Want to know more about the sex scene in Ukraine?
Home to 45 million people, the Eastern European country of Ukraine borders Russia to the east, Moldova and Romania to the south, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to the west and Belarus to the North. A former soviet state, Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe and, behind Russia, has the biggest military. Though it has hit the headlines in recent years for its conflicts, the country has a rich cultural history and is home to more than seven Unesco World Heritage sites. Ukraine entertains more than 12.7 million tourists each year with cities like Kiev and Odessa, the Black Sea coast and Carpathian mountains all being popular destinations.
In this guide, we take a look at the prostitution and pornography laws as well as the porn viewing trends for Ukraine. We also cover the LGBTQ scene and give you a review of the top ways to access online hook-ups in the country.
Contents
Sex in Ukraine
The depictions of sex in modern Ukraine will be familiar to many Europeans and have a similar place within popular culture as they do in other Eastern European countries. You can find sexualised music videos and advertising as well as ready access to information on the internet and even in the cinemas.
However, it is the social stigmatisation of sex which is uniquely Ukrainian. With much of the population still being able to remember the days of the Soviet Union, there is an uncomfortable generational divide in Ukraine when it comes to sex.
The influence of religion in the country can also not be ignored and more than two thirds of the country identify as Catholic. The dogma instilled within the nation’s psyche is therefore one in which sex in sinful.
The combination of these two important factors has created a younger generation that has largely grown up without any form of sex education but in a world where information and access to sex is readily available.
This is perhaps most markedly notable in the role of women in the Ukraine. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the role of women has changed (both in Russia as well as the Ukraine) yet the attitude towards women has not changed very much at all. Regarded by many as objects to be used by men, Ukrainian women make up a large proportion of the country’s unemployed.
Traditional Ukrainian families believe that talking about sex is just as vulgar and obscene as the act itself. This is particularly true when it comes to females. Whereas men are expected to explore their sexuality and to ‘sow their wild oats’, a woman is encouraged to remain virginal and accept sex as part of love and marital duty and certainly not for recreation or pleasure.
As a result of poor education, repressed attitudes and unemployment, it is not uncommon for Ukrainian women to experiment early with sex with some turning to prostitution to compensate for their poor employment opportunities. In some cities, like Kiev, many sex workers are students who sell sex to help pay for their studies.
As a country with a low cost of living and a large prostitution industry, Ukraine has been exploited in recent years by sex tourists. The economic turbulence and unsettling conflict with Russia has compounded the situation and Kiev still attracts a lot of visitors who want to experience the sex scene.
Ukraine has one of the highest and fastest HIV rates in Europe with sexual intercourse surpassing IV drug use as the number one transmission method. It is estimated that around a quarter of sex workers in Kiev are HIV positive.
Adult Industry in Ukraine
In 2009, Ukraine enshrined the latest update to its already tough anti-pornography laws. The production, distribution and sale of pornographic material was already banned by law but the new bill now outlaws possession of pornography.
The legal enforcement of this bill is proving hard to police but, in theory, owning an adult DVD could land you with a fine or up to three years imprisonment.
Porn is defined as follows:
‘vulgar, candid, cynical, obscene depiction of sexual acts, pursuing no other goal, the explicit demonstration of genitals, unethical elements of the sexual act, sexual perversions, realistic sketches that do not meet moral criteria and offend honor and dignity of the human by inciting low instincts’
It’s a comprehensive definition that was upheld by a huge majority when the law was signed by the president, Victor Yushchenko at the time.
As a result of the restrictive laws, there are no official porn studios in Ukraine though amateur production is quite widespread. Most Ukrainian adult performers either work with European studios in the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark or head across the Atlantic to the USA.
Despite the ban on porn, the country has produced a lot of adult stars and the country also enjoys watching a lot of online porn (see Porn Viewing Trends, below).
Top Ukrainian Porn Stars
According to XVideos, the top ten porn stars from Ukraine (by rankings) are as follows:
| Performer | Total Video Views | European Ranking | World Ranking |
| Ivana Sugar | 163,367,025 | 101 | 445 |
| Bethany Benz | 57,591,828 | 127 | 556 |
| Karina Grand | 93,934,224 | 187 | 803 |
| Hot Kinky Jo | 24,327,194 | 190 | 809 |
| Emily Bloom | 27,342,064 | 218 | 903 |
| Yessir 18 | 12,782,740 | 241 | 1,014 |
| Nika Noire | 61,196,655 | 257 | 1,067 |
| Red Fox | 7,946,043 | 266 | 1,094 |
| Milena D Sunna | 20,558,467 | 297 | 1,193 |
| Alexa May | 77,236,180 | 302 | 1,221 |
Ivana Sugar (also known as Lillian Brayn) works for some of the biggest studio names including Brazzers Network, Reality Kings, 21 Sextury, Chick Pass and the Dogfart Network. She has been nominated for several AVN awards and has won the Galaxy Award for Best New Female Performer 2013 and Best Female Performer 2014. She is best known for her hardcore anal scenes as well as her talented oral work. At 5’ 2”, Sugar is a diminutive star with a big appetite. Blonde, blue-eyed and with an all-natural figure, she is the current number one porn star in Ukraine.
Other adult stars from Ukraine include:
- Shrima Malati
- Nikki Waine
- Bianca Romanova
- Mila Azul
- Irina Sky
- Alena Hemcova
- Carrie Joslin
- Inez Stefan
- Nataly Brown
- Eva Smolina
- Bonnie Shai
- Sasha Zima
- Rita Akira
- Adele Adelia
- Victoria Ferrera
- Erica Black
Prostitution Laws in Ukraine
Prostitution is illegal in Ukraine but is common in most of the major cities. There are an estimated 52,000 to 83,000 sex workers in the country with around 11,000 believed to be servicing the capital, Kiev.
The industry is largely ignored by the government which is at odds with their strict legislation on pornography. Cynical observers may look to the statistics on the estimated revenue that the sex trade brings to the country. At €1.2 billion per annum, the loss of this kind of income to the economy, albeit on the black market, is not something to ignore.
With an interesting method for policing, the authorities tend to rely on shaming as a means to enforce the law and it is common for the police to write to a sex workers family ‘outing’ them as a prostitute. The ensuing scandal is thought to be a good deterrent by the police. Other methods include fines (usually around €10) which are usually ineffective at controlling the trade.
Ukraine Porn Viewing Trends
Each year, the tube hosting giants, Pornhub, produce a review of individual country stats that contribute to the 28.5 billion visits the site receives. For 2017, Ukraine was the 27th most frequent visitor.
The review goes on to break down the search trends associated with the Ukrainian audience.
So, what kind of porn is popular in Ukraine?
Well, the top 12 search terms last year show a mixed bag of keywords:
- Overwatch
- Russian
- 3D Hentai
- Step Mom
- Creampie
- My Little Pony
- MILF
- BDSM
- Orgasm
- Massage
- POV
- Minecraft
Porn Viewing Stats
2017 saw some huge increases in less popular search terms with traffic for ‘Turkish’ porn leaping up by 1367%. Other trending searches include:
- Furry (up 479%)
- ASMR (up 445%)
- 3D Monster (up 361%)
- Anime (up 210%)
- Japanese (up 174%)
ASMR porn is a type of female-friendly content, also known as ‘whisper-porn’. The stats show a particular penchant for novelty porn with anime, hentai and 3D all being popular. However, the most viewed porn came from some of the most globally popular categories with Anal, Hentai, MILF, Mature and Lesbian being the most viewed sections of the site.
When compared to the rest of the world, Ukrainians are 114% more likely to be searching for porn tagged in the ‘fisting’ catgeory, 67% more for ‘double penetration’, 50% and 48% more for ‘orgy’ and ‘gangbang’ with ‘cartoon’ viewed 43% more.
The most searched porn stars for 2017 were:
- Sasha Grey (American)
- Elsa Jean (American)
- Peta Jensen (American)
- Lola Taylor (Russian)
- Lana Rhoades (American)
On average, a visitor to Pornhub from Ukraine spends 9 minutes and 54 seconds on the site with one in five visitors being female (this is lower than the global average of 26%). The time spent on the site has increased a lot, year-on-year, and Ukraine was the biggest climber in terms of stamina, increasing the average visit by 126 seconds!
Pornhub is the 26th most visited site in Ukraine and receives more annual visitors than Pinterest and Twitter. Popular tube site, XVideos also makes an appearance in the top fifty sites in Ukraine at number 49.
Overall, the top five adult websites most frequently visited from Ukraine are:
- Pornhub
- XVideos
- XHamster
- BongaCams
- XNXX
Best Ukrainian Porn Sites
All of the major tube hosting sites have porn that is tagged from Ukraine but there are no dedicated sites for Ukrainian porn. The best site to hit is Ukraines Kitties Tube which has a range of amateur content.
LGBTQ in Ukraine
Though homosexual activity is legal in Ukraine there is still some degree of social prejudice against, and discrimination towards, homosexuals and members of the LGBTQ community. Same sex relations were illegalised in 1991 and there is an equal age of consent with heterosexuals (16 years of age).
Transgenderism was legalised in 1992 and the state recognises the right to change legal gender for those individuals who have sex-reassignment surgery and have medical approval. It is still classified as a mental illness.
At present, there is no legal recognition of same-sex relationships either as a civil union or through marriage. However, the law does recognise marriages that have been formalised under another jurisdiction. The Government has committed to approving a plan to legalise civil partnerships by 2020.
National service in the armed forces is compulsory for Ukrainian men and homosexuals are not exempt from this duty. However, many gay men try to get out of this responsibility due to negative reports of discrimination in the service. Lesbians and bisexuals may also serve in the armed forces but transgendered individuals may not.
Anti-discrimination employment laws have been in place since 2015. They were adopted as part of a freedom of movement trade deal that was required by EU law rather than as part of a progressive move towards equality.
Attitudes towards homosexuality (and other sexual or gender diversity) is largely influenced by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. A Catholic institution, homosexuality is considered a deviation from the ‘norm’ and being openly gay, or identifying as being anything but heterosexual, is taboo.
The country has had some high-ranking officials speaking out against homosexuality including the leader of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights stating in 2007 that homosexuals were, essentially, ‘perverts’ who must be stopped. Other MPs have also been vocal in their condemnation of the LGBTQ community including the Communist MP, Leonid Grach, who believes that lesbians and gays are ‘evils that the state must oppose’.
In 2012, a draft bill was proposed in the Ukrainian parliament that would effectively ban talking about homosexuality in public and from broadcasting or advertising anything that ‘encouraged same-sex practices’. The bill was strongly opposed by activists of the LGBTQ community and the Council of Europe declared the proposals to be in contravention of the Human Rights Act. The bill was removed from the agenda in January 2015.
The LGBTQ community is an active one and is putting the government under pressure to extend more protection from discrimination for its citizens, irrespective of their gender or sexuality. The first Pride festival was held in Kiev in 2003 but was not held again until 2015. Previous attempts to stage a festival and peaceful protest march were met with resistance and were cancelled. The 2015 march only lasted for thirty minute before it was dispersed after conflicts arose with anti-gay activists.
Change is happening and in just under a decade Ukraine has seen a more tolerant attitude towards same-sex relationships being adopted in the general population. In 2010, a survey revealed that only one in four (28%) Ukrainians were supportive of the right of LGBTQ individuals to live openly. Last year, in 2017, more than half of the population (56%) were supportive of equal rights.
Overall, the LGBTQ community in Ukraine is a marginalised one which experiences greater risk of discrimination and violence than the heterosexual community. The situation is definitely improving but there is still much change needed before Ukraine meets the equality standards set by much of the rest of Europe.
Top Classified/Personals Sites in Ukraine
Online dating is not as popular in Ukraine as it is in Western Europe but there are still a good number of sites that cater for singles looking for company.
The top five most visited dating sites in Ukraine include three Russian sites:
Most of the listings on these sites are for serious dating with a good proportion looking for marriage. There are, however, a number of ads from women looking for more casual dating opportunities. If you are looking for serious dating the Ukraine is a hotspot for European’s looking for love and the Natasha Club specialises in women from this region. Ukraina-Women is also another popular international dating agency which you can join for free.
Of course, there are some more sites that have a good range of personals offering a mix of ages, backgrounds and intentions.
Craigslist
https://ukraine.craigslist.org/search/ppp?areaAbb=ukraine
We kick off with the home of the casual encounter, Craigslist. A free classifieds site that has a good personals section, Craigslist has a couple of categories for dating, including:
- Casual Encounters
- Women Seeking Men
- Men Seeking Women
- Strictly Platonic
- Romance
- Missed Connections
As a free to list site, Craigslist is notorious for attracting a lot of escorts to its pages so you will need to be clear about what kind of ‘date’ you are setting up. However, the site covers a good range of ads.
12 Kisses
12 Kisses is a freemium site for dating in the Ukraine. You can register an account with no subscription but to get the best from the service you do need to be a member. It has been operating since 2001 and tends to cater for a slightly older demographic than something like Craigslist or Badoo.
FDating
https://fdating.com/dating-ukrainian-women.html
FDating is an international site that covers most European countries with Ukraine being no exception. It is another freemium site and reports to have over 21,870 users registered from Ukraine. There is a good mix of listings on the site though most are over the age of 30 (and even as mature as in their 60s).
The site is most popular in Germany followed by Ukraine, Russia, Italy and Poland. Traffic to the site is around 4.6 million hits per month with 8% of these being from within Ukraine.
Love Awake
www.loveawake.com/free-online-dating/Ukraine-dating-service.html
Love Awake is another site that has a global coverage and offers a similar service to FDating. You can search the listings by location, age and other filters to find suitable candidates but many of the women on this database are looking for genuine connections.
Ukraine Date
Ukraine Date receives about a quarter of a million visitors each month from within the country but is also popular in Turkey, the USA, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a free to join service based on a premium payment model.
The site is part of the Cupid Media Network which has a good reputation for service, discretion and data security. Though there are plenty of listings available for friendship and serious relationships, there are also women looking for hook-ups.
Lava Place
www.lavaplace.com/Personals/Ukraine/ua/
A site very similar to Love Awake, Lava Place has a slightly younger demographic of ads available in Ukraine with a mix of backgrounds and personalities. You can join for free but sending and receiving messages will cost you.
The site is available in English but also Ukrainian.
Love Me 2 Day
This specialist Ukrainian dating site has been operating since 2007 to connect singles in Ukraine. It’s an English language site but is reportedly popular with 1000’s of Ukrainians. It’s not the largest site on this list but it is worth registering a free account to find out what coverage they have in the your chosen area.
Featured image via Wikimedia.