Here are some of the news stories that I am reading.

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PRISON

Similarly to Russia, most of them [former Soviet countries] also have high rates of female imprisonment.

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Ukraine is "quite high" at 6.1 percent.

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Russia's number "is quite high" at 6.5 percent..... the figure is too high, considering that there has been a reform of the penal system that prevents many women from being imprisoned. "For example, if a woman has a very young child under the age of 14 and the crime is not very serious, then a sentence is suspended,"


World: New Study Sheds Light On Female Prisoners

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SIBLINGS REUNITED


I know this isn't a Ukrainian adoption story. But it is a wonderful story... made me teary eyed.

Kazakh sisters united in the Bay Area


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TRAVELING

I have heard stories about woman being groped on a crowded train/subway. And I didn't realize the married "ring finger" was on the right hand for Eastern Europeans.

Women traveling to Russia and the states of the former U.S.S.R. may not encounter the same aggressive cat-calling they might find in the Mediterranean, but other safety issues warrant precaution. Public transportation needs a special category all its own in this respect, and is probably the one place American women need to exercise the most caution. While living in Ukraine and traveling throughout the region, I heard horror stories about attempted sexual assaults on trains, and was the victim of more unwanted touching than I care to remember.

Throughout the states of the former U.S.S.R., the smile most Americans effortlessly put forth may cause you trouble. Culturally, the smile in former Soviet countries has come to mean that you're sly, crazy, or you're interested in the person at whom you're smiling. This may stem from the repressive nature of the former Soviet regime. It's hard to look stoic and indifferent, but I recommend practicing your best emotionless face in preparation for a trip to the region.

Lastly, a trick that sometimes works to discourage unwanted attention is slipping a simple gold band on your right ring finger. Putting it on your left hand, like in the U.S., will only signify widowhood, and hence availability. Whenever I saw men approaching me on the trains, I turned my grandmother's ring around so that only the band showed and pretended that I was married.

From: The best (and worst) destinations for women worldwide

A Word with Olena Nyzhnykevych is worth reading. It is in the travel section because Olena has spent much of her life traveling.

Olena is part of the Ukrainian Diaspora. She was born in New Jersey. At this point she lives in Ukraine with her husband and daughter. I thought her comments on the US being more "baby friendly" were interesting. And she shared a brief story about visiting a specialized orphanage.