I highly recommend reading and carrying Linda Hodges and George Chumak’s Language and Travel Guide to Ukraine.   It’s more useful as a giant phrase book and cultural guide than as a traditional guidebook, but it was a godsend for things like grocery shopping, negotiating public transit, etc.

The Ukraine secion in  Let’s Go Eastern Europe was better and more up to date than most guidebooks when it came to Ukraine, but it was still pretty sketchy outside Kiev. 

That sounds extremely useful!  I had a helluva time telling the difference between bars and restruants late at night, maybe there is some secret to it! 
 
I’ve got the Let’s Go EE, but it only includes a few cities, and there isn’t much detail on them.  I think I’ll get that book first, then maybe I’ll go for the Brandt guide later. 

Wow, this thing is great!!  The historical and practical information is so well written compared to what you find in most guide books.  I just got it out of the mailbox and I’m well into it already.  I’m a little scared to delve too much into the language parts though, I’m worried it will my russian lessons all the more confusing.  Anyway, thanks for the tip OL!

I knew absolutely no Russian or Ukrainian.  I managed to figure out the Cyrillic alphabet from my can-read-a-fraternity-sweatshirt knowledge of the Greek alphabet (which proved pretty much useless in Greece).  After that I could sound out street signs, town names, advertising signs, etc. and felt like I could “read” at about a 1st grade level.  I never did pick up the spoken language nor could I read anything in handwriting as opposed to printing.  Many restaurants had an English menu, but often no one who spoke English, so there was a lot of pointing at the English menu while somebody tried to match that to an item on the Russian or Ukrainian menu.  However, we figured “kabob” “cutlet” “greek salad” “coca cola” and “soo-lan-ka” (hearty 3 meat soup) “sash-leek” (fabulous barbiqued meat) would get you by for a month.  We wrote out the grocery list from the guidebook and just handed it to the various clerks in the market.

Hi all!
My name is Sergey, 25 years old
I’m a Guide & Interpreter in Ukraine, city Dnepropetrovsk.
I can help organize leisure time in Dnepr.
I know all the best pleases in Dnepr where you may spend time with pleasure. – Bars are best to drink in. – Best nightclubs. – Places of interest or trips within Dnepropetrovsk especially WWII & Soviet historical interests. – Any places outside of Dnepropetrovsk that are worth visiting. – People and places to avoid. – Any institutions, schools, and many others……
By the way, I can meet in airport, railway or bus station, book a hotel or private flat.
Ok! If you be have any questions when you arrive I’ll help you! Call me, cell phone: +380632365975
My service costs just 10$ per/hour, but if you have a problems with money I’ll help for free!
Good luck!
Sergey