“Skaters there, they don't really give a shit. They just skate with the air alert, like nonstop.”
Getting there
Mike Boisvert went to Ukraine in 2026, with one mission: to film David, a skater from Odesa. Ukraine's commercial airspace has been closed since the war began, so he took a bus from Moldova. At the border he was questioned for about an hour and a half, and his bus left without him. He crossed on foot, with no internet, no money and no way to get to Odesa. So he hitchhiked. Two women gave him a ride, dropped him off, and he met David and a friend. They went straight to the skatepark.
The first thing they heard there was the air raid siren. “It's been four years like that.” The locals kept skating. “So me, I skated with those alarms. That was quite weird for me.”
A scene that keeps going
Skateboarding used to be huge before the war, Mike says, with great spots and skateparks. People still skate, and the parks are still there, but a lot has changed. Many men over 25 are in the army, and many skaters have left the country, so most of the skaters he met were young. There have been no events for more than four years, and there is a curfew at night. And yet, he says, the skatepark was full of families and kids on scooters. “When you go there, it feels pretty normal.” What surprised him most was how friendly people were. A local skater who follows his channel hosted him, fed him and helped David too.
Skaters to know
David Zuher (@zuher_david) is Mike's main guy in Odesa and his number one pick: “in Ukraine, he's the best,” super stylish. David doesn't speak English and Mike doesn't speak Russian, so they did what skaters do. “We speak skateboarding, we just skate.” Putting a Ukrainian skater in front was the whole idea of the trip, and Mike would like to see a JACKALOPE Golden Ticket for him.
Egor Maliy (@_.osminog) is from Kyiv, and Mike met him in Odesa: tall, skinny, fast and powerful. “Probably the best two.” In Kyiv, Mike T (@tevkun) is the president of Skate Ukraine (@skateukraine).
Where to skate
Mike's number one place is the Odesa skatepark, the best park he skated there. In Kyiv, which he wants to visit next time, the names on his list are Urban Park, Kyiv's best skatepark, and Lebednyy.
The local names to follow: Skate Ukraine, Kapkan, Pro Boardshop, Born Shop and Simple Skateboarding.
If you go
Eat varenyky, the best traditional food. Spend time on the beach in Odesa, and walk the historic town, which has good skate spots. If you are thinking of going, check your government's travel advice first.
The barrier is the war. Mike would go back anyway. “I feel like I can bring more value and help them.” His message to the skaters there: “Stay strong. Keep skating.” And the most underrated thing about the country, for him: the hospitality of the people, and their resilience.
Photos and videos: Mike Boisvert / The Skate Nomad. Part of the JACKALOPE Skate Atlas, one country at a time, with the skaters who live there. See every country on the map.
