Ukraine is home to a small number of Africans and Asians, many of whom came during the Soviet period. One prominent expatriate in Kiev is Charles Assante-Yeboa, president of the local Africa center.
Assante-Yeboa says four years ago, a group of Ukrainians wielding knives and clubs attacked him.
"Dark-skinned people are not very safe in Ukraine," Assante-Yeboa says. "We don't go to the places where we know that we could be privy to attacks."
A recent BBC report warned that widespread racism in Ukraine and Poland threatened black and Asian fans at the Euro 2012 games. That report outraged many Ukrainians and Poles.
Oleg Voloshyn, a spokesman for Ukraine's foreign ministry, acknowledged Ukrainians are capable of making racist remarks in the privacy of their homes.
