'Kyiv' or 'Kiev' -- Here's why the difference is political [View all]

As Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine's cities, forcing more than a million people flee the country so far, onlookers around the world may be noticing different spellings and pronunciations of the name of the country's capital.

CBC has been using a transliteration based on the Ukrainian spelling of the name: "Kyiv" (pronounced "KEE-ef" ). The Russian version is "Kiev" (pronounced "kee-EV" ).

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Khanenko-Friesen says the spelling and pronunciation of "Kyiv" is significant during this "time of aggravated assault on the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukrainian state."

"Using, right now, the Ukrainian pronunciation of ... the capital is a very small choice one can do in recognition that Ukraine does have the right to exist as an independent nation, contrary to what Vladimir Putin has been stating in his recent statements and addresses to his nation."

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cbc-pronunciation-kyiv-ukraine-crisis-explainer-1.6371766