About the general public safety in Ukraine

Basically as it stands at the moment, the majority of the country is pretty safe. The fighting is restricted to the Donbass region and even there, I believe only in certain areas. I live in Odessa and apart from the events of May 2nd and a few marches in the late winter early spring, everything is perfectly normal. The only thing you will notice when traveling, for example from Kiev to Odessa would be a military presence at the normal police checkpoints. At the moment there are fewer tourists than normal but the numbers are slowly increasing and all the bars and cafes are open, people are going to the beaches and enjoying themselves. I am British so I follow the guidance of the British Foreign Office and they lifted all travel restrictions to Odessa a couple of months back.
Obviously things may change but my feeling is, the vast majority of Ukraine has no desire to be associated with Russia, a fact demonstrated in Odessa on May 2nd.

Hope this helps

Jason

True about a couple of Eastern regions.

Absolutely not true about the rest of the country.

I lived about 200 yards from the main city square (Maidan Nezalijnosti) where the revolution was being fought, and there were only 3 or 4 days (in about 7 months from the end of the November) when I felt unsafe.

There was much of hysteria though, and many people did not want to live or even visit dowtown Kiev - but I can tell you, those are hysterical females mostly. ))

Because of this hysteria rental prices at the time dropped significantly. But some time in April-May they rebounded because nobody fears any longer to be downtown.

Just monitor the situation. Melitopol is unfiortunately relatively close to the war zone, but it is outside of it, and I would not worry too much for now.

What really worries me is the economy. Because of the revolution and the war the economy really took a nosedive and many many Ukrainians are in financial trouble. I know many small business owners personally, and they are not doing well. Lots of people are losing their jobs. Ukrainians in general are decent people... but economic woes will drive some of them to do bad things... crime is certain to surge, unfortunately. In a year from now it will be much worse than it is now, I think. Beware of buying things like electronics and clothes. In the US you probably have never seen a counterfeit item... It's flooded here with counterfeit stuff....

ArikEden wrote:

What really worries me is the economy. Because of the revolution and the war the economy really took a nosedive and many many Ukrainians are in financial trouble. I know many small business owners personally, and they are not doing well. Lots of people are losing their jobs. Ukrainians in general are decent people... but economic woes will drive some of them to do bad things... crime is certain to surge, unfortunately. In a year from now it will be much worse than it is now, I think. Beware of buying things like electronics and clothes. In the US you probably have never seen a counterfeit item... It's flooded here with counterfeit stuff....

That looks like a fair assessment.
Just read a Canadian article about the effects and consequences of the IMF deal, that is if the Ukraine parliament accepts it. Looks like difficult times lie ahead.
Regime Change in Ukraine and the IMFs Bitter Economic Medicine

Edit - An excerpt:
Under the bailout, the IMF acting on behalf of Ukraine's US and EU creditors lends money to Ukraine which is already earmarked for debt repayment. The money is transferred to the creditors. The loan is fictitious money. Not one dollar of this money will enter Ukraine.

The package is not intended to support economic growth. Quite the opposite: Its main purpose is to collect the outstanding short term debt, while precipitating the destabilization of Ukraine's economy and financial system.

The fundamental principle of usury is that the creditor comes to the rescue of the debtor: I cannot pay my debts, No problem my son, I will lend you the money and with the money I lend you, you will pay me back.

I live in Kharkov, it is located in Eastern Ukraine.  While most of the fighting is to the south of us, it is still hard to determine what is going to happen.   Overall, it has been quiet and I feel safe to live here with my family.  As things are getting worse, we are contemplating leaving Kharkov and moving back to the states.  I have been to Kiev and Maidan and never had any trouble at all in the Western part of Ukraine.  If you travel to Eastern Ukraine, think about it.  Only Kharkov is safe for now.

I am also concerned about safety in Ukraine, especially in the Poltava region.  My girlfriend refuses to talk with me about anything political or the war over the internet or cell phone.  She truly believes that her conversations are not safe.  She believes also that if she does she, her family are in real danger of harm.  I of course do not know if her fears are legitamate or just her imagination.  Can anyone give me a real assessment of this in Poltava?  I was there one year ago and have been unable to get back.  Thank you.

alvpackman wrote:

I am also concerned about safety in Ukraine, especially in the Poltava region.  My girlfriend refuses to talk with me about anything political or the war over the internet or cell phone.  She truly believes that her conversations are not safe.  She believes also that if she does she, her family are in real danger of harm.  I of course do not know if her fears are legitamate or just her imagination.  Can anyone give me a real assessment of this in Poltava?  I was there one year ago and have been unable to get back.  Thank you.

I am in Switzerland and do not know the Ukraine.
That said, yesterday I listened to a half-hour podcast by someone who does know the place, Simon Black. Maybe someone else's views might help.

Dulce et Decorum est Pro Patria Mori by Simon Black