Kiev

[kee-ef, -ev; Russian kyee-yif] /ˈki ɛf, -ɛv; Russian ˈkyi yɪf/

noun
1.
a city in and the capital of Ukraine, on the Dnieper River.
[yoo-kreyn, -krahyn, yoo-kreyn] /yuˈkreɪn, -ˈkraɪn, ˈyu kreɪn/
noun
1.
a republic in SE Europe: rich agricultural and industrial region. 223,090 sq. mi. (603,700 sq. km).
Capital: Kiev.
/ˈkiːɛf; Russian ˈkijɪf/
noun
1.
the capital of Ukraine, on the Dnieper River: formed the first Russian state by the late 9th century; university (1834). Pop: 2 623 000 (2005 est)
/juːˈkreɪn/
noun
1.
a republic in SE Europe, on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: ruled by the Khazars (7th–9th centuries), by Ruik princes with the Mongol conquest in the 13th century, then by Lithuania, by Poland, and by Russia; one of the four original republics that formed the Soviet Union in 1922; unilaterally declared independence in 1990, which was recognized in 1991. Consists chiefly of lowlands; economy based on rich agriculture and mineral resources and on the major heavy industries of the Donets Basin. Official language: Ukrainian; Russian is also widely spoken. Religion: believers are mainly Christian. Currency: hryvna. Capital: Kiev. Pop: 44 573 205 (2013 est). Area: 603 700 sq km (231 990 sq miles)

Ukrainian Kyyiv, of unknown origin; explanation from the name of a founding prince named Kiy probably is folk etymology. Related: Kievan.

from Russian Ukraina, literally “border, frontier,” from u- “at” + krai “edge.”
Kiev [(kee-ef, kee-ev)]

Capital of Ukraine in the north-central region of the country on the Dnieper River; a major manufacturing and transportation center.
Ukraine [(yooh-krayn, yooh-krayn)]

Republic in southeastern Europe, bordered by Belarus to the north; Russia to the northeast and east; the Black Sea to the south; Moldova, Romania, and Hungary to the southwest; and Slovakia and Poland to the west; includes the peninsula of Crimea. Kiev is the capital and largest city.

Note: Of the former Soviet republics, it is second to Russia in population.

Note: Ukraine came under a succession of invaders and foreign rulers, including central Asian tribes, the Mongols, Lithuania, the Ottoman Empire, Poland, and finally Russia. Under oppressive Polish and Russian rule in the seventeenth century, Ukrainian fugitives, known as Cossacks, organized resistance movements.

Note: A nationalist and cultural revival in the nineteenth century was rewarded after World War I by independence, which was, however, short-lived. Invaded by Russian troops, Ukraine became one of the original Soviet republics in 1922.

Note: Ukraine was traditionally home to a large Jewish population. Many Jews left Ukraine under oppressive conditions in the nineteenth century, and thousands more were exterminated by the Nazis in World War II.