I filed on my own for a private Visa, sent in the paperwork on 10/28, received visa on 11/12. I sent them an pre-paid airborne envelope, but they sent vias back via fed ex and returned my airborne envelope to me.
I had a travel date already set, so they made my visa valid from a week before i planned to arrive and gave an expiration 6 months from that valid date. I had read that the 6 months was based on date of application, had i known that i probably would have applied for a double enrty visa.
i used an application printed off the internet. So for Ukraine, no real need to go through a service.
Gman