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Kiev-Pecherska Lavra Monastery

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Kiev history

Kiev lies on the banks of the Dnieper River in the north of Ukraine and is regarded as the seat of Slavic culture.

In the 17th century, Ukraine and its capital Kiev were transferred to the rule of Russia. This was a relationship that lasted centuries and caused as much misery as it did good fortune. By the time the Soviet Union collapsed, it was the union's third city after Moscow and St Petersburg.

Since 1991, when the Soviet Union came to an end, Kiev has gone from the USSR’s third largest city to the capital of independent Ukraine. While being culturally and economically by far the country’s most developed city, Kiev is still a long way behind the brash consumerism of Moscow and is a refreshingly friendly and accessible version of the Russian capital.

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