Finding current and accurate information in English on Ukraine two years ago bordered upon the impossible. Web sites were outdated, rarely updated, and their information conflicted from one site to the next. With the change in Visa laws in 2005, information available in English about Ukraine improved considerably. Information available in English about Ukraine still needs to improve and become more accessible.

I consider the following nine web sites to be the best sources of information about Ukraine, overall. Selection is based upon accuracy of information, the usefulness of the information provided, scope of information, frequency of updates, with some consideration given to appearance and ease of navigation. Sites 7-10 are place holders, the next update will be in June!

#1. www.expatua.com - The largest and most active expat forum in Ukraine, an excellent source of information and contacts. A very friendly board and a site that appears to have recently expanded its features. The forums are extensive, well organized and cover a lot of ground.

#2. www.tryukraine.com/ - Comprehensive, accurate, current, nice appearance and easy to navigate. Try Ukraine provides accurate information you will not likely find elsewhere – recent changes in visa law, money exchange, culture, virtually everything of interest to prospective travelers to Ukraine. Articles are clear, easy to understand, and focused with appropriate links to additional related information.

#3. www.ukraine-observer.com/ - a smaller, friendlier and more interesting than the Kiev Post, it would compete actively for #2 if it had an easier means to access what appears to be a fairly extensive archive of past articles. Nevertheless, it is fresh and has a lot of good information.

#4. www.ukraine-today.com/ - About the closest thing you will find to an English Yellow-Pages type directory. In this regard, it is most useful for those who live or stay in Kyiv, however it offers a number of informative articles and a number of links to businesses in its directory. If you know what you are looking for, this is the place where you can find it.

#5. www.intercultures.ca/cil-cai/intercultural_issues-en.asp?lvl=8&ISO=UA&Su... - A Canadian site with special emphasis on Ukrainian culture with a gateway to other countries, too. Very good and specific information for anyone interested in living in Ukraine on a long-term basis.

#6. http://allukraine.blogspot.com/ - A tentative placement for an ongoing blog that appears to be mostly a collection of news posts. Will be looking at this one closer - but has a wide variety of topics, a decent effort.

#7. www.kyivpost.com/ - The best and most widely circulated English newspaper in Ukraine used to maintain a very useful and informative online version to help you keep track of what is going on around Ukraine, in business, politics and otherwise. BUT, now they require a subscription to access ANY of their content, not taking any queues from western news services, aye? Okay - Down 4 to #7, and likely to plummet off the board in short order.

#8. www.petrosjotter.blogspot.com/ - Some very interesting reading, Petro’s Jotter doesn’t hasn’t received any posts for a while – hopefully we can encourage him to continue his effort. The site is a blog on “Ukraine, expat life with kids in Kyiv, and about managing a company American style in a post-Soviet ‘business’ culture.” Pragmatic, real – Petro doesn’t mince words especially when it comes to doing business in Ukraine.

#9. www.ukrainelist.com/ - Labeled, “A web portal and information consolidator for expats and travelers in Ukraine” – Couples an interesting blog with numerous links to web sites that were considered but did not make this short list. Nice design, easy navigation. While it looked to be growing, the flow of articles seems to have stopped, so it drops a few notches.

#10. www.iaqi.com/ukraine/ - A directory that is not exclusive to Ukraine that makes it easy to navigate by country, city and topic, complementing the #4 listing nicely. While not specific to Ukraine, the scope of relevant links coupled with some articles and news, easily places it above the rest of the competition.

Equipped with the information available and accessible through these five sites, you should be able to find just about anything relevant to Ukraine that is in English. A lot of sites were excluded for being too narrow and/or outdated.

Next Review: June, 2008.