AP changes Kiev to Kyiv

The Associated Press has made a significant change in its style for the Ukrainian capital city Kiev.

It will henceforth be written in text, captions and datelines as Kyiv. We will use that style change at The Blade, too.

The change is in line with the Ukrainian government’s preferred name and transliteration. The spelling Kyiv also has been gaining usage over the last decade among governments, international bodies and media organizations. To many Ukrainians, the former spelling Kiev appears outdated because it is associated with a time when Ukraine was part of the Russian and Soviet states, rather than an independent country.