Ukraine

Is Ukraine safe to visit?

No. Ukraine is in the fifth year of Russia's full-scale invasion, and in 2026 the war got worse for civilians, not better. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (OHCHR) verified 2,222 civilians killed and 13,058 injured between January and August 2026, 55% more than in the same months of 2025 and already more than in the whole of 2025. Since February 2022 it has verified 17,257 civilian deaths, and it says the true figure is higher.

The US State Department rates Ukraine Level 4 and says do not travel for any reason (advisory of 27 August 2026). 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, last updated on 2 October 2026, advises against all travel to almost all of the country. We score Ukraine 38; the last section explains how. Read the advisories first; for most readers they settle the question.

What the US and UK advise

The US advisory applies to the whole country with no exceptions. It says non-frontline regions are also hit by "indiscriminate" missile and drone attacks, that US government staff need special permission to leave Kyiv, and that family members of staff may not join them.

The UK is slightly more detailed:

• Against all travel: Crimea, the east and south, Kyiv, and every region not listed below, including areas under Russian control such as parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
• Against all travel within 50 km of the Belarus border in Volyn, Rivne and Zhytomyr.
• All but essential travel only: Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Chernivtsi and Lviv, and the parts of Volyn, Rivne and Zhytomyr more than 50 km from Belarus.

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 its embassy in Kyiv cannot help in person and that it cannot arrange evacuations. Most travel insurance is void where the FCDO advises against travel.

Missiles, drones and air-raid alerts

Most civilian deaths far from the front come from the air. In August 2026, OHCHR attributed 47% of civilian casualties to missiles and long-range drones, mostly in cities. That month, Kyiv had the most deaths of any city (31), including 18 people killed on 5 August, eight of them waiting for a train. On 21 August two drones hit a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih about 30 minutes apart, killing at least 13. Near the front line, short-range drones were the main killer.

Alerts are frequent. The US and UK both tell travellers to install an alert app such as Air Alert, find their nearest shelter in advance and go there as soon as the alert sounds, even when nothing seems to be happening. Attacks on the power grid bring blackouts that can also cut heating and water, and 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 winter temperatures can fall below -20°C.

Unexploded weapons are a separate risk. The FCDO says they are found across Ukraine, especially in the south and east and where ground fighting took place, and that drone and missile strikes can scatter cluster munitions in public places. Do not touch anything that looks like ordnance and report it on 101.

Getting in and out

Ukraine's airspace has been closed to civil flights since February 2022, so everyone arrives overland. Ukrzaliznytsia, the state railway, runs international trains from neighbouring countries, and 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 notes that a cyber attack disrupted its ticket sales in March 2025. Rail stations have been hit in strikes, so follow evacuation instructions on trains.

Martial law and a nationwide curfew apply, with times that vary by region. Carry your passport at all times. Dual nationals should read the FAQ below on exit rules for Ukrainian men before entering.

Crime, roads and healthcare

Ordinary crime is a much smaller risk than the war. Ukraine's last pre-invasion 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 people in 2021, and there is no comparable wartime figure. 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 of petty theft, theft from cars, drink spiking and card cloning at ATMs, and recommends taxis with the company name on the door.

Roads are a real everyday risk. WHO estimatedWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 10.2 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, and the FCDO describes speeding, drink driving and ignored traffic lights; routes are also damaged by the war. Avoid driving at night, which the curfew limits anyway.

The FCDO says state hospitals are generally poor and private clinics better, but supply chains for medicines are disrupted and pharmacies can close without notice. Bring enough of any prescription medicine for the whole trip, and have insurance that explicitly covers Ukraine and evacuation.

If you still have to go

People who travel for work, aid or family should:

• Check the US and 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 advice the week you leave; it changes often.
• Register your trip with your embassy and share your movements with someone outside Ukraine.
• Install an air-alert app, keep your phone and a power bank charged, and plan for blackouts.
• Stay away from military and government sites, energy facilities and large gatherings.
• Do not take photographs near government or military sites.
• Call 112 in an emergency, 103 for an ambulance and 102 for police.

Poland is the usual gateway, and our Russia page covers the other side of the war.

How we scored it

Conflict scores 3, close to the floor, and drives everything that matters here. Ukraine's normal-looking crime (70), road (62) and natural hazard (75) scores would lift the weighted average of the six factors to 52. The overall score is capped at 38 (conflict + 35): when conflict is this severe, good roads, health care or low crime cannot lift a country above that. Health (50) is lowered by the war's effect on hospitals, medicines and power. Even at 38, treat the advisory, not the overall score, as the answer.