This travel company wants tourists to visit Ukraine

(CNN) — Now, visiting Ukraine to experience what it’s like to live in the midst of war, to see its bombed-out cities, feel the danger and meet its fighters is unlikely to be on anyone’s travel wish list.

But six months after Russia invaded the country amid a wave of death and destruction, one organization is inviting tourists.

Online platform Visit Ukraine.Today last month launched guided day tours of so-called “Courageous Cities” that resisted and defied the Russian invaders, giving travelers a glimpse of how the country is living through the conflict.

Despite international warnings against travel to Ukraine, the company says it has sold 150 tickets so far.The website, which provides information on safe travel to Ukraine, is getting 1.5 million hits a month, up 50 percent from pre-invasion numbers.

Anyone who signs up for the tour says they can expect to walk among bomb rubble, destroyed buildings, cathedrals and stadiums, as well as charred military hardware and the regular wail of air raid sirens. Landmines are also a hazard.

While it may seem like a bad way to spend a vacation, Ukrainian founder and CEO Anton Taranenko told CNN Travel that seeing visitors flock to other places of death, disaster and destruction is not the same as “dark tourism.”

Taranenko said the visits would give Ukraine an opportunity to highlight the spirit of defiance of its citizens and show the outside world that life goes on even in war.

“Living No Matter What”

“It’s not just about the bombs, what’s happening in Ukraine today is also about how people learn to live with the war, to help each other,” he said. “There is a real change, a new street spirit.

“Perhaps you’ll see your friends eating good traditional food at a bistro that opened across the street from the recent bombing.

“We’re happy for a while, it’s not all bad and sad things like on TV. Life goes on and there’s hope that this will all end soon.”

“Children are growing up, we try to live life as much as possible no matter what.”

The US State Department currently has a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” warning against Ukraine due to the Russian invasion. He urged all US citizens to leave the country immediately and warned that no consular assistance could be provided following the suspension of work at the embassy in Kiev.

Similar alerts have been issued in other countries. The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned there is a “real risk to life” from attacks on cities and regions.

Still, Taranenko is urging people to visit. “If you want to see our fallen cities and heroes fight, please come now,” he says.

However, he added, visitors should be aware that no place in Ukraine is 100% safe, although having a guide can help mitigate the risk.

“We will check the situation regularly so that we can monitor different levels of security,” said the president, pointing out that many Ukrainians have now returned to the areas where they fled due to the invasion, especially the capital, Kyiv.

“Ukraine is growing 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. Kyiv is now the most visited and the safest place,” Taranenko said.

He said finding the country means looking into the eyes of Ukrainians whose lives have changed forever but who live in anticipation of victory.

Visit Ukraine has been praised by the government for supporting the war-torn country’s tourism industry and providing information to help citizens entering and leaving. But there is no official confirmation of the current drive to encourage visitors.

“Now is not the right time to visit, but after we win and the war ends, we invite people to visit Ukraine,” Mariana Oleskiv, chairwoman of Ukraine’s tourism development agency, told CNN.

“At the state level, we want Ukraine to be open for tourism, but for that we need more weapons, we need to win and stop the war. Our official position is to visit Ukraine when it is safe to visit Ukraine, maybe next year, I hope.”

Oleskiv said that domestic tourism has resumed in Ukraine and reached 50% of pre-war levels despite the war, but it was too early and too dangerous for foreigners to come. She suggested that trips could be bought to support the tourism industry.

‘rolling like dice’

Although martial law has been imposed in Ukraine and air traffic has been suspended, Taranenko says foreign visitors can still leave and enter easily by land, crossing the country’s eastern checkpoints with Europe.

While travel is possible, independent travel safety experts warn against it.

Charlie McGrath, owner of Allama Travel Safety, a UK-based company that trains people for war zones, says that even seemingly safe areas of Ukraine can be dangerous.

“I urge extreme caution because of the ongoing indiscriminate Russian attacks,” he told CNN. Although it seems relatively safe and life goes on in far western Ukraine, the southeast is more dangerous. It’s like rolling the dice.

He said visitors need reassurance about what kind of protection they will receive on the tour and what will happen if they are injured or their guide is killed. There are also questions about which hospitals and local resources are involved.

I recommend not doing it.

According to Taranenko, regardless of the risks, there is an appetite to visit Ukraine. He said about 15 of the 150 tickets sold so far were for Americans.

Touring teams will be limited to 10 teams. Participants will meet their guide at their destination and be prepared for what to do in the event of an emergency – such as where to find shelter if an air raid siren sounds.

“Having a guide who knows the place and knows which direction to take is a guarantee,” he says. “If you start 10 meters to the left, or 10 meters to the right, you could run into a mine or a bomb.

“For example, there are forests in the Bucha area that are bombed and can explode at any time.”

“Ordinary Life”

Day tours are 3-4 hours long but can be extended based on requests. The company says profits from all ticket sales go to support war refugees.

Oleksii Vlasenko, a 32-year-old Kiev-based business travel entrepreneur, attended one of the tours in July to visit conflict-affected cities for CNN. He said that while he did not face any obvious danger during the trip, there was an inherent risk.

“Of course there’s always a risk as the war continues, but I think it’s different now,” he said. “People are interested in traveling to see the ruins after the war. But I don’t recommend the tour to women and children, but to young men, why not?

“In Kiev, Lviv, Bucha, Irpin, there is now a return to normal life, despite the daily rocket alerts, there are no Russian resident soldiers anymore.”

Among the tours on offer is a collection of “Cities of the Brave” that includes destinations such as “strong and invincible Bucha and Irpin” – two places close to Kiev that were brutally targeted by Russia at the beginning of the invasion.

Highlights include some of the highlights of the conflict, trips to bombed residential areas and damage to cultural heritage.

Other city tours include “Standing and Strong Sumy”, “Kyiv in a Day”, “Lviv Sightseeing Tour” and “Odessa – Pearl by the Sea”.

Some areas, such as Maripul and Mykolaiv, which are either under Russian control or still under ongoing attack by Russian forces, are off limits to visitors.

But Taraneko is optimistic that he will be able to invite visitors next year and that the war will end.