Ok, I'll write a report on Belarus. Before that, I'll travel through Ukraine. It seems a bit more risky there, so I won't stay long, but I really want to see the Black Sea coast of Ukraine and a couple of historical places. But really, I am a bit worried about safety, and how I'll manage in Russian. Going to Ukraine (alone!!!) seemed like a really good/cool idea in London... daydreaming about going somewhere exotic & different and practice Russian... But right at this minute I am getting cold feet! On the Lonely Planet travel forum, there are lots of cautionary tales about the dangers of Ukraine... (But if people like Gromozeka and it-ogo are anything to go by, then it's probably a great country. We shall see!)

From what I understand, it's national policy in Ukraine to write signs etc in Ukrainian as opposed to Russian, despite the fact that lots of people speak Russian as their first language. For my personal reasons, I would have thought it would be better if it was bilingual, for example.

I didn't have enough time to wait for a Russia visa, that's why I start by travelling in Ukraine (does not require a visa from EU citizens) and Belarus which had a fast track visa service. If I am still enjoying the travelling when I am in Belarus, then I'll get a Russian visa there, where a faster service is available. Else, I'll save Russia for some other time.