Why Kyiv instead of Kiev? How the US government dropped Soviet-era name


The conflict in Ukraine has raised questions about President Joe Biden’s foreign policy, Vladimir Putin’s grasp on reality and whether the West can maintain unity in the face of Kremlin provocation.

But for some social media users it has raised another conundrum: What’s in a name? 

For years ‘Kiev’ was known as the capital of Ukraine, but headlines now scream ‘Kyiv,’ while US leaders are using the unfamiliar pronunciation ‘KEE-eve’ rather than ‘KEE-yev.’

What’s going on? 

Both are the result of converting the Cyrillic alphabet into the Roman alphabet – but contained within that are deep geopolitical controversies. 

‘It’s very simple,’ said John Herbst, former US ambassador to Ukraine.

‘Kiev is the English transliteration from the Russian; Kyiv is the English transliteration from Ukrainian.’

Ukraine’s capital is known as Київ in Ukrainian and Киев in Russian. Neither has a direct translation into the Roman alphabet, with Kiev, Kyiv, Kyyiv or Kiyev all being possibilities. 

A shift from Kiev to Kyiv began in Ukraine after the collapse of communism. 

President Joe Biden used 'Kyiv' to refer to the Ukrainian capital in a speech on Tuesday. It has been the only spelling used by the US government since 2019

President Joe Biden used ‘Kyiv’ to refer to the Ukrainian capital in a speech on Tuesday. It has been the only spelling used by the US government since 2019

President Vladimir Putin continues to use 'Kiev' - based on the Russian spelling - making him the latest to use the term as part of an effort to deny Ukraine its separate identity

President Vladimir Putin continues to use ‘Kiev’ – based on the Russian spelling – making him the latest to use the term as part of an effort to deny Ukraine its separate identity

Kyiv has been the preferred spelling of the United States Board on Geographic Names - and the only permitted spelling of the US government since June 2019

Kyiv has been the preferred spelling of the United States Board on Geographic Names – and the only permitted spelling of the US government since June 2019

But it took longer for the rest of the world to catch on. 

The political battle over the name ranges on in the language used by Putin, for example. 

He continues to stick with Kiev, aligning as it does with his argument that Ukraine cannot exist outside Russia. 

In so doing, Ukrainians see the latest chapter in attempt at the ‘russification’ of Ukraine: An effort to stamp out their separate identity that has happened for centuries.   

‘Kiev comes from the Russian,’ said Herbst. 

‘Under the czars and at times under the Soviets a conscious effort was made by the authorities to diminish, marginalize the Ukrainian language.’ 

It was not until the Maidan uprising of 2014 that the issue hit the public consciousness, with the ousting of pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych the creation of a new administration seeking closer ties to the West, and the annexation of Crimea by Moscow. 

Young Ukrainians see ‘Kiev’ as a relic of the Soviet past, and this view is shared by the government, which launched a ‘KyivNotKiev’ campaign in 2018. 

They targeted Western news outlets, urging them to drop the old name.

Washington was one step ahead.

In 2019, Kyiv became the only accepted spelling used by the US government

In 2019, Kyiv became the only accepted spelling used by the US government

Its use of names is determined by the United States Board on Geographic Names, part of the Department of the Interior, which recommended that Kyiv be used in 2006.

In fact, the US government used both interchangeably.

And in 2014, during a visit to Ukraine then Vice President Biden managed to use both pronunciations within seconds – either by design or accident.

The State Department lobbied for Kiev to be dropped altogether, and that happened in 2019 

‘The spelling “Kyiv” has been the BGN Approved name since 2006,1 and is now the only name available for standard use within the United States (U.S.) Government, per the authority of the BGN,’ said the Board on Geographic names in June 2019.

The Associated Press, which produces a style guide used by much of the US media, followed suit. 

‘Although the AP prefers traditional English spellings for many cities, including Rome, Moscow and Warsaw (not Roma, Moskva and Warszawa), we regard the Ukrainian spelling of Kyiv as an important adaptation because it is linked to Ukraine’s present status,’ it said in a blog post announcing the change. 

‘To many Ukrainians, the former spelling Kiev appears outdated because it is associated with a time when Ukraine was part of the Russian and Soviet states, rather than an independent country.’

But it said it would still use the spelling in some contexts – such as ‘chicken Kiev.’    

The UK Government has been referring to its embassy as being based in ‘Kyiv’ for years, with an Internet archive showing this had been the case until records began in 2014.  

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