Society

'Dark tourism' gives thrill-seekers chance to experience horror of Ukraine war

Guided tours generally center around Kyiv and its suburbs that saw massacres from Russian troops in early 2022, but some companies come closer to the front.

A handful of Ukrainian companies are selling tours to Western travellers, and the phenomenon, while still marginal, is giving rise to 'war tourism.' The visits generally center around Kyiv and its suburbs, but some companies come closer to the front -- including a visit of several days in southern Ukraine costing up to €3,300. [Maryke Vermaak, Andrii Kalchenko, Lea Dauple/AFPTV/AFP]

By AFP |

IRPIN, Ukraine -- Spanish traveller Alberto Blasco Ventas looked out at Ukraine's destroyed Irpin bridge, blown up to stop Russian troops in 2022 and now a hotspot for thrill-seeking tourists visiting the country.

Russian forces had planned to cross the bridge in their attempts to seize the Ukrainian capital Kyiv at the beginning of the war.

The Russian army has since retreated hundreds of kilometers away but launches near-daily missile and drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital that Blasco Ventas chose as his vacation spot.

"It's my first time in a war zone," the 23-year-old software engineer said. "I'm a little bit scared, I'm not going to lie, because you never know."

Spanish traveller Alberto Blasco Ventas films video for his social media pages at the symbolic cemetery of destroyed civilian cars during a tour in Irpin, near Kyiv. [Genya Savilov/AFP]
Spanish traveller Alberto Blasco Ventas films video for his social media pages at the symbolic cemetery of destroyed civilian cars during a tour in Irpin, near Kyiv. [Genya Savilov/AFP]
Local tour guide Oleksiy Goryachev (left) shows videos of the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to Spanish traveller Alberto Blasco Ventas, next to the destroyed Irpin bridge on November 7. [Genya Savilov/AFP]
Local tour guide Oleksiy Goryachev (left) shows videos of the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to Spanish traveller Alberto Blasco Ventas, next to the destroyed Irpin bridge on November 7. [Genya Savilov/AFP]
Co-founder of War Tours Dmytro Nykyforov stands next to a destroyed Russian tank during a tour near Dmytrivka village, outside Kyiv, on November 7. [Genya Savilov/AFP]
Co-founder of War Tours Dmytro Nykyforov stands next to a destroyed Russian tank during a tour near Dmytrivka village, outside Kyiv, on November 7. [Genya Savilov/AFP]

He was on a "dark tourism" tour offered by one of a dozen or so Ukrainian companies specializing in a marginal but growing sector -- allowing tourists to visit locations of tragic events.

To get to Ukraine, he shrugged off concerns expressed by his family and got on a flight to Moldova, followed by an 18-hour train ride.

The wannabe influencer filmed every step of the trip, which he planned to post on his YouTube channel -- followed by 115,000 people -- where he has already chronicled the "most horrible psychiatric hospital" in the United States and "the most dangerous border" in the world, shared by China, Russia and North Korea.

'Like a vaccine'

Before the war, Ukraine already hosted tens of thousands of tourists every year in Chernobyl, which saw the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986.

Answering critics that would consider such trips morbid or immoral, Blasco Ventas insisted he was acting "with respect."

War Tours, which organized his visit, said it has accommodated about 30 customers since January, mainly Europeans and Americans paying between €150 and €250 for the whole tour.

Part of the profits goes to the army, said company co-founder Dmytro Nykyforov, who insisted the initiative was "not about money; it's about memorialization of the war."

Profits are negligible but the visits have an educational value, Svitozar Moiseiv, the manager of tourism company Capital Tours Kyiv, said.

"It's like a vaccine to prevent this from ever happening again," he said.

The visits generally center around Kyiv and its suburbs that saw massacres from Russian troops in early 2022.

But some companies come closer to the front -- including a visit of several days in southern Ukraine costing up to €3,300.

'The next best thing'

American Nick Tan, who works in finance for a New York tech company, was among those who wanted to go even further than Kyiv.

So he went in July to Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, which faces constant bombing from Russian forces, situated about 20km away.

"I just wanted to see it because I think our lives in the West are just too comfortable and too easy," the 34-year-old said.

He said he wanted to get even closer to the front but that his guide refused.

The self-described thrill-seeker said he had already gone skydiving, regularly attended boxing classes and raves.

"Jumping out of planes and partying all night and punching people in the face just didn't do it for me anymore. So what's the next best thing? Going to a war zone."

His quest baffled some residents of the scarred Irpin suburb, who live under the constant threat of Russian air attacks.

"A Shahed drone recently fell 300 meters away from my house," said Ruslan Savchuk, 52. "I wouldn't have any desire to live through this kind of experience. But if people want that for themselves, it's their right."

Savchuk advises Irpin on its tourism strategy as a volunteer.

"Even a subject as difficult as war can lead to something good," he said, adding that tourists could generate useful incomes for local communities.

'See our grief'

Most residents are fine with "dark tourism" but some consider the profits from it "blood money," said Mykhailyna Skoryk-Shkarivska, local councillor in Irpin and former deputy mayor of Bucha.

"There are accusations -- 'Why do you come here? Why do you want to see our grief?'" she said, recalling conversations with locals.

The development of war tourism poses many ethical questions but the market is bound to grow, said Mariana Oleskiv, director of the National Agency for Tourism Development.

Her agency is preparing specific training for guides, as well as memorial tours in the Kyiv region.

The Russian invasion triggered an immediate collapse of the tourism industry, but the sector's revenues should this year exceed those of 2021 -- a year marked by the coronavirus pandemic.

That growth mainly comes from domestic tourism fueled by Ukrainian men of fighting age who are generally not allowed to leave the country because of martial law.

Ukraine even recorded 4 million entries from foreign visitors last year, according to Oleskiv.

The number is twice as high as it was in 2022 but comprises mainly business travellers.

Ukraine is already preparing for the postwar period, including by signing deals with Airbnb and TripAdvisor.

"War brought attention to Ukraine, so we have a stronger brand," Oleskiv said. "Everybody knows about our country."

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