Usually Kiev and all Ukraine is more safety than other European Country, but is not "Paradise" and also here you can find local criminal. So is better that you know before potential dangerous situations.

Street crime remains a serious problem in Ukraine. The country continues to undergo significant economic, political, and social transformation, and income differences have grown accordingly. As a result, foreign visitors may be perceived as wealthy and as easy targets for criminals. Tourists often stand out in Ukraine, and are therefore more likely to be targeted than in Western European countries, where incomes are higher and visitors may blend in better. The police are poorly paid, motivated, trained, and equipped, and also are considered by the general public to be one of the most corrupt organizations in Ukraine. Ukrainian police and emergency services remain generally below Western European standards in terms of training, responsiveness, and effectiveness. Foreign citizens have reported waiting up to several hours for Ukrainian police and ambulance services to respond to calls for emergency assistance. Ukrainian law enforcement provides no adequate level of deterrence to street crime, and is not able to investigate crimes to any minimal level expected. Ukrainian law enforcement and emergency officials generally do not speak English and interpreters are not readily available.

Most street crimes reported are non-violent and non-confrontational and range from various scams to simple pocket picking, purse snatching, and theft of personal items from parked cars. Many of these crimes occur in downtown Kyiv or on the public transport system. Mugging, armed robbery, harassment, or the drugging of unsuspecting victims at nightspots and bars (where they are then robbed) have been reported, but less frequently. Cases of assaults in apartment building corridors, elevators, and stairwells, as well as armed break-ins and crimes involving small caliber firearms have been reported but are rare; most criminals are unarmed and not prone to violence. When violent assaults do occur, they usually involve punches and kicks, with an occasional bottle or similar item used as a club. Members of organized criminal groups seem to be the only criminals who reliably carry lethal weapons, but they are very rarely involved in crimes against foreigners.

A commonly reported scam in Kyiv is the "Wallet Scam," which involves a person dropping a wallet or a packet of money near you. After you pick up the wallet and attempt to give it back to the individual who "dropped" it, the thief then claims that the wallet is missing money and accuses you of stealing it. The thief either threatens to call the police if you don’t pay or asks you to show your wallet to the thief to ensure that you did not take any money. When you show your wallet, the thief grabs your money and flees. A very common variant involves a second person who claims to be a police officer and who approaches you after your pick up the wallet. The second person also asks to see the wallet, grabbing the money and fleeing or, through sleight-of-hand, stealing the victim’s money. Many variants exist – two wallets; three or more thieves, etc. All variants involve the victim picking up something and returning it to the person who dropped it.

People who have had hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars stolen by Internet contacts they thought were their friends or loved ones. These Internet scams include lotteries, on-line dating or introduction services, and even requests from a "friend" in trouble. In many cases, scammers troll the Internet for victims and spend weeks or months building a relationship. Once they have gained their victim’s trust, they create a false situation and ask for money. Once money has been sent, it is very unlikely that it will ever be recovered.

In particular, dating/marriage scams are frequent. In many cases, the victims have sent money to a person or agency in Ukraine with the understanding that either a young woman will visit the victim in their country, or the victim will visit her in Ukraine. Often, these scams lead to requests for increasing amounts of money for various purposes, including requests to assist with faked emergency situations. Once the victim becomes suspicious, the individual or agency will cut off contact. Many of these scams have existed for many years using a variety of different identities, agency names, and addresses. In addition, some victims visiting their "friend" or "fiancée" in Ukraine have been extorted out of large sums of money, and in some cases have been seriously assaulted.
While most travelers do not encounter problems with crime in Ukraine, there has been an increase in the number of hate crimes directed at ethnic and religious minorities over the past few years. Many of these incidents are perpetrated by "skinheads" or neo-Nazis in Kyiv, but similar crimes have also been reported throughout the country. In Kyiv, these incidents have occurred without provocation in prominent downtown areas commonly frequented by tourists. The majority of people targeted have been of Asian, African, or other non-European descent. Racial minorities may also be subject to various types of harassment, such as being stopped on the street by both civilians and law enforcement officials. Individuals belonging to religious minorities have also been harassed and assaulted in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine.
The police and government’s slow response to hate crimes is a serious and continuing concern. Although senior Government of Ukraine officials have publicly deplored these hate crimes and groups, Ukrainian street-level law enforcement activities are unable to deter hate crimes effectively or protect racial minorities adequately. There have been numerous credible reports from victims of violent hate crimes stating that uniformed police officers observed the assaults and did nothing to prevent the attacks, to assist the victims afterward, or to investigate and apprehend the attackers. The Government of Ukraine has established special law enforcement units to prevent and investigate hate crimes, but despite these units a serious problem with these types of crime continues to exist.
The reported involvement of off-duty Ukrainian law enforcement officials in attacks on foreign citizens and the general disinterest shown by Ukrainian law enforcement in responding to or investigating crimes against foreign citizens in a number of cases is a cause of concern. In particular, Ukrainian law enforcement seems to treat cases of sexual assault and rape with less seriousness and professionalism than their international law enforcement counterparts.
Credit card and ATM fraud is an issue. Ukraine generally operates as a cash economy, and money scams are widespread. Although credit card and ATM use among Ukrainians is increasingly common, it is recommended that you exercise caution and use credit cards or ATM cards only at reputable businesses.
Burglaries of apartments and vehicles represent a significant threat to long-term residents. Although few cars are actually stolen,primarily because of increased use of alarm systems and security wheel locks, vehicular break-ins and vehicular vandalism are common.
Ukraine lacks reliable services for foreign victims of crime. Transferring funds from an international source, replacing stolen traveler’s checks or airline tickets, or canceling credit cards can be difficult and time consuming. There are few safe low-cost lodgings, such as youth hostels. Public facilities in Ukraine are generally not equipped to accommodate persons with physical disabilities.
There are reports of harassment and intimidation directed against foreign businesspersons and interests. Reported incidents range from physical threats (possibly motivated by rival commercial interests tied to organized crime), to local government entities engaging in such practices as arbitrary termination or amendment of business licenses, dilution of corporate stock to diminish investor interest, delays of payment or delivery of goods, and arbitrary "inspections" by tax, safety or other officials that appear designed to harm the business rather than demonstrate a genuine attempt at good governance.
It is suggested that you refrain from wiring money unless the recipient is well-known to the sender and the purpose of business is clear. Foreign citizens have reported transferring money to Ukraine to pay for goods purchased from residents of Ukraine via online auction sites, but never receiving the goods in return. Numerous foreigners have lost money to agencies and individuals who claimed to be able to arrange student or fiancé(e) visas to the victim's country. In many countries around the world, counterfeit and pirated goods are widely available. Transactions involving such products may be illegal under local law. In addition, bringing them back to your home country may result in forfeitures and fines.