First, I want to begin by saying that most times I visited Ukraine, I had a wonderful time, with no issues...but there was always a level of trepidation from the women I was with, when police were nearby.

I didn't understand this, until one trip I made to Odessa. I had been speaking with a wonderful woman for a while and had agreed to come to Odessa for a week, combining some other travel I had planned in Prague and Budapest. The woman, Alina, was a single mother, looking for a new life in England and this was an opportunity to see how we would be together. We agree to meet at a bar near to my hotel and immediately felt comfortable with each other. She was very attractive with large breasts and incredible figure. When I first met her, she was in a summer dress, almost transparent in the sun. We had a wonderful afternoon together, walking in the sun and getting to know each other, before collecting her things at the hotel and spending the evening alone in our room.

The second evening, after another amazing day, visiting parks and shopping, we decided to go for a meal and few evening drinks...and this is when the event happened.

As we left the bar about 11.30pm, the air was still warm and quite quiet on the streets. It was a short walk to the hotel, so we walked, holding hands and chatting, with lots of laughter. As we were almost at the hotel, we noticed 2 policemen, next to a vehicle. Alina immediately looked uncomfortable, but myself, ignorant to the situation, continued our conversation. As we approached the policemen, I heard them say something and Alina responded with anger to them. I found out later, that one of the policemen had called Alina "another whore, chasing the western man for money". In anger, she told the policeman to "fuck off". He responded by approaching her and pulling open her blouse, exposing her breast, as she was without a bra. She covered her chest in embarrassment as the policeman faced his colleague laughing. I stepped forward to protect Alina and had both officers raise guns to me. In poor English, I was told "you have problem...fuck off". I stood in front of Alina, who was beyond angry and shouting at the policemen, who looked like they were keen to see more of her. 

Alina grabbed my arm, realising we were in trouble and I looked at the policemen. Calmly, I said, "look, no trouble" and took $50 from my pocket. One officer snatched this from me...and without paying much attention, waved me away. I put Alina ahead of me and used my body to protect her. We walked quickly to the hotel, with her trying, unsuccessfully to cover her chest, with her blouse beyond repair. 

As we arrived in the hotel, I looked to the staff, who had noticed the incident outside, but it was clear they were not willing, or able to help. We walked to the elevator and travelled to our room, with me consoling Alina. 

In the room, she started to cry, holding me close. She said how she "fucking hated this place, hated how she was treated". She said, "I cannot have my daughter experience this life", looking into my eyes with desperation. That night, I held Alina close and we spoke about what I could do to help. We made love as the sun rose in the morning and we arranged flights for her and her daughter the following day. 

Alina and her daughter travelled back to England with me as my guests, on a holiday visa. I was quickly able to help Alina find work and with this, she could apply for citizenship in England. Although there were a few issues, this was processed and both her and her daughter were able to start their new life.

Although for myself and Alina, our relationship only lasted another 6 months, we remain in contact. She is married now to an amazing man in London, who I had introduced her to. Her daughter is now doing her school exams and will be in college later this year. 

We speak occasionally, her husband aware of our past and also of this incident. She remains angry about this...but more with anger that this wasn't a single incident. As I speak with women, I hear many examples of similar incidents and living in England, I can't understand how this is possible. However, as Alina says, "the past remains the past, let us worry for the future"...and hopefully, she has had a wonderful life in England and will continue to have more in the future. As for the men involved...I hope they enjoyed the $50 and that karma has returned some of the pain back to them.