| Kiev, one of Europe's oldest cities, on the crossroad of Ukrainian and Russian culture. Beautiful architecture, lots of green, interesting present. Kiev is a bilingual metropolis and the capital city of Ukraine. Before 1991 it was the 3d largest city in the former USSR. Both Ukrainian and Russian are commonly spoken in the city, with Russian being more widely used despite the fact that Ukrainian is claimed as their native language by almost three times as many residents as those who claim Russian. According to a 2006 survey, Ukrainian is used at home by 23% of Kievans, as 52% use Russian and 24% switch between both. The anthem of Soviet Ukraine (as a short intro) is followed by the national anthem of the independent Republic. The final song is a popular Ukrainian hit. |
