Ukraine Violence: What really to expect

Any traveler going to Ukraine will ultimatively ask himself this question: “How much will I be affected by the war in Eastern Ukraine if I visit the country?”

There is a simple answer to that question.

Namely, this one: unless you actually go to Eastern Ukraine you will not be affected at all. One has to understand that the war in Eastern Ukraine is a regional conflict and that all parties involved strive to keep it that way. If you are still doubtful then most likely this question will come to your mind:

“Does Ukraine violence in the East affect the average level of violence in the Ukraine?”

Now, it is understandable to think that the conflict in the East is something that will spread into society like wildfire spreads in a dry forest. Yet that is not the case. Everyday life in other parts of the Ukraine is simply not affect by the conflict. Even the refugees who by have almost reached 1 million in numbers are almost invisible. They are taken  care of by their familie who grant them shelter (the state doesn’t do much).

But let’s proceed with anymore doubts that you may have. You might ask yourself:

“Does the an armed conflict in the Ukraine mean a raise in street violence?”

The answer is, again, no.

Some locals will say that people now are more under some kind of mental tension because of the conflict. They said so especially after I told them about my very own confrontation on the Kiev Metro. But this is something that could have happened anywhere and that cannot really be linked to the conflict. “But”, you might ask now,

“Are Ukrainians violent people in general?”

By far not.

As a matter of fact, it seems the opposite is true. Especially if you compare the possibility of streetviolence in the Ukraine to that in Western Europe and to , especially, that in the United States. Therefore, asking:

“Can You Get Robbed In The Ukraine?”

is an interesting question. I tried to answer it in another article.

Read next: How To Not Get Robbed When You Travel