Our expert answers your questions about Ukraine

You can think about sending a good portable charger (power bank), check this article to get some info. Before sending help to any person in Ukraine, you should be completely sure that this person is real. Otherwise, you act at your own risk, as unfortunately there are a lot of scammers, especially if it is about a person from the territory controlled by Russia (in this case, the chance that this is a scammer is close to 100%).

As of October 2024, the average monthly salary in Ukraine is in the range of about 400-500 USD per month. So I think that the sum of about 50 USD would be just right as a nice birthday gift. And of course this only applies to a person you know and have met in person, and not just communicated with online, since in this case the chance that you are talking to a scammer is very high.

This is from an official document about UK residence permits:

"You must take your permit with you if you go abroad while you have permission to stay in the United Kingdom. You may have to show the permit to an immigration officer at the border when you leave the United Kingdom.

You will have to show it along with your valid national passport before you begin your return journey, and again when you re-enter the United Kingdom. The permit proves that you are allowed to return to the United Kingdom, but it cannot be used instead of a passport." Source.

So this means that having a valid international Ukrainian passport is still required to return to the UK and additional questions about validity may arise with an extended passport. You can also try to clarify this with UK Visas and Immigration. If time allows, then of course it is better for you to get a new Ukrainian international passport and avoid all possible problems, you will have to do it in the future anyway.

Officially, travel with an extended Ukrainian international passport is possible. However, there is a certain risk, as border services are not always willing to accept extended passports, especially when traveling by plane. Therefore, it is recommended to apply for a new passport to avoid problems at the border.

Passport extensions were a temporary measure aimed at helping Ukrainians who were forced to leave the country. The situation may change. Countries may tighten entry rules for citizens with extended passports. To be completely sure, it is better to have a new document that meets all international standards.

This is a phone number of the Ukrainian mobile operator Vodafone. It does not provide its services in Donetsk, which is currently controlled by Russia. It should also be noted that in 2022, the Donetsk city code was changed from Ukrainian +38(062) to Russian +7(856). This applies to landline phone numbers.

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.

The only regular buses available to Donetsk residents are running to Russia, for example, to Rostov-on-Don. From Rostov-on-Don, it is possible to get to Istanbul, Turkey.

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 (at least have numerous live video communication sessions, there is internet there).

When crossing the border, Polish border and customs services may require entrants to present funds at the rate of 300 Polish zlotys or the equivalent in foreign currency (approximately 77 USD) per day of stay in Poland. However, as far as I understand, this does not apply to Ukrainian refugees, since for obvious reasons they do not know for how long they are entering Poland and therefore they only need valid documents. You should contact people from Visit Ukraine site, they should be able to provide the latest info about this issue.

The frontline can't be crossed by civilians. There are regular buses running from Donetsk to Rostov-on-Don (check this timetable). From Russia, it is still possible to return to Ukraine via the Kolotilovka-Pokrovka checkpoint.

In short, this is not true and looks like a typical example of scam. Residents of Donetsk can go by bus only to Russia, for example, to Rostov-on-Don (the ticket price is about 13 Euro). From Russia, it is possible to fly or go by bus to Turkey.

A Ukrainian citizen just needs a valid international bio-metric passport to enter the EU without a visa, usually it is issued in Ukraine or via Ukrainian embassies/consulates abroad. It can't be done in Donetsk or Russia.

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.

Yes, the validity of a non-biometric Ukrainian international passport can be extended and it can be done in one day, if you get a consulate appointment. Also it should be noted that it can be done no earlier than 2 months before the expiration date. Check the following official info about the process.

Usually, we don't recommend extending the validity of Ukrainian international passports, since Ukrainians with such extended passports often encounter problems when traveling. But if your mother is not going to travel, then this option is fine.