Last year at the height of tensions between Russia and Ukraine, more Western men were planning their trip to the Black Sea city of Odesa to find their eastern European soulmate than the previous year, Ukraine Today reports.

For many Ukrainian women this is a fairytale come to life, a foreign prince comes to Ukraine to whisk them off to a better life. But critics say that the unrealistic expectations of Ukrainian women of what a foreign man might offer makes them easy prey for scammers.

But an even larger number of foreign men, disillusioned with dating at home, become victims of intricate online scams while looking for their other half in Ukraine.

In reality only a small percentage of foreign men actually come to Ukraine and form lasting relations with their online dates. The majority often end up flying back home alone and with a lot less money in their wallet.

See unian.info’s video section for more of the latest news from Ukraine in video from Ukraine Today, Ukraine’s 24-hour English-language news channel.