi at night.
Have always a passport about you when going out. This is also one of the conditions of the martial law. This does not mean that it will be checked constantly. Staying two weeks in Donetsk we had to show the passport twice. And not the police, but watchful grandmothers in the outskirts were disquieted, because we photographed on mobile phones. They just did not like our Kiev registration; right for such cases a support with the local address in the passport is needed. Our guide introduced us as his relatives coming to visit him.
Your behavior on the street can not show that you are “a stranger” (residents of Central and Western Ukraine, foreigners are taken as “strangers”, but the Russians are “our”). Not only security forces, but also ordinary citizens show increased attention to “the strangers”. There is a feeling that they see a spy or saboteur in every stranger. So going with a map of the city means getting into troubles (for better orientation use maps in your mobile phone). Naturally, using Ukrainian symbols in your clothes or attributes is out of the question.
There are limitations on photo- and video shooting. If you go with a camera on the street, meeting with the police can not be avoided. This is connected with “spies and saboteurs.” In principle, you can photograph monuments, parks, churches, and vegetation, each other against the backdrop of attractions. But it is forbidden to photograph houses, destruction, military, police, military equipment, goods and prices. It is better not to risk, because the camera can be removed, and you can not prove anything. That is why even the locals take pictures of the city mostly on their mobile phone and then secretly.
Mobile phones, smartphones, pats are a separate issue. According to Mykhailo, when you meet with checking your passport, the patrol often requires to show your phone. They will check the latest calls, photos and videos, as well as your social networks and emails. Take into consideration this point: going outside remove anything that might rouse suspicion (especially private correspondence in social networks). When traveling in the “DNR” review your subscribers’ name in the phone book. The car of our guide Mykhailo once was stopped by the military; it was a raid on saboteurs. “Staff Igor” was among the recent calls in his mobile contacts. Can you imagine what here has begun … The “Staff” meant Humanitarian Rinat Akhmetov’s Staff, where he received medicine and food set for his elderly mother. And Igor is one of the volunteer of this staff, with whom Igor supports contact. That time they gained an understanding on the ground. But Mykhailo is a local and behaves calmly in such situations. If on his place was a “stranger”, arrest for clarifying the circumstances would be imminent.
Be especially careful when dealing with ordinary people. Do not touch upon any political themes or discussions on “who is right, who is wrong, who has started this war,” do not show any disrespect to the city, the “DNR” and its rulers. Remember: you are “a stranger” and information against you can be quickly denounced to the authority (yes, there are denunciations here even from neighbors). Hotlines for informing about everything suspicious are constantly televised.
Go to crowded places, ordinary for civilians – among people you feel calmer.
However, even being in an apartment or hotel room, do not relax, do not forget that you are in the “DNR”: ensure that loudness of Ukrainian broadcasts being watched on the Internet is not too loud: no loud music (especially Ukrainian) no breach of order – in other case meeting with the police is ensured.
Nobody will give you full security assurances in the “DNR”. And you have to understand this fact when going thereto. But in general, if you come to town like a normal person with good intentions, comply with local rules of living together, the trip will be calm. There are always a lot of people in the city center, resting places. The police maintain public order. There are no crowds of military; nobody goes with a weapon in the areas of civilian life. But in first days, until getting familiar, nervous trembling when going out is guaranteed.
Means of conveyance in Donetsk
We traveled by Mykhailo’s car in remote areas of Donetsk. But public transport normally works in the city (travel by trolleybus/tram costs 3 rubles, by minibus – 6-8 rubles). However, there are problems with transport after eight in the evening, because drivers try to get back into transport pools and then get home before the curfew begins. But taxi service works round the clock (the minimum price is 60-70 rubles).
Sights of Donetsk People’s Republic
They can be divided into three blocks. Firstly, there are significant traditional places of the city having been visited before “Russian Spring”: Pushkin Boulevard (with cafes and restaurants), recreation parks, the famous stadium “Donbas Arena” and a seating area around it, a botanical garden, a park of forged figures and so on.
Secondly, there are areas related to military operations. There are places in the city, namely, a museum of regional ethnography, the Palace of Youth “Youth”, a railway station, houses subjected to massed shelling, terrible consequences of which are still visible. You can visit them along. But it will better to take support when visiting the outskirts of Kiev, Petrovsk and Kuibyshev regions (which are still “on the front line”), because life is special here, it is very different from life in the city. Views of the outskirts are, of course, shocking – fired houses with charred black holes, without any windows, with damaged roofs. … But even here people live. They are much less than in other areas, but they are. And children play on survived playgrounds.
Third block of attractions we have identified as “republican” – everything that reflects everyday life of ordinary citizens of the “DNR”. And the main thing here is new spirit impregnated with “republican ideology”. You can understand that when listening to people talking in transport, shops and cafes. This is backed up by surrounding attributes: flags of the Donetsk People’s Republic (they are everywhere); St. George ribbons (on backpacks, cars, trolleybus); billboards throughout the city on the October 18 election, which has not occurred, on the ministries, the “head of the republic” Oleksandr Zakharchenko. On every street corner you can see sale points of “Novorossia’s” and “DNR’s” souvenirs. In kiosks “Press” there are only newspapers “Novorossia”, “Donetsk republic”, “Voice of the republic.” Tobacco kiosks offer then cigarettes “Novorossia”, “Russ”, “Heorhyevskye” And absolute absence of blue-yellow color combinations.
A separate theme is shops and markets. They are also like attractions. Prices shock at once – they are in rubles. Unusual items are new brands of Russian and Belarusian production.
We were impressed with shops with a sign “commission”. There are a lot of such shops, well, like in the 1990s. This is not “second-hand”, but outright real shops with furs, worn shoes, blankets, pans, spoons and forks … We received bad impression from them, we had a feeling that some things were marauders’ booty .
Another flair of the time is points of Akhmetov‘s humanitarian aid in all regions. They are noticed not only through prominent yellow sign “We help”, but because of long queues. In these queues you can hear many stories about how old people and parents with small children have to survive in these conditions.
There are also other queues in the city, namely in offices of the “Republican Central Bank”, where pensioners receive a pension, and other categories – social assistance.
We, tourists, mostly roamed along the streets half a day, observing what was going on and watching the dead city (hammered shops, neglected buildings of banks, broken ATMs, unfinished skyscrapers).
Amusements in Donetsk
Cafes and restaurants work in the city, among them “Lviv cafe” on Pushkin Boulevard. There is a network of pizzerias “Celentano” (which, incidentally, have free Wi-Fi), a sushi network “Mao edun”. A water park and attractions operate in Shcherbakov park, a children’s railway – in the park of Lenin Komsomol (where pupil are drivers and conductors, and painted caravans are used instead of wagons). Only one cinema “Zvezdochka” works.
Be sure to visit republican celebrations. They are a dime a dozen: Day of love, family and loyalty, the “DNR” Independence Day, Republic Day, Birthday of Komsomol, many sorts of strange flash mobs and round dances – “the dance of unity”, “Donbas speak in Russian”, “Friendship of peoples”, “round dance in honor of the “DNR’s” flag “, “Republican dance”, and so on. Every weekend activists of the local organization “Donets republic”(a sort of ruling party) wave flags on Lenin Square or in resting parks and celebrate something.
In the evenings, when it is impossible to go out, watch local TV channels. They have to “produce an impression”. There is no Ukrainian TV channel in a cable network; there are only Russian TV channels and “republican channels” – “First republican channel”, “Plot TV”, “Union”. You should watch them in order to understand why many people are so inspired by the idea of the republic. Local news and programs are continuous praise and stories about wonderful life in the Donetsk People’s Republic and developing “young state”. They also show news from Ukraine, namely how badly people live in Ukraine; how the country rots and rolls into the abyss (this position is strengthened additionally by the central Russian news channels). After 10 minutes of viewing you are shocked and do not understand what and whom they are talking about. Then you begin to argue with TV, later – to resent. Then everything is changed with aggression. It is important to stop in time and turn off the TV. But the people here live with this box and believe every word…
The price paid
Two-week tour to the Donetsk People’s Republic came to 9,000 UAH ($US 375). Two of them ($US 85) we spent on travel “Kyiv-Donetsk-Kyiv”. On food, travel through the city and incidentals we spent about 300 UAH ($US 12) per a day.
Our guide Mykhailo chose an apartment in the city center in advance (one-room flat after repairing and with home appliances). Two weeks staying came to 1200 UAH ($US 50). We did not risk looking for an apartment by ourselves: we could meet with scams or rent an apartment temporarily left because of the war. And we did not want to explain anyone that we came from Kyiv, and purpose of our trip was just to see the city. By the way, in Donetsk there are several reputable hotels, but standard rooms cost from 1200 UAH ($US 50). You can choose cheap hotels at the base of former hostels for 350-400 UAH ($US 15) per a day.
We paid Mykhailo for his services 1,000UAH ($US 40) (solution of organization problems, journey through the city by his car).
* * *
After visiting Donetsk we had double feelings. On the one hand, we were glad to make our own impression of the city. On the other – this impression was against Donetsk, probably because we went thereto with light and glad memories, so it was difficult to accept what we saw. Mentally we became different, we felt it. Positive thing – all our worries and fears have not justified, and the hope glimmers in our souls that in the near future we will be united, and after some time everything will fit together – and on the flagstaffs, and on the television screens, and in their heads.
Important: this article is just translation of original article from Ukrainian. Our company does not arrange travel to Donetsk and we strongly recommend you NOT to go there. If you need a personal guide on a dating trip to Ukraine (any other place except of Donetsk) please contact us. We will help you
Posters with Stalin, tricolour flags with a double-headed eagle, military equipment on the streets, eradication of everything connecting with Ukraine, domination of Russian ruble, total mass insanity on Putin and prayers “Russia, come!” are realities of today’s Donetsk … Unless bears in the trapper hats and felt boots still have not gone on the streets.
Special living aspects of the “DNR”
How to get to DNR
Behavior features in the “DNR”
