Kyiv

Kyiv is both the capital of Ukraine and the country's most populated city. It is located in the middle of the Dnieper River in the north central part of Ukraine. With a population of 2,962,180 residents as of the first of the year 2021, Kyiv was the sixth most populated city in all of Europe.

In Eastern Europe, Kyiv serves as a significant hub for a variety of sectors, including the economy, the sciences, education, and culture. It is the location of a large number of high-tech enterprises, educational institutions of higher learning, and historical sites. The city is home to a comprehensive network of public transportation options and infrastructure, one of which is the Kyiv Metro.

It is thought that the name of Kyi, one of the city's four mythical founders, is where the name of the city came from. Kyiv, one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, has a long and eventful history, during which it has experienced both periods of prominence and periods of obscurity. There is evidence that a commercial centre existed in the city as early as the 5th century. A Slavic hamlet on the main trade route between Scandinavia and Constantinople, Kyiv was a vassal of the Khazars until the mid-9th century, when it was captured by the Varangians (Vikings). The city became the capital of Kievan Rus', the first East Slavic kingdom, although it was still under Varangian control. The city was wiped out entirely during the Mongol invasions in 1240, which resulted in it losing the majority of its significance in the next centuries. It was a little provincial capital located on the periphery of territory that was controlled by its strong neighbours at the time, first Lithuania, then Poland, and finally Russia.

During the Industrial Revolution that took place in the late 19th century in the Russian Empire, the city enjoyed renewed economic success. Kyiv was designated as the capital of the Ukrainian People's Republic in 1918, one year after the UPR had proclaimed its independence from Soviet Russia. From the year 1921 forward, Kyiv was a city of Soviet Ukraine, which was declared by the Red Army. From the year 1934 onward, Kyiv also served as the capital of Soviet Ukraine. The city was severely damaged during World War II but made a speedy recovery in the years after the war, enabling it to maintain its position as the third-largest city in the Soviet Union.

In the years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukraine's declaration of independence in 1991, Kyiv continued to serve as the nation's capital city and was hit with a consistent migration of ethnic Ukrainians from various other parts of Ukraine. Throughout Ukraine's transition to a market economy and democratic democracy, the capital city of Kyiv has maintained its status as the country's biggest and richest urban centre. After the fall of the Soviet Union, its armament-dependent industrial output decreased, which had a negative impact on science and technology. However, new sectors of the economy, such as services and finance, made it possible for Kyiv to experience growth in salaries and investments, in addition to providing continuous funding for the development of housing and urban infrastructure. During the course of the elections, Kyiv has established itself as the most pro-Western area in all of Ukraine; the winning parties want a deeper level of integration with the European Union.