Ukraine

Visited: December 1993, February 2007

Duration of visit: 10 days

Capital city: Kiev

Population: 46 million (2007)

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

• Skiing at the Tysovets ski resort in chaotic and potentially hazardous conditions.
• A brief visit to Lviv, the largest city in Western Ukraine, left me shocked as I witnessed the empty shelves in many grocery stores.
• Unsuccessful business meetings in Kiev and walking around the main streets at -11°C.

The second-largest European country after Russia, Ukraine was one of the most important republics of the Soviet Union, which resulted in many top positions in the Soviet Union occupied by Ukrainians. The country was heavily damaged by second world war and one of the poorest Soviet republics by the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The journey towards independence that began in 1991 was market by significant challenges, as Ukraine sought to align itself with Russia on one hand and the European Union on the other.

This delicate balance was further complicated by the Orange Revolution in 2004, during which the country openly shifted towards the West.

The country is internationally known for terrible nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, one of the world’s major grain producers, beautiful women and recently the Ukrainian war with Russia.

As a young buy growing up in Slovenia, I was an enthusiastic skier, familiar with all national ski slopes. Ski resorts in Austria, Italy or France were too expensive, thus my parents decided to go skiing to Ukraine, where apparently good skiing conditions were supplemented by inexpensive accommodation and food. I was a university student, living my independent life in Ljubljana, but for this opportunity I decided to join my parents.

A long nigh-bus drive brought us to Ukraine, where loads of snow was covering the areas of lowland. Our final destination was Tysovets ski resort – a sport-sanitary complex of winter sports under supervision of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. A sport center for alpine and nordic skiing had been well recognized in the old times, also serving as a training base for the best national athletes.

Real winter conditions awaited us with plenty of snow and low temperatures. Accommodation was basic and ski slopes were only few. I immediately realized that this ski center can’t be compared to Central European superb skiing facilities.

Dilapidated and outdated ski lifts lost their operating license a long time ago: additionally, most of snow groomers remained in the valley due to a lack of spare parts. Transport from our hotel to ski lifts was carried out in old, indestructible Russian trucks converted to transport passengers in the most demanding winter conditions without any comfort.

All services were negotiated with operators, whose flexibility and goodwill depended on payment in local currency or the size of vodka bottles.

Ski tracks were abandoned in the natural conditions, snow grooming was not really practiced. So practically the entire week we were skiing in fresh snow. Apart from our group of fifty people, there were hardly any other guests in the ski resort.

Part of our ski package tour was also a day trip to Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine. As the city that is on UNESCO World’s Heritage List, it is full of interesting places to visit, but we just walked around the narrow streets in a cold winter day.

Lviv had the good fortune of escaping major destruction in the Second World War, and its position on the trade roads between the Black Sea and Central Europe furnished with more beautiful architecture than it is a standard for this size of the city.

The most disappointing aspect was browsing through grocery stores, as the shelves were predominantly bare and devoid of essential items. There was practically nothing that we could buy, since only locals with special permits were able to purchase the basic goods.

As part of my initiative to establish a sales network for heating and air purifying products in Eastern Europe, I visited Kiev several times.

During the winter season, characterized by limited sunlight and brief daylight hours, temperatures frequently drop below -10°C.

Although walking around was not particularly enjoyable, I remained persistent to explore the city during my free hours.

From a business perspective, the majority of the meetings proved to be unproductive; a complete waste of time. Ukrainian retailers were extended hands of Russian owners or mother companies and they didn’t take main decisions locally.

It was a hopeless attempt to comply with my boss requirements and unrealistic expectation to grow the business in Ukraine. Purchase power was low, the consumers were happy with well positioned German brands and local businessmen imported all kind of Chinese products under Russian labels, that were marketed countrywide on billboards, in newspapers and TV media.

With the population of almost 3 million people, Kiev is undoubtedly not only the industrial, scientific, educational and cultural center of Ukraine, but also of Eastern Europe. Extensive system of public transport and infrastructure, including the inexpensive Kyiv Metro, good restaurants, higher education institutions and historical landmarks with plenty of green areas, make it a pleasant tourist destination.

One of the oldest and most important cities in Eastern Europe was founded at the beginning of the 5^th century on flowing hills next to the Dnieper River. The city of ancient temples, unusual Soviet architecture, rich history that reflects in hundreds of monuments, sculptures and old buildings.

Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) is the main square in Kyiv. The square has been the center of marches or protests, including the pro-European Union demonstrations in November 2013, which turned violent after the then-President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, decided to stop signing an agreement with the European Union and choose to join closer relations with Russia.

The oldest church in Kyiv, Saint Sophia Cathedral, was built in the 11^th century and it became Ukraine’s first UNESCO site and the city’s most famous landmark.

It was built by Prince Yaroslav the Wise and is decorated with original mosaics. It is one of the most famous monuments of Kievan Rus period, a federation of East Slavic and Finnish peoples, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

Also built in 11^th century, St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, survived the Mongols, who managed to remove the gilded domes. It fell into disrepair for hundreds of years until it was restored and expanded in 1496. During this time, it became one of Ukraine’s most popular monasteries.

Unfortunately, so far, my exploration of Ukraine has been limited to two cities and skiing in remote mountains. I still have a list of many interesting locations in Kiev that are worth visiting. Chernobyl is open for tourists, while natural wonders are calling to be explored as well.

Let us hope that Ukraine will return to the old tracks of peace and freedom, when it will be possible to explore its hidden gems again.