(CNN) – Visiting Ukraine now to experience what it’s like to live in the midst of war, see its bombed cities, feel the danger and meet its fighters is probably not on anyone’s travel wish list.
But six months after Russia invaded the country, unleashing a wave of death and destruction, an organization is inviting tourists to come.
Online platform Visit Ukraine.Today last month launched guided day tours of the so-called “Brave Cities” that resisted and continue to resist Russian invaders, giving travelers a glimpse of how the country lives amid conflict.
Despite international warnings against traveling to Ukraine, the company says it has sold 150 tickets so far, while its website, which provides information on how to travel safely to and from Ukraine, gets 1.5 million hits a month, up 50% from before the invasion.
It means anyone who signs up for the tours can expect walks among bomb debris, ruined buildings, cathedrals and stadiums, as well as burned-out military equipment and the regular wailing of air raid sirens. Landmines are also a risk.
While it might seem like a spooky way to spend a vacation, Visit Ukraine founder and CEO Anton Taranenko tells CNN Travel that it’s not the same as “dark tourism,” where visitors travel to other places of death, of disaster and destruction across the world.
According to Taranenko, the tours represent a chance for Ukraine to highlight the resilience of its citizens and to show the outside world that life goes on even in a war.
“Live life no matter what”
Visit Ukraine.Today encourages foreign travelers to take a trip to Ukraine.
Visit Ukraine
“It’s not just about the bombs, what’s happening in Ukraine today is also about how people are learning to live with the war, to help each other,” he says. “There is a real change, a new street spirit.
“You might see friends across the street from a recent bomb blast eating good traditional food at a reopened bistro.
“We’re happy for a few moments, it’s not just the bad and sad things that are on TV. Life goes on and there is hope that all this will soon be over.
“Kids grow up, we try to live life the best we can no matter what.”
The US State Department currently has a Level 4: Do Not Travel warning against Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. She urges all US citizens to leave the country immediately and warns that no consular assistance can be offered after her embassy in Kyiv has ceased operations.
Similar warnings have been issued by other countries. The British Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office warns of a “real danger to life” from attacks on cities and regions.
Nevertheless, Taranenko calls for a visit. “If you want to see our destroyed cities and brave people fighting, please come now,” he says.
However, visitors must be aware that no place in Ukraine is 100% safe, although the presence of a guide will help mitigate the danger.
“We regularly review the situation to monitor the different levels of security,” he says, noting that many Ukrainians have since returned to the areas they originally fled from, particularly the capital Kyiv, due to the invasion.
“Ukraine is rising again, people are returning to the cities, communities are beginning to rebuild, cities are recovering from the horrors and there are a million foreigners in the country. Kyiv is now the most visitable and safest place,” says Taranenko.
Discovering the country, he adds, means looking into the eyes of Ukrainians whose lives have been changed forever, but who live in anticipation of victory.
Visit Ukraine was recognized by the government for its work in supporting the war-torn country’s decimated tourism industry and providing information to help citizens travel to and from Ukraine. But there is no official approval for his current initiative to encourage visitors.
“Now is not the right time to visit, but after we win and the war is over, we will invite people to visit Ukraine,” Mariana Oleskiv, head of Ukraine’s State Agency for Tourism Development, told CNN.
“At the state level, we want Ukraine to open up to tourism, but for that we need more weapons, we need to win and end the war. Our official position is to visit Ukraine, if a visit is safe, maybe it’s possible to do that next year I hope.”
Oleskiv said that domestic tourism has indeed resumed in Ukraine, reaching up to 50% of pre-war levels despite the fighting, but it is too early and too risky for foreigners to come. She suggested buying tours to support the tourism industry.
“Like rolling the dice”
Foreign governments have warned their citizens not to visit.
Visit Ukraine
Despite Ukraine being under martial law and air travel suspended, Taranenko said foreign visitors can still travel in and out of the country fairly easily by land and pass through the country’s eastern checkpoints with Europe.
Travel is possible, but independent travel safety experts warn against it.
Charlie McGrath, owner of Objective Travel Safety, a UK-based company that trains people for war zones, says even seemingly safe areas in Ukraine can pose a real risk.
“Due to the ongoing random Russian attacks, I ask for extreme caution,” he told CNN. “Although the extreme west of Ukraine is relatively safe and life seems to be going on, the southeast is much more dangerous. It would be like rolling the dice.”
He says visitors would need reassurances about what protection they are offered on the tours and what happens if they are injured or their guide is killed. There is also the question of which hospitals and local resources would be involved.
“I would recommend not doing it,” he adds.
Taranenko says risks notwithstanding, there is an appetite to visit Ukraine. Of the 150 tickets sold so far, 15 went to Americans, he says.
Tour groups are limited to groups of 10 people. Participants meet their guide at the pickup points and are prepared on how to behave in a critical situation – such as where to find shelter if air raid raid sirens are sounding.
“Having a guide who knows the place and knows exactly which direction to go is a guarantee,” he says. “If you venture alone 10 meters to the left or 10 meters to the right, you may land on a mine or bomb.
“For example, in the Bucha area there are forests with bombs still activated that could explode at any time.”
‘Normal life’
Ukrainian officials are also urging visitors to stay away until the war is over.
Visit Ukraine
The day tours last 3-4 hours but can be extended depending on the request. According to the company, the profits from the sale of all tickets go to support war refugees.
Oleksii Vlasenko, 32, a Kyiv-based business traveler, told CNN he took part in one of the tours in July and visited several cities devastated by conflict. He said while he faced no obvious dangers during the trip, there was one inherent danger.
“Of course there is always a risk when the war goes on, but I think it’s different now,” he said. “People like to come to see the destruction after the war. However, I wouldn’t recommend the tour to women and children, but to young men, why not?
“In Kyiv, Lemberg, Bucha, Irpin, life is now normal again, despite daily rocket alarms, there are no more Russian occupying soldiers.”
Among the tours on offer is a collection titled ‘Brave Cities’, which includes destinations such as ‘the strong and invincible Bucha and Irpin’ – two locations near Kyiv that were brutally attacked by Russia in the early days of the invasion.
Highlights read like a throwback to some of the conflict’s worst headlines, with trips to bombed-out neighborhoods and damaged cultural treasures.
Other city tours include “Persistent and Hardy Sumy”, “Kyiv in One Day”, “Sightseeing Tour of Lviv” and “Odessa – a Pearl by the Sea”.
Some areas like Mariupol and Mykolaiv, which are either under Russian control or still under attack by Russian forces, remain closed to tours.
But Taraneko is optimistic about inviting visitors next year when, he says, hopefully the war is over.