Racism in Ukraine

Maggie’s recent comment on my blog made me realize I should do an entry on the issue of racism in Ukraine. It is a large, and growing, problem in this country and I have been asked about it by several different people. I am not an expert on the issue, but am happy to give my impression as someone here on the ground.

First, here is the official message from the State Department regarding the issue:

While most travelers do not encounter problems with crime in Ukraine, there has been an increase in the number of hate crimes directed at ethnic and religious minorities over the past few years. Many of these incidents are conducted by “skinheads” or neo-Nazis in Kyiv, but similar crimes have also been reported throughout the country. In Kyiv, these incidents have occurred without provocation in prominent downtown areas commonly frequented by tourists. While the majority of people targeted have been of Asian, African, or other non-European descent, all travelers should exercise caution. In addition to incidents of assault, racial minorities may be subject to various types of harassment, such as being stopped on the street by both civilians and law enforcement officials. Individuals belonging to religious minorities have also been harassed and assaulted in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine.

The police and government’s slow response to hate crimes is a continuing concern. Although senior Government of Ukraine officials (including the President and Prime Minister) have publicly deplored these hate crimes and groups, Ukrainian street level law enforcement activities are unable to effectively deter hate crimes or adequately protect racial minorities. The Embassy has received numerous reports from victims of violent hate crimes, as well as from bystanders, stating that uniformed police officers observed the assaults and did nothing to prevent the attacks, to assist the victims afterward, or to investigate and apprehend the attackers. The Government of Ukraine took initial steps to address the problem in the final months of 2007 with the establishment of special law enforcement units to prevent and investigate hate crimes in Ukraine. It remains to be seen if these units will be effective.

Although the message above makes mention of senior Ukrainian government officials speaking out against the violence, just recently the Minister of the Interior, Yuriy Lutsenko, caused a stir by apparently speaking out against foreigners in Kyiv. Situations like this only add to the concerns of the minority community in Ukraine that the government does not take the situation seriously enough. The government often considers racial attacks to be “hooliganism” even if the attack escalates to murder. There have been several people stabbed to death this year (mostly Africans) and even foreign diplomats of color have been attacked.

I should note that I have never personally seen any of these attacks and while they occur far too often, it isn’t as though the streets here feel unsafe. To my understanding, many of the attacks have happened in the evening or at night and have been concentrated in a few areas. Still, there was a recent report of a black man who was stabbed while riding a city bus. And although I have never seen an attack, I have seen groups of young men wandering the streets that I would identify as skinheads and racial grafitti is common around the city.

From what I have heard, Ukraine has not reached levels of violence as bad as are found in Russia and, unlike Russia, it seems that the government is noticing the problem and trying to make steps toward improving the situation. I have never felt unsafe walking the streets of Kyiv, but I am not in the demographic these groups often target.

If you’re of an ethnic group that might be targeted (largely black, Middle Eastern, South Asian), then I would certainly suggest you do your homework and be cautious while you are here, but I also think the majority of people are never bothered and some street smarts will generally keep you safe. I imagine it is no more dangerous here then in any large American city. The difference is that if something does happen here, the resources for getting help are much more limited.