(CNN) — Visiting Ukraine now to experience what it’s like to live in the middle of a war, see the bombed cities, feel the danger and meet its fighters probably won’t be on anyone’s travel bucket list.
But six months after Russia invaded the country and unleashed a wave of death and destruction, one organization is inviting tourists to come.
Online platform Visit Ukraine.Today launched last month guided day trips through the so-called “Brave Cities” that have defied and continue to resist Russian invaders, offering travelers a glimpse into how the country lives amid conflict.
Despite international warnings against traveling to Ukraine, the company says it has sold 150 tickets so far, while its website on safe travel to and from Ukraine gets 1.5 million hits per month, a 50% increase from pre-invasion numbers.
It says anyone who signs up for the tours can expect walks among bomb debris, ruined buildings, cathedrals and stadiums, as well as burnt-out military hardware, plus the regular wails of air raid sirens. Landmines are also a risk.
While it may seem like an eerie way to spend a vacation, Anton Taranenko, the founder and CEO of Visit Ukraine, tells CNN Travel it’s not the same as “dark tourism” where visitors flock to other places of death, disaster and destruction all over the world.
Taranenko says the tours offer Ukraine an opportunity to highlight the spirit of defiance of its citizens and show the outside world that life goes on, even in a war.
‘Living life no matter what’
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“It’s not just about the bombs, what’s happening in Ukraine today is also about how people learn to live with the war, help each other,” he says. “There is real change, a new street spirit.
“Perhaps across the street where a bomb has recently been hit, you’ll see friends eating good traditional food in a reopened bistro.
“We are happy for a few moments, there are not just the bad and sad things that can be seen on TV. Life goes on and there is hope that this will all be over soon.
“Children grow up, we try to live as much as possible anyway.”
The US State Department currently has a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” warning against Ukraine due to the Russian invasion. It urges all US citizens to leave the country immediately and warns that, following the suspension of operations at the Kiev embassy, consular assistance cannot be offered.
Similar warnings have been issued by other countries. The British Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office warns that there is a “real danger to life” from attacks on cities and regions.
Nevertheless, Taranenko urges people to visit. “If you want to see our ruined cities and brave people fight, please come now,” he says.
But, he adds, visitors should be aware that nowhere in Ukraine is 100% safe, although having a guide can help reduce the danger.
“We monitor the situation regularly so that we can check the different levels of security,” he says, pointing out that many Ukrainians have now returned to areas they initially fled, especially the capital Kiev, because of the invasion.
“Ukraine is rising again, people are returning to cities, municipalities are starting to rebuild, cities are recovering from the horrors and there are a million foreigners in the country. Kiev is now the most visited and safest place,” Taranenko said.
Discovering the country, he adds, means looking into the eyes of Ukrainians whose lives have been changed forever, but who live in anticipation of victory.
Visit Ukraine is valued by the government for its work in supporting the war-hit country’s decimated tourism industry and providing information to help citizens arriving and departing. But there is no official endorsement for the current drive to encourage visitors.
“This is not the right time to visit, but after we win and the war is over, we will invite people to visit Ukraine,” Mariana Oleskiv, chairman of the State Agency for the Development of Tourism in Ukraine, told CNN .
“At the state level, we want Ukraine to be open to tourism, but for that we need more weapons, we have to win the war and stop it. Our official position is to visit Ukraine when it is safe to visit, maybe possible to do it after years, I hope.”
Oleskiv said domestic tourism in Ukraine had restarted and reached 50% of pre-war levels despite the fighting, but it was too early and too risky for foreigners to come. She suggested buying tours as a way to support the tourism industry.
‘Like rolling a dice’
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Although Ukraine has been under martial law and air traffic has been suspended, foreign visitors can still travel in and out quite easily by land, through the country’s eastern checkpoints with Europe, Taranenko said.
While travel is possible, independent travel security experts warn against it.
Charlie McGrath, owner of Objective Travel Safety, a UK-based company that trains people for war zones, says even areas in Ukraine that appear safe can pose a real risk.
“I urge extreme caution due to the ongoing indiscriminate Russian attacks,” he told CNN. “While the far west of Ukraine is relatively safe and life seems to go on, the southeast is much more dangerous. It’s like throwing a dice.”
He says visitors need reassurance about the protection they receive during the tours and what happens if they are injured or their guide is killed. There are also questions about which hospitals and local resources would be involved.
“I would recommend not doing it,” he adds.
Taranenko says that regardless of the risks, there is sense in visiting Ukraine. Of the 150 tickets sold so far, 15 have gone to Americans, he says.
Tour groups are limited to groups of 10. Participants meet their guide at the pick-up points and are prepared on how to act if a critical situation arises – such as where to find shelter when air-raid sirens sound.
“Having a guide who knows the place and exactly which direction to take is a guarantee,” he says. “If you venture 10 meters to the left or 10 meters to the right, you could end up on a mine or bomb.
“In the Bucha area, for example, there are forests with bombs still activated that could explode at any moment.”
‘Normal life’
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The day trips last 3-4 hours, but can be extended on request. The company says the profits from the sale of all tickets will go to war refugees.
Oleksii Vlasenko, 32, a business travel entrepreneur from Kiev, told CNN he attended one of the tours in July and visited several conflict-damaged cities. He said that while he encountered no apparent dangers during the journey, there was an inherent danger.
“Of course there is always a risk as the war continues, but I think it is different now,” he said. “People are interested in traveling to see the devastation after the war. However, I wouldn’t recommend the tour to women and children, but to young men, why not?
“In Kiev, Lviv, Bucha, Irpin there is now a normal life, despite every day missile alarms, there are no more Russian occupying soldiers.”
Among the tours offered is a collection titled “Brave Cities,” which includes destinations such as “strong and invincible Bucha and Irpin” — two locations near Kiev that were brutally attacked by Russia in the early days of the invasion.
Highlights read like a look back at some of the conflict’s worst headlines, with forays into bombed-out residential areas and damaged cultural treasures.
Other city tours include ‘Persistent and hardy Sumy’, ‘Kyiv In One Day’, ‘Sightseeing Tour of Lviv’ and ‘Odesa – a Pearl by the Sea’.
Some areas such as Mariupol and Mykolaiv, either under Russian control or still under constant attack from Russian forces, remain off limits to tours.
But Taraneko is optimistic he will invite visitors next year when, he says, the war is hopefully over.
