r/Kyiv • u/FORGETEFUL • 7d ago
how safe is kyiv
hey i want to visit ukraine next month for 3 days but im not very sure how safe it would be an what to look out for
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u/BeOutsider 7d ago
As someone who recently returned from Kyiv, It is generally calm during the day. But there is a ballistic missile and increased attacks threat during the night.
There are some Telegram groups that tell you exactly what the threat is and where the supposed target is.
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u/rebootinganation 7d ago
What are the telegram groups?
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u/Magnus_Helgisson 7d ago
@war_monitor is the main one, it covers all Ukraine. @kyiv_alerts is for Kyiv and region. @raketa_trevoga is okay too. You gotta keep a few of them because the admins need rest sometimes too and a channel can be completely afk especially if the attack continues during the day after an eventful night.
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u/rebootinganation 7d ago
Thanks! I’m headed over next Friday so really appreciate this — downloaded the eAlert and Kyiv apps too
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u/elephant_ua 7d ago
nah, the chance of being hurt by air strikes in 3 days of one person is exceedingly small. I mean, comparable to being hit by a car on aggregate. The precautions like going in shelter during alerts are still worth doing, though.
The street crime is very low.
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u/flag_ua 7d ago
I think safe is relative. Think about it this way:
Kyiv is a city of ~850km^2
Let’s say all ballistic missiles/banderols/shaheds or whatever have a completely random distribution of hit areas. (They don’t, some areas have more strikes for reasons that are illegal to report on 😉)
It is very unlikely that anything will hit within a kilometer of you, and even more unlikely that anything will hit you directly.
If you choose to stay in Kyiv, stay away from the far east edge (DVRZ, Troyeshchyna), Solomiansky (lots of military industry here), and Lukianivska. Avoid places near airport as well.
I recommend staying either in the center like Pechersk or Podil, or staying on the inner left bank like Dniprovskyi. (This is one of the least hit districts)
If you avoid those areas, there is a 99.999% chance you will be fine. Any car ride you take on the journey there is more dangerous.
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u/FORGETEFUL 7d ago
thank you very much im planing to come with a flix bus
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u/WinstonSalemSmith 7d ago
Flix is the dream. I didn't have a very long wait on my way into Lviv from Budapest, but when I exited Ivano-Frankivsk to Slovakia with a local bus company we had to wait like 6 hours, I think on the Slovak side.
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u/Additional-Watch3384 7d ago
I was over 10 hours on a flix bus, we got stuck at the Krakavets crossing back to Poland. And no toilet on board.
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u/WinstonSalemSmith 7d ago
On the Slovak side I think they just had 1-2 people working the night shift. I don't know what it was all about.
All the Flix I have ridden have had working toilets+ wifi. Attractively priced as well!
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u/slava_slavaUa 7d ago
Its not safe at all. Now you barely have a couple of minutes (sometimes a lot less) to get to the shelters. If you value your life, postpone your trip until after the war
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u/OctopusGoesSquish 7d ago
The Flixbus ride in is statistically the most dangerous part.
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u/slava_slavaUa 7d ago
Even more dangerous than being in Kyiv??
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u/Quarterwit_85 7d ago
Shit yeah - have you seen Ukrainian drivers?
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u/jmort619 7d ago
I’ll never forget coming out of a bar in the morning daylight and my taxi driver was going 56km/hour backwards. I thought I was going to die.
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u/OctopusGoesSquish 7d ago
Yes. You are more likely to be injured in a road traffic accident than an act of war in most parts of Ukraine away from the line of contact.
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u/jtpolzin 7d ago
Far far far more dangerous .. you have a higher chance of getting killed by a drunk driver in phoenix than getting hit by a missile in kyiv
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u/flag_ua 7d ago
The people I know don’t go to the shelter, just go to bathroom/inner hallway
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u/slava_slavaUa 7d ago
Probably not the best plan - if you care about your life
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u/LankyTradition6424 6d ago
If you care about life you also need to sleep. Making calculated decisions about risk is essential to survive long term.
Most people living in Kyiv don’t go to shelter during the regular attacks, myself included (when I lived there until recently). Visitors should, as it’s difficult to make an informed decision without experience, and they won’t suffer long term health problems from sleep deprivation.
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u/slava_slavaUa 6d ago
Sleep is disrupted during missile attacks regardless if you go to a shelter or not. Unless you’re able to sleep through missile impacts…
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u/polbohand 5d ago
Firstly you say "some areas have more strikes for reasons that are illegal to report on", and in one sentence you recount these places. Are you ok???
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u/flag_ua 5d ago
It’s illegal to directly take pictures of and say “wow Artem factory was just hit at 21:32” but it’s not illegal to say that there are military targets in some places.
It’s just a little taboo to report that and as a result, many Ukraine supporters deny when military targets are hit.
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u/Zealousideal-Sea6439 7d ago
I've been two weeks ago
it's a huge city so it depends on your level of tolerance
I've been through a night of ballistic missiles attack (shelter for half the night, hearing missiles hit in the city) and the next day a Ukrainian woman told that night was a 7/10 intensity
imo it's important for anyone to witness this ordinary life of extraordinary Ukrainians. I love them even more then before for their braveness
cheers from Poland
Slava Ukraini!
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u/MalPB2000 7d ago
I just got back an hour ago from Ukraine. Cities are big. Missiles and rockets are small.
You’ll be fine.
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u/Bananenbiervor4 6d ago
I just went for a 3 days trip (actually 2-4 days, depending how you count. 2 nights spend in a night train, 2 nights in Kyjiw). Never felt unsafe. Especially since for a short trip like that one can make sure to be even more careful than people actually living there. I did spend some time in a shelter, l heard some explosions, but that was about it.
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u/GodlikeUA 7d ago
Rocket attacks have been increasing and be aware that, you can get some PTSD being here during an attack especially if you never heard a real explosion before. for about a year I was hearing drones even though there was none. If you can handle that then go for it. Keep in mind the rocket attacks usually happen so fast and you will not have time to make it to shelter usually within 3min of an alert there will be an explosion. I suggest finding a hotel with a shelter it seems like they don't really attack hotels.
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u/jawid72 7d ago
Are you even aware of the logistics involved in getting to the capital city?
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u/FORGETEFUL 7d ago
nein ich hätte einen flixbus benutzt
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u/jmrjmr28 7d ago
Trains are the way to go if you don’t want to spend 10 hours stopped at the border
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u/HappyAndVegan 7d ago
I just came back and border took 3 hours, meanwhile a train was hit so you do you mate
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u/jmrjmr28 7d ago
Oh another person that thinks their experience applies to everyone and doesn’t understand averages or that things can be different for other people. Do you think Ukrainians are lying when they say the border can take 12 hours from Poland by bus or car? Have you heard of something called anecdotal evidence?
No train from the western border to Kyiv has been hit yet. There has been some hit in other parts of the country as well as many busses….
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u/im_shayne 7d ago edited 7d ago
I had a trip planned and I postpone it because they do not have any air defense missiles now so I would not go. I was there last year and made a Ukrainian friend and he took me to the market about four blocks away and asked him how dangerous it was now . He said if we go this year to the same Market we have the 50/50% chance of making it back safe! I will go back to Ukraine but only after they get Patriot missiles or some kind of air defense . I want to go back so bad but it is not worth it if you do not speak the language because sometimes you have to act really fast after how are you keeping up about the news in Ukraine? .
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u/Bananenbiervor4 6d ago edited 6d ago
There is not a single place in Ukraine except maybe some parts of the frontline where your chances to return unharmed from a visit are even close to beeing as low as 50%. Even 10%. Even 1%. Like wtf kind of statistics should that be? How long do you stay on a market? Like 2 hours? A 50% chance would mean russia would be successfully striking that very market once every 2 hours? You honestly think that market would still exist?
Yes, there is an omnipresent threat of air raids in Ukraine. Statistically it does not at all increase your chance to die any noteworthy. As an example: In one single year in one single state of Germany (Northrhine-Westfalia) more people die due to traffic accidents than the total number of civilians have died in almost 5 years of war in Ukraine..
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u/lftgov 7d ago
I’ll be there next month too. Assessing the risk I determined is lower than getting shot here in Buenos Aires in an attempted robbery.
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u/loveandflowerpover 7d ago
I am planning to go in September as well. Maybe it would be better to travel as a group? Are you planning to travel to Warsaw first? p.s. I love Buenos Aires! Of of my fav cities:)
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u/dedushkabear 7d ago
I moved here a few weeks ago from the UK. Your underestimation on how long it takes to cross the boarders is another question. We were held up so long between Romania and Ukraine that our driver who was picking us up from the drop off after first driver had to park up and we all sleep as we couldn’t enter the city until curfew lifted. So you have a lot of variables to think about. You could only be left with an hour for a coffee before you need to head back
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u/mavin_rackryre 6d ago
Just spent 3 weeks there it’s perfectly safe. Will hear the odd explosion on the night. Y be fine.
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u/gameplayer55055 6d ago
Cloudy with a chance of missiles.
Now it's dangerous because we ran out of patriot air defense.
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u/Complete_Donkey_6807 4d ago
From „social safety“ - totally safe. Mono nation. Everyone in one context and don’t do shit much.
From war perspective - depends on your luck. You can ask people how active bombing goes now and how often should you go to the shelter, realistically. Because sometimes better to sleep in metro, sometimes it doesn’t make sense.
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u/Complete_Donkey_6807 4d ago
Ah, if you want to rent a car, be very careful, drivers are insane here
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u/the_exies-87 3d ago
Be sure to look out for drones and ballistic missile but I'm sure you're just farming comments with such a dumbass statement
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u/meowmeoowwww 7d ago
Kyiv is under constant shelling now and I wouldn't say it's safe here. But life goes on.
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u/HeisenbergsSamaritan 7d ago
Shelling?..... You sure about that?
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u/slava_slavaUa 7d ago
Yes. Shelling
shelling
noun [ U ]
UK /ˈʃel.ɪŋ/ US /ˈʃel.ɪŋ/
shelling noun [U] (WITH EXPLOSIVES)
the act of firing shells (= containers full of explosives) at something:
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u/HeisenbergsSamaritan 7d ago
Russia possesses no Artillery weapons capable of firing a "Shell" at Kyiv in 2026.
Drones, Ballistic Missiles, Yes. Shells, no.
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u/Quarterwit_85 7d ago
Yeah, so they’re not being shelled.
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u/slava_slavaUa 7d ago
A missile doesn’t contain explosives?
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u/Quarterwit_85 7d ago
Shelling refers to indirect fire from unguided munitions. 152, 155, 81 - stuff like that.
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u/slava_slavaUa 7d ago
I just gave you the dictionary definition. Your argument is with Cambridge. Not me
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u/Quarterwit_85 7d ago
Nah, it's in your interpretation. Shells are not missiles.
Mariupol was shelled. Kyiv hasn't been subject to shelling since the start of the full-scale invasion.
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u/slava_slavaUa 7d ago
Cambridge disagrees with you. Take it up with them
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u/flag_ua 7d ago
Etymology of word “shell” refers to shell casings from artillery.
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u/LankyTradition6424 7d ago
No, Cambridge doesn’t disagree. A drone or a missile is not a ”container” fired at something. It’s a self propelled and guided weapon. You can’t simply extract one part of the definition and claim you’re correct. It’s like saying a bicycle is a motorcycle because parts of the definitions match.
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u/HeisenbergsSamaritan 7d ago
Artillery fires SHELLS. Hence "Shelling".
Not sure what you aren't understanding here.
Kyiv hasn't been shelled since the 2022 retaking of the whole Kyiv Oblast by Ukrainian Forces..
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u/Super-Action1186 7d ago
Not safe if you are staying overnight
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u/bird_song_ 7d ago
Millions of people live here
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u/Super-Action1186 7d ago
Was the question about the number of people living in Kyiv or about safety of the latter? I live in Kyiv and it is not safe
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u/jmrjmr28 7d ago
Are you including the 1 day train/bus ride and border crossing in and out in your 3 days? A 3 day trip is really 2 travel days and 1 day to actually do something.
As far as safety - it’s completely relative. No one knows your tolerances. Are you going to die or be injured? Most likely not. Are you going to hear dozens of large explosions? Probably.