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Questions and answers:
Randolf asks: A woman I have been chatting with on WhatsApp for a month now... I asked her why she hasn't evacuated from Donetsk. She said she has no money and that it's very expensive, as the taxi is asking for $750 from Donetsk to Kyiv. I didn't believe it because of the heavy fighting; it seems impossible to cross the frontline. I told her to take a bus to Russia, and I'd send her a plane ticket to Turkey, but she's afraid of Russians. We argued, as she insisted the taxi is the safest way they know, that the taxi pays off checkpoints, that the military is corrupt, and that passengers have successfully reached Kyiv. I wondered if she's a scammer, if the taxi is scamming people, or if they're conspirators... I don't know. But she sounds very natural on other topics, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I sent my live location so she could share hers, which she did. She's from Kramatorsk, not Donetsk City. She uses Lifecell on WhatsApp, and her signal is very weak, one gray checkmark that eventually becomes two after a few hours. Ukraine expert, please comment.
Expert's answer:
If we're talking about Kramatorsk (meaning the Donetsk city mention was a lie), then there's no problem taking a bus
from Kramatorsk to Kyiv, for example. This city is controlled by Ukraine at the moment. Regular bus service still exists, although it may soon cease as the frontline approaches. Overall, this is a very typical scheme; we've received numerous similar requests, and they've all been scams.
Victoria asks: I am Ukrainian and in Krakow, my documents were stolen including passport. How long will it take to get a replacement passport from the Embassy? Your earliest response would be be much appreciated.
Caroline asks: I'm a UK host. Please advise me how to renew a passport for a Ukrainian girl. Her mother is not very technologically minded and we want to help. I can't find anything useful online.
Analia asks: My grandparents were born in Kowel in 1898 and 1905 as Jewish. Where I can find there birth certificates?
Marko asks: My passport application at the UK embassy of Ukraine was lodged at December and still have not receive the passport. When are the passports being delivered to the UK consulate from Ukraine?
Expert's answer:
This can take 2-3 months, especially since it was the time of long New Year holidays when government services were not working.
Anthony asks: How much does an actual Ukrainian passport cost for a Ukrainian?
Expert's answer:
As of November 2024, the state fees to issue a Ukrainian biometric international passport are 958 UAH (Ukrainian Hryvnias) or about 23 USD (20 working days) or 1,598 UAH or 38 USD (7 working days).
Michel asks: Can you travel from Donetsk to Warsaw?
Expert's answer:
As you know, Donetsk is controlled by Russia at the moment. This means that there are no direct transport links between this city and other parts of Ukraine controlled by the Ukrainian government because it means to cross the frontline, which is not possible. There are no checkpoints for civilians, nobody can be "bribed" as it is a very active war zone and every car close to the frontline is considered a target by both sides.
There are several fake sites where, for example, "bus tickets from Donetsk to Warsaw" can be "booked", but there are no such buses in reality. The same about taxis, already received similar requests, some even with badly photoshopped taxi tickets from Donetsk to Lviv.
The only regular buses available to Donetsk residents are running to Russia, for example, to Rostov-on-Don. And from Russia it is possible to travel to Turkey, for example. As we receive similar requests almost every day, our advice is not to send any help to a person in Ukraine, especially in parts of Ukraine controlled by Russia (in this case, in our experience, the chance that this "person" is a scammer is close to 100%), before you are absolutely sure that this person is real.
Rick asks: Is www.flybus.com.ua/eng reliable site or a scam site?
Expert's answer:
This is a fake site created to scam foreigners. We have received several requests mentioning it this year. It offers "direct" buses running, for example, from Donetsk to Kyiv or Mariupol to Warsaw. In reality, the front line can't be crossed by civilians, there are no direct transport links between parts of Ukraine controlled by Russia and the rest of Ukraine.
Claudia asks: Sorry, does any of the orphanages listed have an email address. Is there a list of email addresses for the orphanages?
Alper asks: How you can go from Donetsk to Istanbul?
Expert's answer:
As of November 2024, there are regular buses running from Donetsk to Rostov-on-Don, the price is about 14 USD. From Rostov-on-Don, there are buses running to Istanbul, the price is about 90 USD. Our advice is not to send any help to a person in Ukraine, especially in parts of Ukraine controlled by Russia (in this case, in our experience, the chance that this "person" is a scammer is close to 100%), before you are absolutely sure that this person is real.
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