A neighborhood in Springfield, Oregon, on June 10 renamed a local street from "Kiev" to "Kyiv" — a move initiated by members of the Kyiv Independent's global community.

Photos shared with the Kyiv Independent show the newly installed blue-and-yellow street sign, reflecting both the correct Ukrainian transliteration and the national colors of Ukraine.

The change comes amid a broader effort by Ukraine and its allies worldwide to move away from Russian-derived place names and honor Ukraine's linguistic and political independence.

"We're very proud of our city (Springfield, OR, U.S.) for supporting our efforts to make this happen," one community member told the Kyiv Independent.

The spelling "Kiev," pronounced "kee-yev," is the Russian version of Ukraine's capital. "Kyiv" (pronounced "keev") is the correct Ukrainian form, based on the native pronunciation and Latin transliteration.

For decades, global usage favored Russian-based spellings, a legacy of the Soviet Union's dominance and the widespread misconception that Ukrainian cities and culture were merely extensions of Russia. Even after Ukraine declared independence in 1991, much of the international community continued using names like Kiev, Lvov, and Odessa — all Russified versions.

That began to change after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and its war in eastern Ukraine. The full-scale invasion in 2022 accelerated the shift, prompting governments, media outlets, and advocacy groups to adopt Ukrainian transliterations such as Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has promoted the change through campaigns like #KyivNotKiev, arguing that the use of correct names respects Ukraine's sovereignty and resists Russian imperial narratives.

Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, have long emphasized historical ties to Kyiv in their justification for expansionist policies. Renaming streets and using correct spellings is one way communities abroad are pushing back.

Kyiv, not Kiev — How Ukrainians reclaimed their capital’s name

English speakers the world over long referred to Ukraine’s capital as Kiev, not realizing they were using the Russian name for the city.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Belokur

In response to recent peace talks in Istanbul where Russia demanded the surrender of five Ukrainian territories as a prerequisite for a ceasefire, the Kyiv Independent has launched a new product on our e-store: the 603,628 km² T-shirt.

This T-shirt, available in white and black, displays a powerful statement that all of Ukraine's internationally recognized territory, including the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea, remains an integral part of sovereign Ukraine.

These five regions, home to millions of Ukrainians, have become one of the focal points in the negotiations. Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk have been occupied by Russian forces since 2014, and the front line now runs through Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

These regions are, and will always be, Ukraine. Their seizure constitutes a blatant violation of international law.

The 603,628 km² T-shirt makes clear that 603,628 square kilometers is the only correct size of Ukraine.

All profits from the sales of the 603,628 km² T-shirt for the next month will be donated to East SOS, a Ukrainian charitable foundation that provides comprehensive assistance to Ukrainians in front-line regions and internally displaced people.

By buying the T-shirt, the Kyiv Independent’s readers can make a powerful statement of support for Ukraine and directly help those who have lost their homes.

The Kyiv Independent previously donated $24,500 for the Ukrainian charity Veteran Hub through the sale of over 1,000 “I Stand With Ukraine” T-shirts in March 2025.