Swedes are horrified by Ukrainian realities
While in Ukraine, Swedish citizens are advised to avoid large crowds of people and be wary of stray dogs and hepatitis.
This is stated in the instructions for fans of the Swedish football club “Djurgården”, which yesterday in Odessa played with the Ukrainian team “Mariupol” as part of the Europa League qualification.
Ukrainian sports resource Tribuna.com writes that from this instruction one can understand how foreigners perceive Ukraine and how Sweden treats its citizens, and also provides the most remarkable quotes from the document.
* Ukraine is a country in a state of war. Events can move quickly while you are there. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a so-called “Swedish List”, in which we recommend entering your data. If something unexpected happens, representatives of the Swedish authorities will be warned that you are in Ukraine. They will be able to inform you, for example, by mail or text message about developments in the situation.
*You must be able to show identification when requested by the police. Take a copy of your passport with you when you are in the city (it is recommended to leave your passport locked at your hotel).
* Never carry more money or valuables with you than you may need right now.
* Before getting into a taxi, agree on the amount of payment in advance. A trip around the city center should cost about 5 euros.
* Avoid local rallies and large crowds. Due to the war, the political situation in the country is very tense. Avoid discussions about the military conflict and Russia.
* DO NOT drink water from the tap - you can catch hepatitis A (“not” is actually in caps, bold and underlined in the original - note Tribuna.com). Buy bottled water! Check your vaccinations before traveling - hepatitis A vaccination is recommended. Please note that one way the disease can be spread is through ice in drinks.
* There are many stray dogs in Odessa - there are cases of rabies infection. Please note that Odessa did not have rabies vaccine during the July 2018 outbreak (in Kherson, 30 miles northeast of Odessa).
* Do not disturb order in public places - you may be taken to the police. In such situations, it is easy to become a target for violence, sexual harassment and extortion.
* Corruption is widespread in Ukrainian law enforcement agencies. Although now they are trying to get rid of it. For this they may be detained for 1-2 weeks. Penalties for other types of violations range from one day to an indefinite amount of time in jail.
* There are many good quality cameras on the streets and parks of the city. Most have face recognition. Many police officers also have cameras attached to their uniforms.
* Typically, 1 – 000 police officers and representatives of the National Guard (military police) work at matches in Odessa in the summer. Please note that only some of the police speak English. Among the more than a thousand police officers who will work at the match, only 1-500 people speak English. But those who speak must know him at a high level.
* Among the population, few people speak English either - mainly the younger generation.
* At the stadium, our section will be fenced and cordoned off by security (30-50 people). Judging by the diagram, there is only one point of sale of drinks and food in our section. You can only pay in cash at the stadium! (The last phrase in the original is specially reinforced with an exclamation mark. Apparently, for the Swedes this is really surprising - approx. Tribuna.com).
Earlier, as PolitNavigator reported, The US State Department warned American tourists that they could be robbed or killed in Ukraine.
Read also: “Infantile idiots!” – Mejlis members attacked Swedish fans for the 2018 World Cup.
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