I think morality wise I wouldn't go as a common tourist.
But go off I guess and enjoy your vacation surrounded by the pain of others
@CuddleDuncan , I totally get the appeal. I've met quite a few Ukrainians, and they are a lovely people with beautiful culture. I've been fortunate enough to have been able to travel the world, and even in the war-torn places I've been, there's always been beauty to be found, even if it's only in the people. I do hope you get to go, and I hope you have a great experience. Above all, I wish peace for them.
I've grown to appreciate the people of Ukraine and their collective identity ever since the full scale invasion in 2022 by Russian forces. They're a picture of determination and grit. Unfortunately, their story slipped from the headlines in the United States as the country was gripped with our own internal political narrative of the past 2 years. But I would highly recommend checking out this podcast from the Telegraph in the U.K. called "Ukraine: The Latest"
Very little of the country is truly safe, despite the determination of Ukrainians to carry on. Air travel through the country is next to impossible. Most people fly into Poland and seek ground transportation via rail into Ukraine. Russian forces have been targeting civilian infrastructure with no regard to loss of life among the general populace of the country. And the ballistic missile threat posed by escalating Russian attacks have become a source of terror. Attacks even occur in the west of the country in the vicinity of Lviv.
Check out this UNESCO report on damage to Ukrainian cultural sites by Russian attacks. It's concerning to see how sites like these have been deemed as targets by the Russian military: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/damaged-cultural-sites-ukraine-verified-unesco#:~:text=As of 19 February 2025,archive and 2 archaeological sites.
I occasionally have co-workers who are there trying to tell the story of the war. I worry about them constantly, and they travel with trained security personnel. While I am all for supporting Ukraine and its people, I have to urge extreme caution about traveling to a war zone.
God bless you on you journey. Ukraine is on the mind of many across the globe lately (in support) and I know it was never on my bucket list honestly but after watching it on the news past few years I can say I would love to go! I hope you enjoy the trip, and take video or photos along the way to share with us!
@Janelle19
Why not?
@jaswbrown that's my experience too - I usually get on well with Ukrainians.
@Cinephile77 you are right that nowhere in Ukraine is truly safe - the Russians may drop a missile on your head any time, wherever you are. Hospitals, being a favourite target, are particularly worth avoiding if possible. But away from the warzone (where I am not going) the risk is very small and I'm confident that the main danger I will face will be - as it always is - road traffic accidents.
As I mentioned earlier in the thread, for scale in US terms I would be going Columbus and Cincinnati while the trouble is 600 miles away in New York and Boston.
There is no commecial air travel to or within Ukraine, that really wouldn't be safe, but the trains are good and working normally where they can. There are several through trains to neighbouring countries.
Lviv is one of the larger cities in the western part of the country (near the Polish border) and has suffered missile attacks in recent months. Odessa has been targeted regularly, and obviously Kyiv has been a prime target.
I can understand the desire to visit a country and appreciate the culture. But I think one should fully appreciate the risks involved when the Russian military is firing hypersonic missiles into apartment blocks and launching ballistic missiles at cities. And I am even more conscious of the potential increased risk posed on emergency service workers who have to respond to the attacks to aid civilians. The Russians have developed a propensity for these so-called 'double tap' attacks that hit civilian targets, and then they attack them again shortly afterward to inflict more casualties on the emergency response teams. Hence my remarks. I was equally befuddled by "western tourists" in Iraq when the insurgency there was in full swing.
I think there are far safer places to visit in Eastern Europe with similar cultures. And if the desire is to help the Ukrainian people? There are plenty of NGO's that are offering assistance that need financial support.
I've thought about going to Ukraine to assist in rebuilding after the ruZZians are done with their barbaric savagery. Hopefully it's soon but the ruZZian desire to bomb babies in their cribs is very high it would seem. Stay away from populated areas if you can.
But yeah, if you did go it would be a person spending money in their country which will help.
You may want to watch winter on fire on Netflix... This has been going on a bit longer than you may think. They just wanted democracy and to be like us. Now here we both sit more every day a little more like rooskies
Reported,.reviewed, and removed for advocation of violence. @Eliezer . [-Sid]
You should visit it! It is my birth country. I plan to visit family there again soon as things improve. But if you need to know anything about it then just ask.