Is it Kiev or Kyiv? 5 things to know about Ukraine capital under siege from Russia

As Russia’s invasion into Ukraine continued into a second day on Friday, Feb. 25, residents in the country’s capital city are bracing for an attack.

Kyiv, with a population of 2.96 million, “could well be under siege,” U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, The Associated Press reported.

By Friday morning, Russian troops overtook a strategic airport 4 miles northwest of Kyiv, which blocked off the capital city from the west.

As Kyiv prepares for a possible invasion by Russian forces, here is what to know about the city.

Basic facts to know

Kyiv is about 140 miles away from the Russian border, The New York Times reported, and it is the most populous city in the country. Its nearly 3 million residents make it the sixth largest city in Europe.

The city is along the Dnieper River, with its city limits encompassing a 300-square mile area, Britannica said.

Kyiv is about 65 miles south of the Chernobyl nuclear power station, which suffered the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986.

“[It] is an important modern center for industry, education, and culture for not only modern-day Ukraine, but all of Eastern Europe,” GeoHistory said.

And if you’re curious what time it is in Kyiv, the city’s Eastern European Standard Time is seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the United States.

Kyiv or Kiev?

If you thought the city was named “Kiev,” there’s a reason for that. “Kiev” is what the city was called when it was under Soviet rule, and the name changed when Ukraine became an independent country in 1991.

Ukraine’s spelling of “Kyiv” was approved by its government in 1995. The name was changed, in part, because Ukrainians pronounce it differently than Russians.

“For younger Kyivians who are overwhelmingly supportive of pro-Western policies, the name ‘Kiev’ is a relic of the Soviet past, bearing a closer resemblance to the pronunciation of the city in Russian — the language imposed on Ukraine under Russian and Soviet rule — than it does to the pronunciation in Ukrainian, with the vowel sound not stressed,” according to British publication inews.

In 2019, the spelling of “Kyiv” became the official spelling used by United States officials. The change came following a #KyivNotKiev internet campaign, Ukraine’s embassy said.

How do you pronounce Kyiv?

The pronunciation of the word can be confusing, especially as the city has changed names. Kyiv is pronounced KEE-ev, not Key-EV, which is “the Russianized version” of the name, USA Today reported.

Still confused? Andrii Smytsniuk, a Ukranian native who teaches Ukrainian and Russian languages at the University of Cambridge, gave a more in-depth explanation of how to pronounce the word.

“The K sound is the same as in English,” Smytsniuk told The New York Times. “The Y is similar to the I sounds in ‘little bit.’ The I is similar to the first part of ‘yeast.’ The V is a slightly shorter version of a W, as in ‘low,’ or almost like the V in ‘love.’”

Its Hall of Fame boxer mayor

Perhaps you’ve heard of Vitali Klitschko, a former world world heavyweight champion boxer. He’s the mayor of Kyiv, a title he has held since 2014.

As a boxer, he was a world champion over the course of three decades. Klitschko won all but two of his 47 professional fights, with 41 of them by knockout, Bleacher Report said.

Known as one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018. He’s also the older brother of Wladimir Klitschko, also known as one of the best heavyweight boxers of his generation and a winner of a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics.

The brothers have vowed to fight for Ukraine as it prepares for further attacks by Russia.

“It’s already a bloody war,” the mayor said Thursday on ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain,’ ESPN reported. “I don’t have another choice. I have to do that. I would fight.”

What is Kyiv known for?

Kyiv’s most iconic attraction is the Motherland Monument, a 335-foot tall statue of a woman carrying a sword and shield, National Geographic said. The statue honors soldiers who died during World War II.

The city is known for its golden domes, which are a staple of the country’s architecture. Golden domes are custom on many of Kyiv’s famous churches.

It’s also a very green city. Half of Kyiv’s land is made up of forests, parks and gardens, according to tourism site Ukraine Trek.

This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 10:03 AM with the headline "Is it Kiev or Kyiv? 5 things to know about Ukraine capital under siege from Russia."