3 times I felt unsafe in Ukraine | Vodka Vodkast 091

[@mervynmontague1811]

Great information Conor

[@mattlemoine6172]

Was in Kyiv hanging out at a club in July 2019 with another American and our Ukrainian friends. I was drugged by the smoking hot blonde fixing our drinks. Only had 2 drinks before i noticed the familiar feeling of chemical impairment. This happens to people who party in New Orleans and other cities where I live frequently so it wasn't my first time unfortunately. I told my friends what I thought happened and we bugged out before anyone of us became incapacitated. Went straight back to my apartment and after 18 hours woke up feeling like shit. I wasn't robbed and still had all my organs the next morning so wasn't a total loss

[@ConorClyneTsarExperience]

Wow! Still happening in 2019 and in Kyiv ... shocking!

[@vatraxosapoelistas1629]

@@ConorClyneTsarExperience before one year in odessa a 45 age man from swiss get ropped by 2 gairls 15 years old in his appartment! the gairls use a pepper spray,they beat him and steal his laptop and money.

[@ConorClyneTsarExperience]

@@vatraxosapoelistas1629 Awful!

[@vatraxosapoelistas1629]

@@ConorClyneTsarExperience i had the same expereance in gidropark kiev in 2009.in kiev i had many bad expereanc

[@walidtarsim8089]

I felt unsafe 3 days ago in Odessa....Scammers... and really sad how they try to take ur money...don't go to the Bar Restaurant in center of Odessa.... because if u nor want pay u have a big Problem....

[@vatraxosapoelistas1629]

why you go in bars?or strip clubs?or arcadia.

[@clublatino68]

Great video, thanks.

[@redwriggler9743]

Come for the Irish travelog, stay for the insightful and saucy geopolitical commentary.

[@michaelmcshane6280]

As always, great info Conor. One question, is it possible to visit Minsk now? And how would you get there?

[@gomel47]

Through Turkey, then Minsk. At the end of June Lufthansa will resume flights to Minsk from any European city. It will get better!

[@ryangreen9770]

@@gomel47 is that correct that flights with Lufthansa will resume to Minsk after June. We are booked for September to Minsk.

[@erikstorm8935]

@@gomel47 Finding flights from Istanbul to Minsk might be a little difficult, though. If people are intending to travel right now. As there are no direct flights right now between Istanbul-Moscow. Thus, many Russian holidaymakers (as well as others) are flying to Moscow via Minsk. Which is, of course, Istanbul-Minsk-Moscow. And, vice versa, of course. Obviously, its not the ONLY option. I myself returned to Russia by going from Istanbul-Belgrade-Moscow. And that plane was about completely full!

[@erikstorm8935]

As Denis said Istanbul-Minsk is an option. If you're going right now, just be aware that the flights may be completely booked. I wont repeat myself here, but I typed why in my reply to Denis.

[@heikorudi6105]

Is it safer in the winter, because almost no tourists?

[@michaelanderson8042]

Conor : You and/or the person behind the camera are sleeping on the job. Lot's of women walking by and never in focus.

[@michaelmcshane6280]

Thank you for your reply!

[@richardm893]

So you came all the way to Ukraine for an English/Mongolian gal?

[@ConorClyneTsarExperience]

LOL looks like it

[@ARMA851000]

Nice video. Greetings from Buenos Aires

[@bigdaddydeester]

Scary but definitely good learning experiences though and makes for good stories!

[@David-wl4hx]

I agree, no one ever likes to be in the shit like that but once you’re on the other side you have great stories 😂

[@bigdaddydeester]

I would I felt the most unsafe in some parts of America in my experience lol

[@bigdaddydeester]

@@David-wl4hx We can call Conor Taken Advantage of and Brankrupt lol

[@richardm893]

Genghis Clyne Jr. on the way?

[@ConorClyneTsarExperience]

LOL

[@josephstalin7619]

I felt more unsafe in my own country

[@georgejackson4105]

Seems entirely possible that the girl's drink was drugged. This is far more common - but for equally nefarious reasons than a guy having his drink spiked. She didn't rob you,which I'm guessing means she came to her senses faster than you. That or she probably panicked and thought she had killed you.

[@mazorralez]

How long you live there? Hi from Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivia 🇧🇴

[@EnglishTeacherLloyd]

Always trust that spidey sense! 😬 Weird stories indeed. Especially the first one... 🤔

[@MrMatt-cm6do]

Connor speaking of forewarned is forearmed... can a foreigner carry pepper spray? Or anything other self-defense-tools?

[@barriepentney2027]

Been living in Kiev 6 months my wife’s from Crimea immigrating to Scotland where I’m from next week

[@austin4768]

First story sounds like someone else, not the girl, tried to drug him - he took off his clothes and then the drugs hit him hard and he passed out. Girl must have left disappointed thinking Conor can’t hold his drink.

[@austin4768]

Like it’s either that or the girl intended to rob him but then felt bad for him after he passed out and just left.

[@edgregory1]

Perhaps before passing being suspicious he had presence of mind to shut her out in the hallway.

[@RPhTom]

No, the girl didn't rob him because she rented his bum bum out to thirsty betas.

[@apjpisared]

One very important Irish point he also made especially when mentioning scummy Dublin. I have lived 5 years in Poland so I speak Polish and Poland is considerably dodgier at night than Ukraine. I have been coming to Ukraine since 2018. In total I have lived 9 months in Kyiv, and spent 10 days in Lviv, 4 days in Poltava and a month in Kharkiv so far. It is EXTREMELY safe in the main cities here. You can walk down the street at night without worrying about junkies or dangerous alcoholics or without worrying about women running away from the guy walking on the same side of the road as them. Local people generally themselves feel extremely safe in the middle of the night walking home too. I guess it might be a different story for some non white people, but for Europeans it is VERY safe here, safer than anywhere in Europe I would say.

[@Bill.C.49]

Omg. Major PTSD. It could have been worse. At least you didn't end up in a torture chamber for wealthy sicko's. #hostel

[@budapestmole]

With regard to the first story, your tissue and blood types did not match for the organ harvest. LOL. Pro tip, never leave your drink unattended, place a cocktail napkin or hand on top of it if you turn away to talk to someone. Always trust your gut and always practice situational awareness and learn how to defend yourself. Stay safe everyone.

[@budapestmole]

@Johnny Five to be honest I have no idea about organs, but accordions that’s a whole different story. I just thought it was funny. 9 times out of 10 when men are drugged it’s for the purpose of robbery. In Dallas, Tx back in the late 90s it was organized, the “gang” would use the old “honey trap” play. Put an attractive woman at the bar. She scopes out a suitable target and flirt with him get him to take her to his place. She would drug him. The crew would show up and loot the place. Conner got very lucky in that deal.

[@budapestmole]

@Johnny Five: I not sure it would be that difficult, Covid restrictions aside. I’ve been waiting for Romania to loosen up on the Covid restrictions as I want to visit friends in Bucharest. I was thinking I would get an apartment (furnished) there, costs about €500-€650 a month in District 3 in Bucharest (central part of the city). Make that home base to travel from to other parts of Eastern Europe. You get an automatic 90 day visa upon entry. I hate to say this, having the Covid vax will make it much easier to travel overseas. Also, you need to check about travelers health insurance requirements, some countries now require this to enter and also require a quarantine rider as well. Good luck on your travels. PS, I’m worse than an American, I’m a Texan, LOL.

[@budapestmole]

Thanks, here is a very interesting documentary about the Siberian Gulags. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3-Vm2Ntist6l6s

[@huboftruthbymichael1921]

Thanks for the information. Now I'm more secure in knowing it is quite safe compared to the U.S. It is really bad here, and what you experienced it is still safer than this country which has 90% of its citizens walking around with guns ready to kill anyone who even looks at you with anger. It is rampant here, so looking forward to my move there in July. Cheers!!

[@carlosbaja678]

LOL, dude, we are well armed here in USA. People arent shooting out of anger, but to protect drug turf.

[@erikstorm8935]

No need for the hyperbole lol. Im not saying there aren't Americans like that, but the gun ownership rate isn't anywhere near 90%. And many states don't allow concealed carry (meaning they cant just walk around with their guns). True, some do illegally, but its mostly gangbangers. Best to avoid those areas. As well as riots whenever there are BLM & Antifa "protests". Best not to live in the cities, but rather the suburbs and towns.

[@erikstorm8935]

But anyway, best of luck to your move! I hope it goes well.

[@huboftruthbymichael1921]

@@erikstorm8935 Better to check the facts about this issue. Thanks for your reply and will pray that you and everybody else will take caution. Good Luck yourself!

[@dm5119]

Are you in Odessa in July? Let's have a beer/coffee, mate.

[@ConorClyneTsarExperience]

Most likely, yes. Application form here: www.tsarexperience.com/applicationform

[@dm5119]

@@ConorClyneTsarExperience Hi mate. Not interested in business just a friendly beer. If not, then no problem. Have a nice day

[@rabiehmalik6822]

Hi corner you are great man to know and like to be in your mailing address and hope to meet you in ukrane in my next trip soon

[@ToquzOghuzKhaganatekhan]

Yeshii bro , thats how it is

[@davidbanus6612]

I have been in Kyiv around 20 times (my wife is from there). Never I felt unsafe. Even at night. With a little bit of common sense there shouldn't be any problems.

[@Michael19830106]

Kiev, not kyiv

[@happyhappynuts]

Kyiv

[@williamgriffin8695]

But what they didn't expect was for the beaten American to come back with a smile and a vengeance and then quietly leave.

[@ToquzOghuzKhaganatekhan]

I dont want to talk to them , red flag at the biggining

[@smokedoliver1]

You’re lucky you have all of your bodily organs.

[@ToquzOghuzKhaganatekhan]

Each day I groomed myself more like you , Mr old friend my town

[@aguafria9565]

Everywhere in Eastern Europe is safe. Safer than Western Europe. Homogeneous cities are like that. The only dangerous part from my experience is Estonia. I got drugged there too and passed out a few hours, went home and I couldn’t get out of bed for a good 2 days

[@ConorClyneTsarExperience]

Wow! Where and how did that happen in Estonia?

[@bonsummers2657]

Were you in a nightclub?

[@aguafria9565]

@@ConorClyneTsarExperience Tallinn back in 2015. Went into a pub in the evening. Somewhere in the old town. I had a two beers and that's all I can remember, I woke up a few hours later around 01:00 minus my wallet. I got help to find my way home because I was disorientated. As I said, I wasn't able to get out of bed for around 2 days, during that time my credit card was being charged for around 3000 euros by someone at restaurants and cafes around Tallinn. The Police did investigate it but nothing was ever resolved.

[@vilmarribeiro7622]

Kline, love your videos and have learned a lot from it. I spent part of 2019 Summer in Kiev. I had no problem but being insistently asked by a little girls that looks a child but I after I gave her the money, I walk away with that feeling that she wasn't a child. is there an eMail, WhatsApp to contact you? Stay safe.

[@ConorClyneTsarExperience]

[e-mail]

[@jorllx]

10 years travelling, most of the time alone, going out at night, in remote cities in Ukraine and being only drugged once (without being hurt or robbed) seems a very positive balance :-) I would not dare travel alone anywhere in former Soviet Union outside of Moscow, Saint Petersburg (I felt safer than in Western Europe in these 2 cities) and Minsk... maybe Baltic Republics too, I don't know how safe those capitals are.

[@jonmorris9645]

I hope to be in Kiev in early August.

[@philadelphiaproud594]

Odessa has a beautiful train station. I came in from Krivoy Rog. My friend Mila was coming in from Kyiv, and I had to wait 2 hours for her train to arrive. At one point I decided I wanted to snap some shots of the station from one of the platforms. So I walked far down this platform after the crowds had abated, turned around, and started snapping away. When I got back to the beginning of the platform, 4 men stopped me. The leader of the group showed me his ID, which indicated he was a cop. Then it appeared it was my turn to show my ID. I was hesitant about this because these men were in street clothes, and I had no idea if his identification was legit or not. So I held my US passport open, by my face, without saying a word, as I looked straight at him. (I didn’t let him have it.) Then he wanted to see my immigration card. I made the mistake of letting him take it into his hands. But then he abruptly handed it back, wished me a good day or good health and they all disappeared very quickly into the newly arrived crowd. To me, that incident was dodgy. Right from the beginning, I thought I might be getting robbed. I’ve spent a lot of time in Russia and Ukraine and had never been approached like that before. Mila eventually arrived. Odessa was a ton of fun. We had a great time. The only thing I didn’t like about Odessa was the kid mafia that very aggressively begged for money outside the center of the city hotels. (March 2009.)

[@ConorClyneTsarExperience]

Dodgy story indeed

[@erikstorm8935]

Wow, sounds like potential scammers didnt want the U.S. embassy involved. If they walked away with your immigration card. Its one thing to steal an American's money and credit card, the police may not do anything. But, steal a passport, immigration card and things like that?! Thats quite different. Same thing if you were a German or Brit, for example.

[@erikstorm8935]

I'll give a story of my own. A German friend of mine in Kyiv was taken to a police station, after a dispute with a taxi driver. Of course, it had to do with $$$ (and my friend was the one in the right and the driver in the wrong). The driver was also taken in. The German threatened to call the German embassy, and lo and behold guess what happened? The police magically let him go. This was a few years ago.

[@philadelphiaproud594]

Erik, another impression I had afterwards is the leader of the group may have been training the others, as if to show this is how it’s done. That one guy was completely in charge, and the others were just observing. It may have been a combination training/fishing exercise done for rookies by an experienced undercover cop. Anyway, only one other time a cop asked to see my passport. I was in St. Petersburg and had just come out of the metro. I was momentarily disoriented, looking around trying to get my bearings. My behavior caught the attention of a uniformed officer. It’s best to act like you know what you’re doing and belong there to avoid these sorts of encounters, which - at the time - was high risk. (That was in 2002 or 2004.) I said absolutely nothing to the cop and handed him my passport. After quickly looking it over, he gave it back. Then he disappeared in a flash into the crowd. At that time, it was well-known that Russian cops squeezed locals and visitors for cash payments, partly because their salaries were so low. I had the impression these guys were like the mafia. (It’s been 17 years since my last Russia visit. I have the impression policing has changed for the better over there, though I am really not sure.)

[@therealmcgoy4968]

I bet most European towns are safer than the city I live in in America lol. I live in one of the most liberal states... parts of it are a hellhole. I grew up in it though so I know what to look out for but you can never be too prepared for a “run in” with unsavory characters.

[@gomel47]

You're right. I'm a Belarusian living in the states. My Mother brought us here in 1995. In the last few years I've been wanting to come back home to Belarus. So much evil and sexual perversion is happening in the states. And you're right it in America it's dangerous to be walking by foot in most large cities.

[@MegaMarki21]

Ukraine is generally safe. I would be more concerned for black people.

[@jgf4255]

As a Black man, have been to Ukraine several times dating Ukrainian women until I found and married the one. Nothing ever happened to me in Ukraine. I still visit Ukraine with my Ukrainian wife to spend time with the in-laws. I also have cousins living and studying in Ukraine and nothing ever happened to them. Black people don't have issues there. Mentalities have long evolved there.

[@martingorde6762]

@@jgf4255 Hey I’m a Blackman from the Caribbean , I’m fascinated with Eastern Europe , a fixation maybe . Can I really visit Ukraine as a tourist and feel safe ? The news coming out these days makes it all look sketchy. Is it really good/bad for my type ?

[@martingorde6762]

Spetsnaz phobia man . Speaking the language is clearly important. Actually noticed fear in your eyes as you recounted your story , you got guts man 👨

[@MegaMarki21]

Black men are just not so common in eastern europe. Dating women won't be an issue. I'm think you're generally fine when you avoid at least drunk people.

[@jgf4255]

@@martingorde6762 I am also from the Caribbean on my mother's side and specifically from the French island of Guadeloupe and I am West African on my father's side. Ukraine is perfectly safe and nothing will ever happen to you there, so long that you don't hang out in dodgy places, just like everywhere in the world or your own country. Going to big cities like Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and medium size cities like Lviv, Dnipro, Zaparoje, Rivne etc is also fine. The war is only in the Eastern region called the Dombass region and besides this doesn't reflect on the rest of the country at all. Ukrainians are friendly and respectful people. Also it is important to dress well and not like a thug with sagging pants attracting the attention and looking for trouble uselessly. If you are interested in Ukrainian women , they are very nice , sweet and beautiful but just use your own common sense and judgement not to attract scammers. There are good women and bad women just like in every country.