Russia & Ukraine Master Thread

[MosheD]

Anyone have number for good affordable driver other than those in the wiki?

[ad120]

Anyone have number for good affordable driver other than those in the wiki?

Sasha has good drivers.
He charges more cpkm than Poyechali and UmanEx though:
scetinin@gmail.com

[ckmk47]

Moscow
Visa- You need a visa to go to Russia.  For Americans, it cost $300 (plus expediter fee) for a visa that is valid for 3 years. After submission, it takes more than 2 weeks to get.
Taxi- A regular cab can easily rip off a tourist in Moscow.  In advance, we were also told by locals to download Yandak Taxi.  When trying to use Uber, we were directed to that app.  I wasn’t able to input my credit card info, but it gave us a cash price that we paid to the driver.  The prices were great! A half hour ride across town was under 500 Rubels – less than $8.
Money changing- Find out the approximate exchange rate before you go, so you have an idea what to expect.  I didn’t use much cash, mostly credit cards, so I exchanged in my hotel.  The bank a few blocks away was giving a better rate, but for the small amount of difference, and the small amount of cash I used, it wasn’t worth bothering.
Weather -I went in December.  The weather stayed above freezing, although often it was overcast and dreary.    I brought a warm coat (LandsEnd rated to -35F) but didn’t need any additional outer clothes except my pockets and hood. Indoors it was warm everywhere I went. 
Water - I read before I went that the water may not always be safe to drink.  I brushed my teeth with sink water at the hotel, but only drank bottled water while I was there.

Hotel - We stayed at the Hotel Azimut Olympic.   Well priced.  Clean, reasonable size room, comfortable bed, hot shower, wifi, helpful staff.  It took about 20 minutes to walk to the Marina Roscha shul building.  I found the walk pleasant.  Moscow traffic patterns are such that driving to shul from Azimut took 5 minutes, while going back took closer to 10.
The Marina Roscha shul is an active local shul.  It has several minyanim for shachris.  Also has daily mincha and maariv.
The shul building has both milchig and flaishig restaurants with reasonable food.  It also has a mikvah and Judaica store.
Within a block or 2 of the shul, there are 2 kosher supermarkets that carry groceries for locals along with various prepared foods.  There is also at least 1 restaurant around the corner from the shul.
The Jewish Museum is a block from the Marina Roscha shul. It has a history of the Jews in Russia with emphasis on their persecution.  It is very well done, and worth going into. $7 -8.50

Getting to Lubavitch:  Since I was there with a group of people, we went by van with a stop in Smolensk to use the mikva and bathrooms.  I was told you can take a train from Moscow to Smolensk and drive (rent a car?) from there the 2 hours to Lubavitch. I don’t know if this is at all efficient, since I’ve only ever heard of people going all the way by car. Driving back to Moscow we only stopped at a gas station for bathrooms.   

Things to see (many of which I didn’t see): 
-Kremlin, the grounds and museum – I hear there’s a line at the door, so maybe buy tickets on line in advance.
-Red Square and the city center.  A nice walk.  They over-do the lights and street decorations for the year end and New Years season, so the streets were looking their best. You can get the history of the area and a better understanding of the buildings with a walking tour guide.  That’s true for most cities.
-Bunker 42 museum is a cold war bunker deep under ground.  Very interesting. Check the times for a tour in English; it is not the type of place you can just wander around.  Going during a Russian tour and using an English audioguide is a poor substitute.
-Arabat is the pedestrian mall shopping center.  Gum is another shopping center.

[KSMH]

Thanks, Your only the 2nd TR fo Russia. Very informative.

@Something Fishy can you pls add it to Wiki.

[travel agent]

arranged trip to Haditch & more for the yurtzeit.
2 options: Jan. 19 - 21 or 19 - 23

for details call 718-564-6433

[Ellen]

Anyone know any details about a kosher summer hotel program in Carpathian mountains?

[ad120]

The last time I visited Ukraine I was held at gunpoint.

Here is my question.

Is public transportation into (from KBP) and around Kiev safe?
Am I not supposed to look overly Jewish?

[Suave]

The last time I visited Ukraine I was held at gunpoint.

Here is my question.

Is public transportation into (from KBP) and around Kiev safe?
Am I not supposed to look overly Jewish?

You should be fine, avoid walking dark streets alone etc. Public transport is fine mostly.

[ad120]

You should be fine, avoid walking dark streets alone etc. Public transport is fine mostly.

Looking overly Jewish isn't an issue?

[Suave]

Looking overly Jewish isn't an issue?

I've spent this past year in Ukraine. Children walk to cheder with visible payos & tsitsis. Chassidim dance in the streets in full garb. Yes, we do have the occasional anti-semitic incident, but probably less than what you guys have going on in the states.

[El Capitan]

Looking to go June 6-10 for wedding in menorah center DNK June 9th.
Couple of questions. What's the best way to do it on points in both J and Y?
Any issues for kohanim at kvorim or in general throughout Ukraine?
If I arrive in KBP Monday afternoon and I need to be in Dniepro on Wednesday and leaving back Thursday morning what's the best way to do it? Most importantly I'd like to go to haditch and nyeshin. All else is a bonus.

TIA!

[gsquared]

Shabbat in Kiev + Chernobyl day trip

Spend a few days in Kiev including shabbat and a day trip to Chernobyl.

Stayed at the Podol Inn which is a frum hotel on the same campus as a beautiful shul, yeshiva, mikvah, and two restaurants - meat and dairy.  The meat restaurant is called the Taki Da.  The Podol Inn is $50/night.  The front desk guy Constantine speaks good English is a good resource.  There is a whatsapp number for the Hotel +380 50 606 6405 but not very helpful. The hotel and the restaurant are not related. I ate in the restaurant and ordered and prepaid for my shabbat meals at the same time. I was told I would be eating in my room however it turns out that there were other guests so they let us eat in the restaurant. Keep in mind that some items on the menu are priced in grams and others are priced normally. Landed getting a $60 steak which was just ok. The food overall is pretty good and decently priced.

There is a little grocery store in the basement of the shul which sells wine, grape juice, challah, cheese snacks etc. I believe they are open till 7pm.

I organized a private walking tour of Kiev and also got my PCR test for my flight back to the US. It's a very walkable and pretty city. Weather was very good so that obviously makes a difference. There is another shul more in the downtown called the Brodsky shul and they have 2 restaurants and a food truck outside. Ate at the food truck and at one of the restaurants. Also pretty good and well priced. I don't know if they have shabbat meals at the Brodsky shul. It is a chabad shul though. There is another chabad shul but they seem to be far out and no nearby hotels.

There is a Karlin Shul very close by the Podol Inn and got an invite for lunch so davened shabbos there. Small kiddush. Also have suedas shlishit. Walked around the city. No issues wearing a kippah anywhere in Kiev it seems. Another restaurant/bar/hookah bar nearby called Tel Aviv. Ukraine has very good beer.

I did a private day trip to Chernobyl with Misha. A real pro.  $350 for the day. +380 93 904 4095. Far better than taking a bus tour. Lots of flexibility and plenty of time at places that you find interesting. Also visited what was the Chernobyl shul and a couple of kevers.

Constantine set me up with a driver Alex +380 50 462 7682 who seems to be a real fixer. Does airport runs, Airbnb, tours, and knows a lot of people. 

Obviously didn't go to Uman or Dnipro or the many other kevers in the region. 

[Ellen]

Is it feasible to visit Hadych as a day trip from Kyiv?
Google maps is showing under 4 hours per way, but cannot be trusted in Ukraine.
My aim would be to spend 2-3 hours in Hadych.

PS Many people mentioned it, but I'll do it again . This thread should really be divided for Russia and Ukraine...

[nescafe]

Is it feasible to visit Hadych as a day trip from Kyiv?
Google maps is showing under 4 hours per way, but cannot be trusted in Ukraine.
My aim would be to spend 2-3 hours in Hadych.

PS Many people mentioned it, but I'll do it again . This thread should really be divided for Russia and Ukraine...

I've done hadych to kyiv in under 4 hours by car

[YesThatsMe]

I want to charter a private plane for a group of 20 people from Uzhhorod to Bratislava. Who can I reach out to for a quote?

[~King Lake~]

Anything special to know before traveling to Ukraine?
planning to enter by car from Poland

Need a PCR, vaccine, etc.?

[ad120]

Anything special to know before traveling to Ukraine?
planning to enter by car from Poland

Need a PCR, vaccine, etc.?

PCR and Ukrainian COVID Insurance Policy

[ad120]

I want to charter a private plane for a group of 20 people from Uzhhorod to Bratislava. Who can I reach out to for a quote?

https://flymotorsich.com/en/pages/contacts/
https://yanair.ua/charter_flight/?___store=en&___from_store=ua

[Joel]

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ukraine-travel-advisory.html

U.S. citizens should be aware of reports that Russia is planning for significant military action against Ukraine. U.S. citizens are also reminded the security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice. 

U.S. citizens choosing to travel to Ukraine should be aware that Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine would severely impact the U.S. Embassy’s ability to provide consular services, including assistance to U.S. citizens in departing Ukraine.   

[Suave]

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ukraine-travel-advisory.html

I'm living in Ukraine at the moment and know nothing about this