Let’s face it: everyone has heard about the women of Ukraine. But, while it seems that the whole world loves talking about Ukrainian women, there is significantly less info out there on their male counterparts. Unfortunately, in today’s day and age, the online dating community seems to portray Ukrainian men in a negative fashion that is generally unwarranted. In light of this, we’re going to flip the script up a little bit. Today we’re talking all about Ukrainian men.

Why The Bad Reputation?

In the online dating space, there’s an overarching sentiment that there is something wrong with Ukrainian men.

From negative stereotypes to outright lies, it is as if their women must be “rescued” by thirsty men from the West.

Aside from my own personal love of living in Ukraine, it’s obvious there’s a huge amount of exaggeration, and even some outright lies in sentiments such as these. Some have gone as far as to make sweeping generalizations. They say that Ukrainian men are alcoholics, that they are poor, or even that they are abusive.

As someone who loves Ukrainian women and is friends with plenty of Ukrainian men, I hate reading this stuff. It’s clear that people with these attitudes have taken little time to really understand the situation in Ukraine.

Unfortunately, there is typically a bit of truth in every stereotype that exists.

The first one has to do with alcohol consumption.

Higher Than Average Mortality Rate

One thing that we know for sure is that women generally outnumber men in Ukraine. For a Western man looking to date in the country, this is the first big advantage he will see. It’s not uncommon for two women to desire a relationship with the same man of higher value.

It’s a nice change of pace from things in the West.

But, that’s where the lightheartedness ends.

We have to consider why exactly this is. Sadly, it has much to do with alcohol consumption creating a much higher than normal mortality rate for men under the age of 35.

Ukraine has the world’s second-highest death rate, mostly related to drinking, smoking and physical activity. The stereotype about Ukrainians being a group that drinks heavily is certainly true.

The average person consumes 13 cubic liters of alcohol each year. Vodka is the national beverage. Alcoholism is rampant among older men. It’s sad, but true, and it’s left a bad taste in the mouths of many Ukrainian women.

Beyond boozing alone, men in Eastern Europe tend to be at more risk for serious injury and early death than almost any other population on earth.

It’s not easy for a country to have the world’s second-highest death rate, especially one that is relatively peaceful such as. Ukraine. To understand why this is, you have to take a look at youth culture among young Ukrainian guys.

Have you ever seen those crazy “Russian daredevil” videos, where some 20-year-old kid from Eastern Europe is seen hanging from the ledge of a 50 story building?

No? Okay, here you go. Watch this video.

As you can see, this stuff isn’t a joke. Every young man goes through a bit of a reckless phase at one point or another. But, it’s particularly pronounced in a place like Ukraine.

If you’re now thinking “why the hell are these guys so crazy,” you’re on the right track. Of course, you could blame a whole host of issues. But, I personally tend to think it has much to do with plain old poverty.

Poverty in Ukraine

Let me ask you this: have you ever been poor?

Not just “having to pay the rent a week late” poor. I’m talking about the point where your future is uncertain.

I speak from experience. Poverty seriously messes with your head.

You’re simply not going to be at your best when you are poor. Nobody who is struggling to make ends meet is dishing out their hard-earned cash for expensive gym memberships, cool clothes, and premium dating apps that help you meet women.

All in all, being poor is generally a disaster for your state of mind. It’s particularly terrible when trying to date and pick up women.

The Money-Mindset Connection

When you’re more worried about keeping the bills paid at your family’s apartment in Kyiv, chances are you aren’t going to be in the mood to go approach the hot Natasha that lives down the hallway.

Hell, even if a lot of these guys did manage to muster up the courage to do so, many can’t even afford to take a girl on a basic date.

Instead, a foreigner who’s living the easy life will swoop in and begin the process of courting her.

This is not meant to denigrate Ukrainian men. For the locals, life is hard in Ukraine, and I’d argue it’s particularly tough for men who are expected to be masculine providers.

They’re expected to provide, but it’s insanely hard to find a good job unless they do some serious hustling online like their digital nomad counterparts.

As it turns out, in a traditional culture like Ukraine, your financial standing is generally seen as tantamount to being a good candidate for a long term relationship.

Ukrainian Women & Money: They’re NOT “Gold Diggers”

Just as there’s a negative conception of Ukrainian men being philandering alcoholics, there’s an equally harmful stereotype of Ukrainian women simply being “gold diggers.”

Granted, there are definitely some scummy women out there who want to take your hard-earned cash. It is, for this reason, there are really only a few dating sites that we suggest using. Each of these specifically screens all members of the site before they approve their accounts, ensuring the experience is as safe as it is rewarding.

Pro-tip: Check out our review of Ukraine Date here.

But, we have to remember that the type of people who do this are a very small subset of the population. For the most part, most Ukrainian women will not simply date a man because he either has more money than her. Or, they won’t consider a man for marriage just because he is from a more prosperous country where his earning potential is higher.

If that were the case, all women on earth would be flocking to 60-year-old men with fat retirement accounts. That being said, every country will have a select few girls who are interested in sugar dating and sponsorship game.

Obviously, money isn’t everything. But, it is something.

One of my favorite quotes about the relationship between success with women and money is as follows…

“Money facilitates spontaneity. Women don’t care about money, they care about having fun.”

And it’s absolutely true. Like Cindy Lauper always says…

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

If you think you’re going to woo a Ukrainian woman (or any woman, for that matter) by flashing screenshots of your bank statement and your American passport, you’ve got another thing coming.

But, there’s not a woman in the world who wouldn’t appreciate a spontaneous trip to a new city, where you travel on a nice enough flight and stay at a comfortable hotel. You enjoy a few nice meals on the way, and lavish in each other’s presence. You fall in love.

It’s how these things work. Haven’t you ever seen a romantic comedy?

Women melt over this kind of thing.

Love and genuine bonding with any girl tend to come about as a result of shared experiences. In either case, without having money, facilitating experiences such as this is challenging, if not impossible.

Of course, no quality woman is going to outright DEMAND that you take her on a vacation. But no woman would reasonably refuse such an offer with a man she finds attractive, either.

As you can see, Western men in a poor country like Ukraine have a huge advantage with their financial situation. Therefore their prospects with women are far improved as well.

Western Men Have An Advantage Over Ukrainian Men

Now, think back to the prior example of being a foreigner in Ukraine. Due to just how cheap it is, if you’re making even a meager online salary, you have the ability to facilitate a great deal of spontaneity and show your Ukrainian love interest a very good time.

Think about it: if she dates a local man, there’s a very low chance he will have his own place that’s not shared with roommates or family. Alone time will be tough to come by. Their dates will consist of small walks around the town, attending events that take place locally and sitting in the park.

There’s nothing wrong with this. If a girl truly loves you, she’ll put up with whatever situation you find yourself in just to be around you.

But, let’s not kid ourselves. Being an attractive, well off man in a place where most men are not is clearly going to be a huge help.

Now, think about this: if she’s dating you, you’re almost guaranteed to have a private apartment that’s probably nicer than the one she’s grown up in. You’ll likely have no problem paying $25 for a nice meal for two, going to “expensive” cocktail bars where you’ll still only be paying $5-6 per drink, and perhaps even going on a few cool trips a year together.

Ukrainian women are not gold-diggers. But, they are human.

This whole notion that the amount of money you have has nothing to do with the type of woman that you attract is categorically false. It’s lofty idealism at it’s very best.

Money is like oxygen. Most women could care less about how much you have, or even how you made it.

What women do care about is how you make them feel, and the things you do together.

And money will improve both your ability to make a woman feel, and to have new experiences together.

Traditionalism

Let’s not forget that there’s a level of traditionalism that exists in Eastern Europe where men are expected to provide for their women.

Feminism never really took hold in Eastern Europe.

While women are certainly integrated into the workforce in many of these countries, it’s generally accepted that the man is to be the breadwinner in a relationship.

To qualify as a strong, masculine man, you generally have to have the ability to pay for dates. You also must show the potential of being a stable longterm provider.

As it turns out, the two go hand in hand.

Let’s think of all of the traits of a wealthy man. He’s ambitious, he goes after what he wants, and he’s not too afraid of standing up for himself.

A side effect of these traits is often that you’ll be in good financial standing, as they’re the skills you need to make it today. Coincidentally, these are also some of the traits that most women find attractive.

Unfortunately, our Ukrainian brethren have been getting the short end of this stick for decades. A local Ukrainian man may work in a factory for less than $3 per hour, while a Western “digital nomad” can quite easily make hundreds each day on the internet.

Your Life vs. The Life of a Ukrainian Man

While you’re enjoying a cappuccino in a coffee shop that most Ukrainians have to spend a day’s salary just to visit, many of the guys you’ll be competing with wasting their lives serving an economy that is fundamentally broken.

So, you tell me. If you are a woman, who would be your logical choice? Would you choose to be with a local man who, while she may have a strong initial attraction for him, can’t afford to take her on a basic date and has an unstable financial future?

You have to remember, Ukrainian women are always thinking logically about the men they choose to date. There’s always the thought in the back of their mind if the relationship they are in could turn into a lifelong commitment.

Or, would she rather choose a man who she may be equally attracted to, and has the potential to help to create a lifestyle that breaks the cycle of poverty her family has been stuck in for years?

A man who can open her eyes to new experiences is naturally going to have a huge leg up on the competition.

This ain’t gold-digging. It’s just basic, human reason.

She doesn’t choose you because of your money, but your money makes you easier to choose.

Younger Generations Improving

A common adage in the men’s dating community is that of the Pareto principle.

The Pareto principle states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

This means that 20% of your customers provide 80% of your profit, that 20% of art is consumed by 80% of the population, and 20% of your products create 80% of your revenue.

When applied to dating, this means that 20% of the men are sleeping with 80% of the women.

Or, at the very least, 20% of men have the capability to sleep with 80% of the women.

In the United States and other sexually liberated countries, these numbers are even more extreme. Some estimate that it’s as high as 10% of the men sleeping with 90% of the women in more developed areas.

Ukraine is far, far more traditional than this.

Generally speaking, women are way less likely to sleep around. But, they will often knowingly go on dates and possibly sleep with one man while knowing that he is dating other women.

They know a truly high-value man is not as common in Ukraine, and that if they find one, they should hold onto him at all costs.

Even if it means he may date other women as well, many Ukrainian women will still stick by an above-average man.

For a man in this position, the world is quite literally his oyster.

The Top 20% of Ukrainian Men

As an expat in Ukraine, the path to becoming one of the top 20% of men in the country is relatively straightforward.

In the United States, a man may never reach his full potential. But, Ukraine offers a unique opportunity for expedited personal growth.

You could spend a few years working online. Saving your money, gradually scale your dainty income stream into a full-blown online business. You’d be amazed at what you can get paid for on the internet. You would be even more amazed at what you can outsource to others for half the cost.

Pro-tip: Check out our guide to working in Ukraine for some ideas on this.

Your living expenses would be 30% of what you’d pay in the USA. This allows you to reinvest your extra money back into yourself, or set it aside for savings.

You would start a rigorous physical fitness program, and maybe even hire a personal trainer for €5-€10 an hour. Maybe, you read a few books on fashion. And of course, go on plenty of dates and meet lots of Ukrainian women to improve your skills with them.

Even starting from scratch…you’d get there in 2-5 years, tops. You could have a ripped body, a fat savings account, and a few beautiful girlfriends in that time.

Here’s an analogy that I often swear by when I describe the experience of an expat in Ukraine…

Living in Ukraine as a foreigner is like living life on “easy mode.” Master easy mode, and you’ll eventually enter “god mode.”

The Upper Class in Ukraine

But, what about the native Ukrainian men who are in that upper 20%?

Individuals such as these typically come from families who are particularly industrious. They likely managed to take advantage of the developing market economies in countries like Ukraine.

When communism fell, many people became millionaires overnight. This is worthy of its own post in an of itself, but, just know this…

A select few were quite literally given massive amounts of property, factories, and other investments if they “knew someone” as the communist government imploded.

Talk about being in the right place at the right time!

It’s been 20 years since this happened, giving these new industries plenty of time to grow in the new capitalist economy. By now, these families are at oligarch level. They’re the ones buying $300,000 apartments in Kyiv and driving Bentley’s.

On the other hand, many of these guys may also just be members of criminal organizations who do engage in racketeering, oil smuggling, and perhaps even the drug trade.

It’s a bit more accepted to be involved in organized crime in Eastern Europe than in the West. If you’ve ever wondered how so many people manage to purchase exotic cars and have the latest iPhone in a country like Ukraine, this is also how.

Generally speaking, these are not people you have to worry much about, provided that you don’t get involved in what they’re doing. Even when dating abroad in a place like Ukraine, there is generally not much hostility towards foreigners dating their women.

In any case, a man like this will also do extremely well in Ukraine.

He will have his pick of the litter among the finest Ukrainian girls his city has to offer. His strong provider status, mixed with the fact that he’s a local where there is no real chance for miscommunications primes him for success.

As you can see, doing well in Ukraine has less to do with your foreign status, but more to do with your individual value as a man.

Be a High-Value Man

The moral of the story here is not to hate on any particular demographic. Instead, it’s simply to show that it pays to be a high-value man, no matter what culture you live in.

But, as a Westerner, it’s generally easier to become a high-value man while living in a place like Ukraine. This is due to the low cost of living, a traditional culture that values men, and an abundance of beautiful girls.

And of course, in a country where the local economy is in shambles and where women are encouraged to be as beautiful as possible, Ukraine presents a “perfect storm” of factors that make it extremely desirable for an ambitious man.

Like any other population of people, there’s going to be those who absolutely excel and those who lag behind. As a man, it’s your job to try to get into that upper echelon.

And, I tend to think that an expat lifestyle is the best way of doing so. But, you must also consider that expats are not the only ones who want to maximize their potential.

The Sins of Our Fathers

You have to remember that times are certainly changing in Ukraine.

“Forgive me for the sins of my father,” many young Ukrainian men seem to be saying. A whole legion of young guys have shaken off the communist mentality of their parents and want to participate in the new, global economy.

They too, want a piece of the action.

The problem with many poorer countries is that the best and brightest find a way to get out. Through sheer will, determination, and a few well-placed connections, they often find ways to get second passports, work abroad, and leave behind their home country.

This is great, for them. What is left, however, is a country that the most skillful and intelligent have abandoned. Perhaps this is why Ukrainian men get such a poor reputation…the best often leave the country.

And, what about for those unable to do this?

Sure, you have your hooligans and your higher than average alcohol consumption per capita. But, there’s an entire generation of young men in Ukraine who really not that different from you.

They’ve begun to wise up and stop looking for business opportunities in the country. They realize that their labor is worth far more on the internet when traded for US dollars. In this group, you’ll find bitcoin traders, digital marketers, drop shippers, and many other men who know what it means to put in the work needed.

Whether or not they will succeed, or they will fail, is another topic entirely. Their future, unfortunately, largely rests in forces that are outside their control.

Conclusion

There is always going to be a sect of women in the population who date men that are not native to their home countries.

For people from the West, this is a hard topic to understand as the country is literally made out of foreigners. Americans, as a whole, tend to not share much of national identity. Ukrainians, on the other hand, definitely do.

All in all, understanding the unique situation that Ukrainian men are in is essential when learning just why a place like Ukraine is so ripe for the picking. At the same time, we should understand the struggle that these men face, and realize that they’re not entirely different from us.

Real recognizes real, as they say.

As someone who’s living in Ukraine, I find it important to be respectful to the local culture, which largely involves establishing positive relationships with both Ukrainian women and men alike.

In the best of scenarios, you can spread prosperity in the region. As an ambitious man, you can create job opportunities for locals as a result of what I would hope to be a growing online business for yourself.

Above all else…I encourage expats to understand that, despite the fact that the word “privilege” is thrown around pretty mercilessly today, being a Westerner in a poor country certainly comes with a huge level of just that.

Privilege.

Privilege to have been born in America.

The privilege of being a native English speaker.

The privilege that comes from being from a capitalist country.

It’s real.

Use it wisely.

By the way, if you stumbled upon this article because you’re interested in dating Ukrainian women, I highly suggest you check out this website.