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Author Topic: Travel to/from Lugansk  (Read 16756 times)

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Offline irishalien

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Travel to/from Lugansk
« on: November 07, 2017, 09:51:36 AM »
Hello to all. I have been writing a sweet woman from Lugansk for about a year. I will update my profile but basically she wants to travel to my city. She has a two year old.
She has yet to ask for money.
Our letters have been very pleasant for me and I would not be concerned if it was a scam, but it seems unlikely. I would like to help her travel here for marriage but we are trying to get her a Ukrainian passport from a "fixer".
I have met with immigration lawyers who advise if she can get a tourist visa we might get refugee status.
Any thoughts about this strange area would be great. I will go to the profile section.
Thanks!

Offline Ste

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2017, 09:56:24 AM »
Dont even think about it - deception equals 10 year visa ban, Ukraine isnt consudered a warzone not that she’d be granted a visit visa anyway.


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Online B.B.

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2017, 10:59:51 AM »
Hello to all. I have been writing a sweet woman from Lugansk for about a year.

Have you met her in person?

I would like to help her travel here for marriage but we are trying to get her a Ukrainian passport from a "fixer".

Is she not a Ukr citizen?  If she is, why does she need a 'fixer' for a passport?

I have met with immigration lawyers who advise if she can get a tourist visa we might get refugee status.
Any thoughts about this strange area would be great. I will go to the profile section.
Thanks!

She's not likely to get a tourist visa, and not likely to get "refugee" status either.  Go meet her in Ukraine in Kiev or Kharkov.  Your'e talking "marriage" to a woman you have evidently never met. 

B/B
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Offline Contrarian

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2017, 11:32:39 AM »
Hello to all. I have been writing a sweet woman from Lugansk for about a year. I will update my profile but basically she wants to travel to my city. She has a two year old.
She has yet to ask for money.
Our letters have been very pleasant for me and I would not be concerned if it was a scam, but it seems unlikely. I would like to help her travel here for marriage but we are trying to get her a Ukrainian passport from a "fixer".
I have met with immigration lawyers who advise if she can get a tourist visa we might get refugee status.
Any thoughts about this strange area would be great. I will go to the profile section.
Thanks!

Scam alert!

Rule 1)

Go meet her in Ukraine. Kharkov or Odessa or Dnipro or Kiev.

Chances are you’re writing to hairy Boris, IOW you’re writing to a photo.

Don’t be surprised when the request for airfare comes. Don’t do it!

Offline Tom Cat

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2017, 02:00:58 PM »


Hello to all. I have been writing a sweet woman from Lugansk for about a year. I will update my profile but basically she wants to travel to my city. She has a two year old.
She has yet to ask for money.
Our letters have been very pleasant for me and I would not be concerned if it was a scam, but it seems unlikely. I would like to help her travel here for marriage but we are trying to get her a Ukrainian passport from a "fixer".
I have met with immigration lawyers who advise if she can get a tourist visa we might get refugee status.
Any thoughts about this strange area would be great. I will go to the profile section.
Thanks!

Scam alert!

Rule 1)

Go meet her in Ukraine. Kharkov or Odessa or Dnipro or Kiev.

Chances are you’re writing to hairy Boris, IOW you’re writing to a photo.

Don’t be surprised when the request for airfare comes. Don’t do it!

Not many scammers will waist a year of communication and not have gotten  some money from time to time.



Don't shoot the messenger, links to articles posted, don't necessarily reflect my personal opinion.

Offline irishalien

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2017, 02:41:10 PM »
Thanks for the quick responses.
I think there is a resource for me here once we get past the scam advice. I will try not to be too wordy. We communicate directly by email, and have exchanged enough pictures of her and the 2 year old to know it's not Boris. A year is too long for scammers, who use the same pictures and approach and are pretty obvious, but never say never, I am prepared for that.

Brief background, when I found this board three years ago I could not decide which was worse, the age difference advice or the scam alerts. My last wife was thirty years younger and we are still raising three teenagers. The first two are happily remarried to much better men, so I am pretty well versed in American women, and think I have had enough of them. I am training for a half triathlon and nothing is broken yet.

The lady in Kharkov that I was writing about in 2014 with all the flaming responses on this board got cancer and died, and I took two years off. The loveme site produced 9,000 letters from women in three months. I answered two of them, and this is the brave one. I have invested $250 to that dating site, including her contact info, before we went direct, they were cheap and except for all the scam letters.
As of July 2017, Lugansk, No train service, no mail, and border crossings with checkpoints which I don't want to experience at this point, and she either can't or won't go to Kiev for papers because of her daughter. The fixer at $500 is a bargain, and again, even if I get scammed it was all much cheaper than analysis. Her letters of support and encouragement have been great. And I don't need advice about pool boys either!

The problem is if I ignore the state department advice and go through Kiev or Russia, Don Rostov, and train to her city, I am at risk and not thrilled, although I considered it because it appears the only way to get a fiance visa. I don't want to go to cities where they still blow up monuments and kill people.
The lawyers are pretty confidant that if we can get her and the child here somehow, they have enough clout to keep her.
This is not soulmate or sex driven stuff, guys, I really want to give her and the child a better life. (Dad fled during the war and she has never heard from him again, she had the baby while they were shelling the airport). Scammers are not that inventive (I think).
Thanks for letting me ramble, not a lot of internet resources for this dilemma, any thoughts or even corrections of my conceptions would be helpful.

Offline Ste

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2017, 02:46:49 PM »
Just noticed you are from USA, not proper Irish, I know nothing about US visa system....
O pointy birds, o pointy pointy, Anoint my head, anointy-nointy.

Offline dcguyusa

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2017, 04:52:32 PM »
Even if the lady who you have communicated with is genuine and sincere, the probability of getting a tourist visa from someone in Ukraine (without significant assets and strong reasons to return back to her country) is very small because the US immigration visa procedures always default to assume that the visa applicant will violate the visa provisions (even if they swear that they won't).  The applicant will be treated as a potential illegal alien.  This is all spelled out on the USCIS website.  And if there is any hint that she is trying to find someone to marry here, that would automatically disqualify her from getting a visa.  Foreigners with few assets have almost no chance of getting a tourist visa.  They may have a better chance with the diversity visa program (Ukraine residents can apply), but you may not get selected for years, if ever.

Note that if you are an Irish alien in the US, the ability to petition another alien into the country is very limited.  Permanent residents usually are behind US citizens in terms of petition filing priority processing for relatives. 

N.B.  That truck driver who ran over the people in lower Manhattan did come into this country through the diversity lottery visa program.  Supposedly, over 30 people were also admitted through his intervention.  So "green card" holders appear to be able to petition others from his country.
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Offline Contrarian

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2017, 04:54:41 PM »
Even if the lady who you have communicated with is genuine and sincere, the probability of getting a tourist visa from someone in Ukraine (without significant assets and strong reasons to return back to her country) is very small because the US immigration visa procedures always default to assume that the visa applicant will violate the visa provisions (even if they swear that they won't).  The applicant will be treated as a potential illegal alien.  This is all spelled out on the USCIS website.  And if there is any hint that she is trying to find someone to marry here, that would automatically disqualify her from getting a visa.  Foreigners with few assets have almost no chance of getting a tourist visa.  They may have a better chance with the diversity visa program (Ukraine residents can apply), but you may not get selected for years, if ever.

Offline Tom Cat

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2017, 05:45:05 PM »
If you're trying to get things in order I do have a couple questions.
The lady has a young daughter, does she have full custody? If not you will fist need to get this in order.

I'm a bit skeptical about her not wanting to go to Kiev, most of your problems would be eliminated if she was willing to make the small effort.
She may be sincere, but I am having some doubts.

Don't shoot the messenger, links to articles posted, don't necessarily reflect my personal opinion.

Offline irishalien

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2017, 07:35:05 PM »
Sorry about the user name Irishalien, which I use because I can remember it, almost as a joke.  My family came to the united states in 1630, mom was just excited that after the english genealogy search we were mostly irish before that, cheered us all up.
Thanks, some good thoughts. Let's see what the "fixer" can do and i will talk to her some more about trip to Kiev. this is actually helping! Yay

Offline irishalien

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2017, 07:52:41 PM »
She does not drive and I accept it is a bit problematic to go from the donblass to Kiev and do the border crossing at checkpoints, then stay there and return. I assume as a reasonably corrupt society as I have read I can get her a passport for the cost/risk of that trip.
She has full custody and has not seen the father since he fled during the fighting. I really appreciate new information, which is why i think the internet is a good resource.
thank you both

Offline MBS01

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #12 on: November 07, 2017, 08:21:57 PM »
First problem as I see it.  What Passport will she get for her and the child?  Ukrainian, Russian, or something else?  As that part of the country is semi-independent or under Russian control.  Even if she got to Kiev would they even consider issuing a passport considering where she is from?  Even if you have a "Fixer" would that passport stand up to admission for a foreign visa?

Offline Tom Cat

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2017, 08:44:48 PM »
Little information on Ukrainian passports.

Ukrainian Biometric Passport. Only The Facts

http://ukrainian-passport.com/blog/biometric-passport-only-the-facts/
Don't shoot the messenger, links to articles posted, don't necessarily reflect my personal opinion.

Offline irishalien

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2017, 08:58:27 PM »
Again, thanks for the thoughts. She has hopes of a Ukrainian valid passport for her and the child. I am beginning to understand that this area where she lives does not have a stable solution, after reading the U.S. appointment of a diplomat to try to solve this area and Crimea through the Minsk agreement.
Evidently no one here has a Lugansk relationship, but the thoughts and interaction are actually helpful.
Thank you so much

Offline Contrarian

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #15 on: November 07, 2017, 09:09:53 PM »
Again, thanks for the thoughts. She has hopes of a Ukrainian valid passport for her and the child. I am beginning to understand that this area where she lives does not have a stable solution, after reading the U.S. appointment of a diplomat to try to solve this area and Crimea through the Minsk agreement.
Evidently no one here has a Lugansk relationship, but the thoughts and interaction are actually helpful.
Thank you so much

If this is a scam (highly likely) her and her boyfriend (the fixer) have 10 goys like you on the hook. $5,000 is a lot of money in Ukraine.

Offline Tom Cat

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #16 on: November 07, 2017, 09:13:43 PM »


The Ukrainian citizens from Crimea and Donbas should receive biometric passports without any restrictions

https://crimeahrg.org/en/the-ukrainian-citizens-should-receive-passports-without-any-restrictions/
Don't shoot the messenger, links to articles posted, don't necessarily reflect my personal opinion.

Offline msmoby

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #17 on: November 08, 2017, 01:27:58 AM »

Evidently no one here has a Lugansk relationship, but the thoughts and interaction are actually helpful.
Thank you so much

Hi, 'Irish'alien..  Why DO so many Americans need to feel 'Oirish' ?;)

Sorry, matey - but you don't have a relationship - you are at penpal stage and you are making such serious plans without a real meeting ?

I did correspond - with a lady in Lugansk and we still kept in contact .... I don't recognise some of the 'barriers' to meeting you describe.

She can meet you in either RU or UA.

Where there is a will - there's a way.

Is she a scammer ?- who knows ....  All I DO know, is that I would have got my feet on the ground close to her and she'd have found a way to meet you.



I have never claimed to be a Blue Beret

Spurious claims about 'seeing action' with the Blue Berets are debunked >here<

Here is my Russophobia/Kremlinphobia topic

Offline Ste

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #18 on: November 08, 2017, 01:55:24 AM »
Im two generations down from being Irish, and i live in Ireland but i dont feel Irish...


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Offline Contrarian

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #19 on: November 08, 2017, 04:12:04 AM »
Im two generations down from being Irish, and i live in Ireland but i dont feel Irish...


Go buy a fifth of Irish whiskey get hammered and the next morning you’ll feel Irish.  :chuckle:

Offline Ste

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #20 on: November 08, 2017, 04:35:20 AM »
Im two generations down from being Irish, and i live in Ireland but i dont feel Irish...


Go buy a fifth of Irish whiskey get hammered and the next morning you’ll feel Irish.  :chuckle:

Still teetotal despite the temptation of the Guinness Brewery and Jamiesons Distillery.

I like the Uilleann Pipes though, but i hate the brown soda bread you get with everything, and the toll roads..


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Offline Texan77

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #21 on: November 08, 2017, 06:18:12 AM »
My girl is from Lugansk and you can write me privately if you like. I do not believe everyone is a scam artist like some of the other members. Most likely meet her in Kharkov. There are many people from Donbas in Kharkov. I know a translator/guild in Kharkov that could help if you want.  If you really like her you can plan other visits. Do not get worried about getting scam out of a hundred dollars or something. She could for real not have any money and need something. It will cost her very little to go to Kharkov but the trip can be hard and take more than a day depending on boarder conditions at the time of her crossing. The plane ticket to Kharkov for me is about a thousand dollars.

Important DO NOT GET MARRIED ANYTIME SOON!!!! Meet and get to know your girl well. VERY WELL!!! She maybe the greatest thing to happen in your life but she could be worse thing also and still not be a scam girl. Some of these girls great and other have bad emotional problems. You NEED to KNOW what you are getting into.



3) There has been no "threat" to invade Ukraine. The US invented that and fed it to a complicit media.

Offline MBS01

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #22 on: November 08, 2017, 08:28:15 AM »
Further thoughts:  If you get her an illegal passport through a so called "Fixer" and later manage to get her to the USA are you not setting yourself up to the potential of being arrested for "Human Trafficking"?

A couple that we know here where the wife's family lived in Lugansk and those family members still living there already moved to Russia to get away from the conflict.  This area is still a no mans land in an ongoing war zone! 

So first things first:  She and the child need to exit the area to either some place else in Ukraine or Russia where they will legally be able to apply for real passports and only then will you be able to see about helping them get to the USA with a fiancée visa.  However you will still need documentation that the child's father was killed in action or has agreed to the child travelling with the mother.  Also have the parents divorced or are they still married.

A lot of questions need legal answers before you move ahead.  This work needs to be done in Ukraine or Russia long before you ever dream of getting them out of occupied Lugansk!

Good Luck what ever you decide.

Offline irishalien

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #23 on: November 08, 2017, 08:49:22 AM »
Thanks for all the information. I know she could travel to Kiev and get her own passport, but if she says dangerous I believe her. She was never married to the father, who fled the fighting.
The kind link to the passport information is blocked as not a secure connection, but appreciated.
And if she (and boyfriend?) can continue to show me so many pictures of happy little girl, they are welcome to the money. Most on line girls don't really start with having a child, since they know most males don't want the responsibility. I actually know that kids are the best part of my life, and I'm pretty sure scammers would not use that circumstance, but again don't really care.
 She wrote me a lot of kind and well thought out and brave words over a year's time, and it helped me a lot.
I will check back in a month with our progress.
Again, thanks

Offline Manny

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Re: Travel to/from Lugansk
« Reply #24 on: November 08, 2017, 09:04:45 AM »
Do you speak to this person on the telephone?
Read a trip report from North Korea >>here<< - Read a trip report from South Korea, China and Hong Kong >>here<<

Look what the American media makes some people believe:
Putin often threatens to strike US with nuclear weapons.