What we know about Ukrainian women looking for a relationship in Europe
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Do not use dating apps | 87% |
| Of those who tried an app in Europe, gave it up | 77% |
| Main complaint about apps | men not looking for anything serious — 32% |
| Not in a relationship | 52%, one in four of them actively looking |
| What matters most in a partner | stability and security 68%, respect and gentleness 54%, commitment 48% |
| Would move within Europe for love | 63% |
| Want to stay where they live | 37% |
Where people meet in Europe without apps
- Through people you already know. Colleagues, the parents of your children's classmates, neighbours, the volunteers who helped you in 2022. In most European countries, meeting "through friends" is still the most common path to a serious relationship — and the safest, because someone knows the man.
- Through a shared activity. Language courses, sports clubs, volunteering, parishes, choirs. Not "places to meet men", but places where you show up regularly and are seen as you are.
- Through a private introduction service where both sides are reviewed by a person, introductions are proposed to you (you are not in a catalogue) and the man does not pay per message. Ask before signing up: who is behind it, what exactly is checked, how money is taken, and whether women pay.
- What to avoid: sites where you are asked to pay for "credits", or where you are paid to write. There, the man is talking to an operator, not to you — and he will work it out sooner or later.
What to expect from a serious European man in the first weeks
- He asks about your life here — work, children, city — not about when you will "move in with him". You are already home; a serious man understands that.
- He does not rush. A video call before meeting is normal; a first meeting in a public place, in daytime, is normal. Pressure to "meet tonight" or "move to WhatsApp" on day one is not.
- He never asks for money and never offers it. No "I will send a gift, pay the delivery", no "investments". This is the one rule without exceptions.
- He does not hide. Name, face, video, city. A man who has not been on a video call after three weeks is not who he says he is.
- A difference of pace is not a red flag. In France, Germany or the Netherlands, first dates are often long, calm and promise-free; people talk about "a relationship" later than we are used to. Slow does not mean unserious.
Language, children, moving — three questions worth asking early
Language. If his language is still "functional but exhausting" for you and you both have decent English, the first months can be in English — it is not weakness, it is respect for the conversation. On Adorée, messages are translated automatically: each person writes in their own language and reads in theirs. It removes the first barrier; it does not replace the wish to learn each other's language.
Children. More than half of the women we surveyed have a child in their care. A serious man knows this beforehand — and does not change his tone when he learns it. Say it in your profile, not "later": it is a filter that works for you.
Moving. Three in five would move within Europe for love; two in five would not, and that is just as normal. Say honestly what is possible for you before getting attached to someone 800 kilometres away. A serious service asks that question first.
Signals that mean "stop"
- Any request for money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, "help with a payment".
- Refusal of a video call after several weeks of writing.
- Insistence on moving to WhatsApp or Telegram on the first day.
- Photos that exist elsewhere online under another name.
- Talk of how you will "get papers" or "be able to stay" thanks to him: you have temporary protection, you do not need a man to stay in Europe.