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'''Ukraine''' is one of the biggest countries in [[Europe]]. It borders [[Moldavia]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Belarus]], [[Poland]], [[Slovakia]], [[Hungary]] and the Black Sea. It has been at war with Russia since 2014 and since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, a large part of the country remains under military occupation. However, traveling to the country is still possible and can be a valuable experience. Some safety measures are described below.

Ukrainians understand the concept of hitchhiking very well, although it seems to have become more difficult since the war with Russia began in 2014.  There are significant regional differences, as in the countryside many people still regularly travel between villages. In recent years, the expectation to share the fuel costs has become more rare, however it is still useful to let your driver know that you are an international hitchhiker and traveling for free. Like other European countries, truck drivers always recognize hitchhikers and know they are travelling for free.  You can hitchhike anywhere along the roadside, even on real motorway like the [[Kyiv]]-[[Odessa]] road. The first two letters of the Ukrainian number plates indicate the region which can be helpful for finding a ride in the right direction.

The biggest problem you could encounter is that few people speak English or other foreign languages. Polish is widely understood. Since the beginning state of the full-scale invasionroads is pretty dire in general, many Ukrainians have shifted away from speaking Russian. Especially in and the Westdistances involved are usually pretty big (for example [[Lviv]] to [[Kyiv]] is around 550 km, you might get unpleasant reactions when speaking Russian. Dialects or Surzhyk (a mixed form 8 hours of Ukrainian and Russiandriving) are common.Getting an early start is essential.  == Language ==

When The biggest problem you could encounter is that few people speak English or other foreign languages. Polish is widely understood.  Since the beginning of the language barrier is overcomefull-scale invasion, many Ukrainians are generally hospitable and open peoplehave shifted away from speaking Russian. Especially in the West, you might get unpleasant reactions when speaking Russian.

In recent years, the expectation to share the fuel costs has become more rare, however it is still useful to let your driver know that you are an international hitchhiker and traveling for free. Like other European countries, truck drivers always recognize hitchhikers Dialects or Surzhyk (a mixed form of Ukrainian and know they Russian) are travelling for freecommon.

The state of When the roads language barrier is pretty dire in generalovercome, Ukrainians are generally hospitable and the distances involved are usually pretty big (for example [[Lviv]] to [[Kyiv]] is around 550 km, 8 hours of driving). Getting an early start is essentialopen people.

Siren sounds differ from region to region and might not always be available at all. Many Ukrainians have alerts set up on their phone through apps ([https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ukrainealarm&hl=en Android], [https://apps.apple.com/ua/app/%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%96%D1%82%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B0/id1611955391?l=uk iOS]) and as long as you are in a crowd, you will hear the sound go off on phones around you. In addition, various Telegram channels ( and some websites offer more information about the type of attack and allow people to react accordingly.

* [https://t.me/UkraineAlarmSignal єТривога – Volunteers monitoring and reporting alarms and other threats (usually quickest).]

== Climate and Weather == Areas like the Crimean peninsula (which you can now only access via Russia as a foreigner) can be quite uncomfortable to hitch during the summer due to the heat.