Holiday Stay in Ukraine - Is Ukraine a Corrupt Rogue State?

This story was sent to us by Mr Peter Lund who came to Kiev a month ago to enjoy his holidays but instead his stay turned out to be a total nightmare. From our experience, what happened to him is not a typical practice in Ukraine but it did happen and he wanted to share his story, so it does not happen to other foreigners.

 

We decided to keep the story intact, just as it came to our newsroom. So here it is:

 

"I had planned 14 days holiday in Ukraine. Ukraine is a large and rich country, but the wealth belongs to corrupt and criminal peoples.

 

I had hired an apartment near the center of Kiev.

 

On Monday evening, the 17th June 2013 at 2200 clock I should go for a walk before I went to bed. I went to Kiev's main street - Khreschatyk str. - an enormous wide and major street crossing the square in front of the statue Maidan Nezalezhnosti - the place that was used as a meeting place under the Orange Revolution few years back. There were many people there - it's there every night in this street.

 

I bought myself a bottle of beer in one of the many kiosks that are on the sidewalk along the street. I sat down on a bench drinking the beer. I got in talk with a woman who also sat there. She said she studied international economics and politics at university in Kiev, and next day - on Tuesday – she should end her master degree. The level of knowledge she expressed told me she probably told the truth about her studies. While we sat there appeared a man - she told me that was her husband. I chatted a bit with this man. She told me later that this was not her husband, but the husband of her friend. A little later they went. Before she left she said it was interesting to talk with me, she was very interested in European economics and politics – I have work with international politics in many years. She would therefore have my phone number so we later perhaps were able to meet and chat. She got my number.

 

The next day - on Tuesday the 18th June she called me in 1600-o'clock in the afternoon. We agreed to meet in the main street at 2000.

 

We met, walked a bit on the square in the front of the Maidan and continued conversation in the same style as the night (evening) before. She told me about the master degree completion. We went to a restaurant nearby and ate dinner. By 2300 time we parted. She was interested in showing me the city so we agreed we could meet again next day - on Wednesday. She would call me when she had slept out after a laborious examination. She told me her name was Jearoslava.

 

She called me at 1400 time on Wednesday, she could meet me at 1600.

 

Before we started to walk in the town, she wanted to see my apartment. We went there, booklet maybe a good half hour before she began guiding me in the city. We walked to the edge between the city and the park located along the river Dnipro. Many great places with lots of nice to watch. She could the town and the history very well. We were completely at the statue raised in connection with the famine – the starvation - in 1933.

 

After several hours walking, we ended at a restaurant to eat and drink. She was easy and interesting to talk with. I told her I next day (Thursday) had plans to go to Kharkov to see and experience this town for a few days. She said she was raised just outside of town and was thus well known in the city. She offered to come with me and show me this town if I wanted. For me it would be the benefit rather than go there alone to a large and certainly unfamiliar city. She spoke good English, most people in Ukraine do not speak English. I therefore thanked yes to her offer.

 

At 2200 o'clock we walked each of us. If we were to go by train to Kharkov next day we had to start early. We agreed that she should either come to my apartment same night after she had been at home and obtained the necessary travel accessories or she would get up to me early the next morning - on Thursday. When she left me at the Metro she said she would come to my apartment in 1 hour and stay in my apartment. I had no objections to this.

 

After about one hour I went out to look for her - this because it was no light either outside the apartment or in the stairs up to my apartment. I stayed on the 5th floor. There was no elevator in the building. The steps up to the apartment was bad, the stairs were narrow with a bad steel armrest. At that moment I open the front door, I see Jearoslava is standing there on the stairs outside the front door with a man. It was partly dark, so I do not know if this was the same man who sat next to me the first night when I met her in the street, but she said it was.

 

We went upstairs, everything seemed normal. She told me that she could not go to Kharkov next day because she had to arrange something first. She wondered if I could have the apartment for one day more so we could go on Friday. I called the rental firm. It was ok to hire for one day more, but I had to move to another apartment.

 

I opened a bottle of red wine. We drank some wine, sat on small chairs at a small kitchen table, talked and ate cherries. We had drunk perhaps one glass of red wine when she went to the bathroom. As she comes out from the bathroom she took on his shoes, takes her handbag and ran towards the front door. I did not understand the situation immediately. I try to stop her, but I could not. I hear she ran down the stairs, I must return to the apartment to grab my shoes and find the key to the front outdoor (front door is locked magnetic so I needed the key to get inside again). I hear the beep from the front door when I locked the door to my apartment. I ran down - there was dark. I could not see her, I called her - no answer. I called her by phone - no answer. I called her by phone several times. I walked around in the dark backyard / back streets to the apartment without finding or see anything. I do not understand what had happened and why. I am looking and calling surely one hour. Then suddenly she answers me on the phone where she says she is in the ambulance on the way to the hospital before she hangs up. I did not understand anything - why? What had happened?

 

The next day - Thursday - I am occupied with moving to another apartment until approx. 1400. Shortly after I arrive at my new apartment she calls me. She says that she is in the hospital (not why) and that she will come shortly. She asks for my address on sms before she hangs up. I send her my address.

 

Shortly after I came into the new apartment (perhaps about 20 minutes) then the doorbell rings. I believed it was Jearoslava since it was only she who knew my address. When I open the door I see two men standing there. One of them speaks English and says he has the function as translator (interpreter). The other said he was inspector of police and he spoke no English. He asked for my passport. My Ukrainian phone was seized. The inspector was dressed in civilian, he had no identification cards. He starts writing something on a sheet with a heading I did not understand anything of. I don’t know what he wrote.

 

Interpreter says Jearoslava is in hospital badly injured in the face of violations of the cheek bone. She had been with me at night so the damage was something I had caused. Jearoslava’s father had gone to the police and report the crime. I denied that and said I had nothing to do with her damage. But I was carefully explained that I had caused the damage, and it was very serious. It could result in at least one year in prison. The interpreter said that prisons in Ukraine are very unpleasant.

 

Inspector and interpreter speak together - they say that in order to avoid prison, I could buy myself out of the situation. A strange method and deal, but I was aware that the police use such methods in Ukraine.

 

I told him that I was a tourist in Ukraine and had therefore not much money. I was asked how much I had - I told him the truth that there and then I had only 2 000 UAH. I was asked if I had cards - visa / credit - and I had to answer in the affirmative. Inspector and interpreter are talking together again - inspector demand that in order to escape prison I must pay 50 000 UAH. I say it's impossible, I have no access to so much money when I'm on vacation. They see I have computer and says I must be able to obtain the money. The option is prison. They say that I even have the choice - money or prison. They had a very threatening behavior.

 

I understand that they are serious, so I agree to try to raise money. Prison in Ukraine seemed to be unpromising. If I pay 50 000 UAH the inspector would consider withdrawing the review.

 

I had no choice. I had to sign the paper the inspector had written something on. He did not tell me what he had written on the sheet, and I got no copy of it.

 

After some problems I managed to pay the 50 000 UAH inspector had demanded.

 

The interpreter handed the money to the inspector, but he come back with the message that I had to pay further 10 000UAH before the review could be withdrawn – this after request by Jearoslava's father. I paid further 10 000 UAH.

 

The money could not be transferred to any account, the money had to be paid in cash. I together with interpreter took out money from the minibanks. I did not get a receipt for the amount paid, but I can document how much money was taken out of my accounts.

 

I was transported in a taxi to my apartment with the message that interpreter would come back in 2200-time with finally notified of the outcome. I was told it was expressed for me in the town and that I should go home immediately.

 

At 2230 arrives interpreter. He says he has spoken with "biggest boss" that would not invalidate the review of mine. I get back my phone. He recommended me to go home the next day.

 

Following the recommendation of interpreter I went home on Friday - it was unsafe for me in Kiev I was told.

 

Rebooking of my ticket cost me additional of 4 000 UAH.

 

Special observations - for thought.

 

The day after the alleged incident and before I changed apartment, I investigated the stairs and outside the apartment if there could be any blood there if Jearoslava had fallen or injured herself when she ran away from me. I knew then nothing why she was in the hospital, nothing about injury at her.

 

According to the interpreter's statement she was badly injured in the face - therefore it should have been some blood where she fell or what she did. I did not find any blood. The interpreter did not tell me the place where she was damaged.

 

Shortly after I arrived at my new apartment on Thursday, the inspector and interpreter arrived. How had they got my address? They said they had talked to the landlord. But in retrospect I had confirmed that no one had asked for my address with the landlord. The only one who knew my address outside the landlord was Jearoslava who got the address at sms about 20 minutes before they arrived. Consequently, she - Jearoslava - must have given them my address.

 

The interpreter was powerful and relatively brown. He was suspiciously similar to the one person who I met on Monday evening (first evening - June 17) on the bench with Jearoslava and who she claimed was the husband of her friend. The interpreter was also similar to the person who was with Jearoslava outside on the stairs when I opened the front door Wednesday night. Since there was something dark both times, I did not look at him very much. I am sure it was the same person.

 

The interpreter gave said his name was:  Rovin, tel.  +380 932 015 977

 

Phone number of Jearoslava:  +380 631 758 442

 

Do not the police use uniform when they are in service? The inspector had not uniform.

Do not police officers have identification card? The inspector had not.

 

Conclusion:

 

Three people (Jearoslava, interpreter Rovin and inspector) has deliberately planned and carried out a robbery at me - they have usurped 60 000 UAH and ruined my holiday.

 

I have spoken with the police in my country. They say that the experience described above is typical in Ukraine. It is certainly allowed in this country to expose random tourists for such events.

 

Ukraine is a corrupt rogue state. I would strongly discourage tourists to go there. It can be a very very expensive trip with the loss of a lot of money or being turned lifeless.

 

Is this that Ukraine peoples in Ukraine want to live in and show people from other countries?

 

I hope newspapers in Kiev and Ukraine can write this story. And I hope someone can bring this story to the political system in Ukraine. It is a shame for the country that such corrupt conditions are allowed to pass.

 

Greetings from a sad tourist – never more tourist in Ukraine!!!!!

 

Peter Lund"

 

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