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It is not, perhaps, the country you would think of first when planning a city break or a long weekend at least, not in light of its recent history.

Ukraine has had a turbulent time of the last half-decade, with revolution and uprising sweeping the streets of its capital in February 2014, and Russia annexing the Crimea peninsula a controversial land-grab which is still the cause of considerable tension and international concern a month later.

An ideal context for budget airlines?

Apparently so. Ever ready to expand its network, low-cost carrier Ryanair has just announced plans to fly to Kiev from four European airports. Two of these will be in the UK five flights a week will depart from London Stansted, with a further three taking off from Manchester. Services will begin in October.

The Dublin-based airline will also launch flights to Lviv from Stansted at the end of the same month and will fly to this city in the west of the country from six other European airports. Ukraine will be the 34th country added to the no-frills carriers route map.

The news has been greeted warmly in Kiev.

The arrival of Ryanair in Ukraine is, without exaggeration, a remarkable event for Ukraine, Volodymyr Omelyan, Ukraines Minister of Infrastructure, said of the announcement. Negotiations lasted for several years, and I am proud that our team was able to successfully hold them.

I am convinced that Ryanair will be another bridge that connects the infrastructure of Ukraine with Europe, and it will be a good signal for the worlds major investors.

Whether this enthusiasm is shared by passengers will be the test of the routes viability.

Both cities are feasible if niche options for a short break. Kiev is home to some of Europes most remarkable churches Saint Sophias Cathedral is a fantasy of green and gold domes and is a gateway to the dark intrigue of the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Lviv, which was once Ukraines biggest city, is an unheralded treasure trove of culture, where the Lviv National Art Gallery proffers Renaissance masterpieces galore.

Both cities are also plausible holiday places in terms of safety. While the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) warns sternly against journeys to the east of the country where clashes between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists have been ongoing since 2014 Kiev is largely removed from the conflict (it sits 450 miles from the flashpoint city of Donetsk), and has quieted considerably in the last three years. Lviv, meanwhile, is found in the far west of the country, a short leap from the Polish border.

The FCO advises that the situation in Kiev is generally calm, but stresses that visitors should avoid all demonstrations and take extra care in public gatherings.

Ryanair is not the first airline to offer flights between the UK and Ukraine British Airways currently flies to Kiev from Heathrow. Ukraine International Airlines also operates between the capitals Boryspil Airport and Gatwick. Ryanairs Stansted-Lviv service will, however, be the only UK connection to the city when it starts on October 29.

The airline has heralded its arrival in these two new destinations in its usual full-throttle manner, saying that we urge all customers who wish to book these flights to do so now.

The airlines chief commercial officer David OBrien says that the flights will deliver 250,000 passengers a year to Kiev alone.

Excerpt from:
Ryanair flies into war-torn Ukraine - but is it ready for budget travellers? - Telegraph.co.uk