The capital of Ukraine , Kiev is one of the largest and most important cities in Eastern Europe .
Ukrainian Kyyiv  , Russian Kiyev chief city and capital of Ukraine and capital of Kiev oblast ( province) .

Kiev lies along the Dnieper River , about 590 miles ( 950 kilometers ) north of the Black Sea .
A port on the Dnieper ( Dnipro ) River and a large railroad junction , it is a city with an ancient and proud history .

Kiev lies along the Dnieper River , about 590 miles ( 950 kilometers ) north of the Black Sea .
The city stands on the Dnieper River just below its confluence with the Desna and 591 miles ( 951 kilometres ) from its mouth in the Black Sea .

Kiev is Ukraine's cultural and commercial center .
Kiev's ancient tradition as a cultural centre is still vigorously alive .

Although many of Kiev's buildings were built after World War II ( 1939-45 ) , the Old Town has a variety of historic sites .
Although largely of postwar construction , this central area retains its old street pattern , and most of the surviving historical and architectural monuments are located there .

For example , the Cathedral of St . Sophia is almost 1,000 years old and is the oldest standing church in Kiev .
First among these is the Cathedral of St . Sophia , now a museum .

For example , the Cathedral of St . Sophia is almost 1,000 years old and is the oldest standing church in Kiev .
It was founded in the 11th century and remains , despite certain Baroque modifications in the 18th century , one of the finest and most beautiful examples of early Russo-Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture .

The cathedral has detailed mosaics that show scenes from the Bible .
The interior is magnificently decorated with frescoes and mosaics; it contains the tomb of Yaroslav , during whose reign the cathedral was built .

Another important religious site is the Church of St . Andrew .
Close by is the Baroque Church of St . Andrew , designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli and built in the mid-18th century; its site on the crest of the steep slope to the river makes it a striking landmark .

Built in the 18th century in the baroque style , the church has five green and gold domes that can be seen from all over the city .
Close by is the Baroque Church of St . Andrew , designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli and built in the mid-18th century; its site on the crest of the steep slope to the river makes it a striking landmark .

Kiev's famous Golden Gate , which used to be part of the city's defenses , was built in 1037 .
Other historical relics in the central area include the ruins of the Golden Gate , also built in the 11th century in the reign of Yaroslav; the Zaborovskyy Gate , built in 1746-48; and the remains of the Desyatynna church , or Church of the Tithes , built in 989-996 by St . Volodymyr ( Vladimir) .

One of the most interesting places in Kiev is the Monastery of the Caves , which dates back to the 11th century .
At the southern end of this district is the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra ( Monastery of the Caves ) , founded in the early 11th century , one of the most famous and important monasteries in the history of the region .

Today the caves house the mummies of monks and saints .
A major feature of the monastery is the system of catacombs beneath it in which the mummified bodies of early monks and saints , including Nestor , are entombed .

Other museums in Kiev are the Russian Art Museum and the Western and Eastern Art Museum .
The most important of the city's many museums are the Kiev State Historical Museum , the Kiev State Museum of Russian Art , and the Kiev State Museum of Ukrainian Art .

For example , the Baby Yar Monument marks the site where more than 30,000 Jews were killed by German troops in 1941 .
More than 30,000 Jews , Soviet prisoners of war , and partisans who had remained in the city were massacred within days in a nearby ravine known as Baby Yar; tens of thousands more were killed there over the next two years .

Among the city's cultural centers are the Shevchenko Theater of Opera and Ballet and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory , where concerts are given .
There are several theatres , notably the Shevchenko Theatre of Opera and Ballet .

Among the city's cultural centers are the Shevchenko Theater of Opera and Ballet and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory , where concerts are given .
Concerts are regularly given at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory .

By the late 9th century , invaders from the north called Varangians had taken over Kiev and won control over several other towns .
Less legendary is the chronicle account of the Varangians , who seized Kiev in the mid-9th century .

Kiev became the capital of a kingdom called Kievan Rus .
About 882 Oleg ( Oleh ) , the ruler of Novgorod , captured Kiev and made it his capital , the centre of the first East Slavic state , Kievan Rus .

However , by the 12th century Kiev lost much of its power because of attacks from its neighbors .
Thus by the late 12th century the power of the city had declined , and in the following century it was unable to resist the rising and formidable power of the Mongols .

In 1240 a Mongol army attacked and destroyed the town .
In 1238 a Mongol army under Batu , grandson of Genghis Khan , invaded Rus and , having sacked the towns of central Rus , in 1240 besieged and stormed Kiev .

In the late 18th century , Russia claimed the city .
In 1793 the Second Partition of Poland , under Catherine the Great , brought right-bank Ukraine into the Russian Empire , and Kiev , assisted by the abolition in 1754 of the tariff barriers between Russia and the Ukrainian lands , began to grow in commercial importance .

A railroad was built between Moscow and Kiev , and the city's population increased dramatically .
In the late 1860s Kiev was connected by rail to both Moscow and the Black Sea port of Odessa , further enhancing its role as a centre of industry , commerce , and administration .

Kiev was also the center of a movement to gain independence for Ukraine .
In the first half of the 19th century , Kiev developed as a major focus of Ukrainian nationalism , although severe persecution from the tsarist government forced the movement to shift the brunt of its activities to Lviv in the Austrian-ruled Ukrainian regions .

In 1917 , following the Russian Revolution , Ukraine did declare its independence , with Kiev as its capital .
In January 1918 the Rada proclaimed an independent Ukrainian state with Kiev as its capital .

During World War II , German and Soviet troops fought major battles in Kiev .
The German invasion in 1941 again brought severe suffering and destruction to the city .

During World War II , German and Soviet troops fought major battles in Kiev .
After a fierce 80-day battle , German forces entered it on Sept . 19 , 1941 .

Because of this , large sections of the city were destroyed .
The German invasion in 1941 again brought severe suffering and destruction to the city .

Because of this , large sections of the city were destroyed .
The city itself had suffered great destruction , including more than 40 percent of its buildings and some 800 of its industrial enterprises .

After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 , Kiev became the capital of the independent country of Ukraine .
Whereas during the Soviet period Kiev as an international political entity fell largely under the shadow of Moscow , the establishment of an independent Ukraine in the early 1990s returned Kiev to the world political stage .