Our expert answers your questions about Ukraine

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.

Embassies and consulates of Ukraine do not provide the service of issuing Ukrainian ID cards, only international passports. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to obtain an internal Ukrainian passport in the form of an ID card abroad.

The Ukrainian state enterprise Document has offices in several European countries (not in the UK). Therefore, you can contact the mentioned state enterprise in these countries, provide the necessary documents and receive this service.

Apparently you have an internal Ukrainian passport in the form of a "booklet", which does not have an expiration date, unlike the ID card that is currently issued as an internal Ukrainian passport. If in this application form you cannot simply leave this field blank, then contact directly those to whom you are providing this form and explain your case. You can also clarify this issue with the local Ukrainian embassy.

As far as I know, a Ukrainian international passport can only be received in person at the place (usually an embassy or consulate), where the application for it was submitted. Such documents are not sent by mail.

The site looks very suspicious. There are no such direct bus services, as this involves crossing the front line, which is impossible. So this is already enough to not trust this site. Here is an example of a real site, where bus tickets in Ukraine can be booked.

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.

The first step is to talk to this person directly via something like Skype, WhatsApp, etc. with a camera turned on. There is internet there. A real person can afford to get a cheap smartphone/notebook, which can be used to communicate with anyone in the world for free.

As of April 2024, the closest front line to Dnipro is about 110 km south of the city.

The closest distance from the center of Kyiv to the border with Russia in a straight line is about 200 km in the northeast direction to Chernihiv.

If it is about a Ukrainian international passport, you should get a new one via the embassy of Ukraine to the UK, check this official information with all the details. I don't recommend you to extend the validity of your expired international passport, even if you have this option, because Ukrainians with such extended passports often have issues crossing borders. Getting a new international passport will take more time, but you won't have these problems when traveling with it.

Based on information that I have found, your father still needs to have a valid document proving his identity and Ukrainian citizenship. But to return to Ukraine, it is not necessary to issue a new international passport. He can receive a so-called certificate of return (also known as identity card, white passport).

This can be done within one day. Official information on getting it is available on the site of the Ukrainian Embassy in the UK. I think you should try to contact the embassy directly to clarify all the details and perhaps, due to your urgent circumstances, they will be able to provide you with this service in a faster manner, avoiding online queue, which can take weeks.