The research "Ukrainians and visa regime: the real life practice" was held by the Marketing Technologies Bureau, together with the PR-bureau “Dieslovo”. The survey was conducted among the adult population in 130 villages in all regions of Ukraine. There were interviewed 3,159 respondents that represents sample of the adult population in Ukraine according to main socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, type of settlement and region of residence).

Window to Europe: half-closed or half opened?

The plane flew, the wheels were rubbing. You were not expecting us, but we came.
From Russian folklore

Strange, but opinions about openness / closure of Europe for Ukrainians have shared almost in two - 41%-and-41% of respondents. And, regardless of whether they travelled abroad in the last ten years or not. 


It is significant that every fourth person of those who have been in Europe, argue that it is closed for the Ukrainians. Agree that such a result clearly illustrates the features of a mysterious Ukrainian soul: on the one hand, the “Europe for us is closed, but I was there”, but on the other – “No one was waiting for me there, but I'm back!”.

But still, why we are not welcomed in Europe? "Rich countries have been forced to distance themselves from poor Ukraine," - this opinion we’ve heard more often. Therefore, the complex of “inferiority” in our fellow citizens gets along with the desire to show it around the world. In addition, the Ukrainians complain about inflated cost of visas, as well as an exhausting and complicated process of receiving them.



But among those who call themselves a patriot of Ukraine, there is a prevailing opinion about the openness of Europe for Ukrainians. Of course, it is very difficult to be proud of the country, and at the same time - to assert that its citizens are not welcomed in the whole civilized world ...

Discrimination of Ukrainians abroad: who's to blame?

Always thorny crown
It will be better than the royal crown.
Lesya Ukrainka

Trip abroad begins long before the intersection of the border, exactly at the time of visiting the embassy of a certain European country. Let’s recall that the territory of the embassy or consulate is already a territory of foreign country and the attitude to unwanted guests is appropriate.

Every twentieth Ukrainian citizen has experience in dealing with the embassies of European countries, so - well aware that attempts to create a lot of obstacles for Ukrainian in embassies often exceed reasonable limits.

Nevertheless, Europeans do not pay attention to our views, neither to the universal human rights established by international law. Ukrainians feel discrimination long before they begin to communicate with the embassy staff - just look at the queue near foreign missions ...

Each fifth person became a victim of artificially created barriers - just the right amount of Ukrainians among those who appealed to the embassy, have been denied a visa. Absolute leader in the number of appeals and, consequently, the number of failures have embassies in Germany and Poland.

Therefore, according to the data there is absolutely logical assertion, supported by almost half the adult population of Ukraine: the problem of discrimination against the Ukrainians abroad is real.

It is also noteworthy that the Ukrainians blame in causing the problem themselves. Most respondents agreed: the Ukrainians themselves are guilty for that overseas perceive us as human beings of "third class" who, by their level of culture, poverty and inability to live by the laws constitute a threat to "safe" part of Europe.

"No one likes poor and miserable" - said one of the survey participants. Without attempting to refute this claim, we note that while we position ourselves as "younger brothers" of Europeans, the attitude to the Ukrainians will be appropriate.

Our response to Chamberlain

"Quo Vadis?". But do not panic, we will not go. We are waiting for manna.
Volodymyr Yavorіvsky

Overall, survey results showed that the negative attitude of Europeans towards the citizens of Ukraine was caused by the problems associated with low international prestige of the Ukrainian state.

That is why our fellow citizens have proposed such measures to improve the situation:
work on the development of their own state, to restore order in the country;
learn to respect themselves and improve Ukraine's image abroad;
increase the economic potential and improve cultural and educational level of citizens of Ukraine.

A significant part of Ukrainians is "bloodthirsty": about two-thirds of respondents supported the idea to establish a fee for obtaining Ukrainian visa. About half believe that it is worth to cancel visa requirements for citizens of European states.

Radical proposals such as "to restore the nuclear potential of Ukraine" also sounds a lot, but the overall trends are stable. Ukrainians understand that our image abroad depends on us. It is true, because now the average citizen can not afford to visit Europe as often as he would have liked, the burden of resolving the dispute depends on the state structures. But if they have an understanding in which direction to move - a rhetorical question ...

Epilogue, a warning

"Little Russian - is not politics or even tactics, always, it is only a priori and total capitulation"
Lesya Ukrainka

Read the online version of the report