Kyiv

Is Kyiv safe to visit?

No. Kyiv is hundreds of kilometres from the front line, yet in August and September 2026 it had more civilians killed than any other Ukrainian city. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (OHCHR) verified 31 civilian deaths in Kyiv in August and 32 in September, when the city recorded civilian casualties on 22 of 30 days, more often than in any month since Russia's full-scale invasion began. The city military administration counted 171 people killed by Russian attacks in Kyiv in 2025, 13 of them children.

The US State Department rates Ukraine Level 4, do not travel for any reason. The UK FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises against all travel to Kyiv and every region outside a few in the west, and says the British Embassy in Kyiv cannot help in person. Ordinary crime is low. The risk is from the air.

Missiles, drones and shelters

Russia usually launches its mass attacks at night, according to Reuters. On 5 August 2026 a missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed 18 civilians, eight of them waiting for a train at a railway station. On 20 August another attack killed 16 people, and on 1 September a strike killed nine, seven of them railway workers. On 25 September jet-powered drones hit residential areas, killing seven and injuring 64.

October brought ballistic missiles. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched more than 100 at Kyiv and the Kyiv region in the two weeks from 14 October. On 26 and 27 October missiles hit a university campus, a bridge and medical facilities in the city, killing one person and injuring 15. On 29 October missiles struck just after 10 p.m., setting warehouses on fire in Darnytskyi district and killing one person.

What the US and UK tell travellers:

• Install an alert app such as Air Alert and turn on notifications.
• Know where your nearest shelter is before the first night.
• Go to the shelter as soon as the alert sounds, and be ready to stay for hours.
• Avoid events attended by government or military officials, which the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says are more likely targets.

Blackouts, curfew and getting around

Russia resumed its attacks on Kyiv's power supply in late September 2026. After what the Kyiv Independent called Russia's largest strike on Ukraine's energy system of the year, on 3 November emergency power cuts hit the city and water stopped running in parts of Pecherskyi, Podilskyi and Holosiivskyi districts. Trams and trolleybuses were suspended from that evening, and the city opened warming centres where people can charge phones. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that ATMs and card terminals may not work during power cuts, so carry some cash in hryvnia.

The curfew runs from 01:00 to 05:00. Mayor Vitali Klitschko moved its start from midnight on 10 September 2026, and the city runs buses from the main railway station for passengers on late trains. Ukraine's airspace is closed, so visitors arrive by train or road.

Crime and scams

Street crime is a minor concern here next to the war. Ukraine's homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary was 3.8 per 100,000 in 2021, the last year before the invasion, and Kyiv police recorded 168 robberies in 2025, a very low number for a city of about three million. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's crime warnings for Ukraine are general:

• Street crime and petty theft, with foreigners seen as easy targets.
• Theft from cars, which it calls common.
• Card cloning at ATMs, also common.
• Drink and food spiking.
• Unregulated taxis that overcharge; use cars with the company name and number on the door and roof.

Carry your passport at all times. Police can ask for it, and photographs near government or military sites are not allowed.

Roads, air and hospitals

Traffic is a real daily risk. National Police counted 145 road deaths in Kyiv in 2025, up from 107 in 2024, or about 5 per 100,000 people. Speeding caused more than half of all road deaths in Ukraine that year. Cross only at lights and watch for drivers who ignore them, which the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says is common.

The air is cleaner than in many European capitals. IQAir measured an annual PM2.5PM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary average of 9.4 µg/m³ in 2024, about twice the WHO guideline but below Warsaw's 13.4. Health care is weaker. The FCDO says state hospitals are generally poor and private clinics better but not always at Western standards, and some medicines are hard to find. Bring enough of any prescription medicine for the whole trip.

Where to stay and how to prepare

Russia often aims at warehouses, factories and power plants in the industrial districts on the east bank of the Dnipro, and Kyiv residents have been moving to the west bank and to lower floors, which are safer from drones and easier to reach when lifts stop. Do the same: a lower floor on the west bank, close to a shelter or metro station, away from government buildings. Keep a charged power bank, water, a torch and warm clothes in your room. For a calmer base in Ukraine, see our page on Lviv, and Warsaw for the city most visitors pass through on the way.

How we scored it

Violent crime (30) is the weakest factor because we fold in the Russian strikes: on crime alone, Kyiv would score around 80. Walking at night (54) reflects Ukraine's Gallup result of 62%, the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's advice against all travel, night attacks, the curfew and blackouts. Traffic safety (72) and natural hazards (72) are the strongest factors, and health and environment (60) is held back by hospitals and outages rather than air. The weighted average of the factors is 56, but the overall score is capped at 38 (Ukraine's conflict score of 3 + 35): a city cannot score above its country's conflict ceiling, because missiles and attacks do not stop at city limits. For anyone deciding whether to go, the advisories matter more than the number.