Kiev (Kyiv) city guide for Ukraine visitors and travellers. Kiev Ukraine places of interest, attractions photos and info.

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Kiev (Kyiv) Ukraine city history articles

• Middle Ages through 17th century
• 18th century - 1917 Revolution
• Early Soviet Rule and World War II
• Post-WWII Soviet Rule
• Kiev modern times

Post-wartime in Kiev city was a period of rapid socio-economic growth and political pacification. The arms race of the Cold War caused the establishment of a powerful technological complex in the Kiev city (both R&D and production), specializing in aerospace, microelectronics and precision optics.

Dozens of industrial companies were created employing highly skilled personnel. Exact sciences and technology became the main issues of Kiev's intellectual life. Dozens of research institutes in various fields formed the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. Kiev city also became an important military center of the Soviet Union. More than dozen military schools and academies were established here, also specializing in high-tech warfare.

This created a labor force demand which fed migration from rural areas of both Ukraine and Russia. Large suburbs and an extensive transportation infrastructure were built to accommodate the growing population. However, many rural-type buildings and groves have survived on the Kiev city's hills, creating Kiev's image as one of the world's greenest cities. The Kiev city grew tremendously in the 1950s through 1980s. Some significant urban achievements of this period include establishment of the Metro, building new river bridges (connecting the old city with Left Bank suburbs), and Boryspil airport (the Kiev city's second, and later international).

Meanwhile, Kiev city life was declining in the political, cultural and ethnic realms, especially after the end of Khrushchev (Soviet statesman and premier who denounced Stalin (1894-1971)) era. Systematic oppression of pro-Ukrainian intellectuals became a major object of Russification in the 1970s when universities and research facilities were gradually and secretly prohibited from using Ukrainian.

The Chernobyl accident occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant affected Kiev city life tremendously, both environmentally and socio-politically. Some areas of the Kiev city have been polluted by radioactive dust. However, Kievites were neither informed about the actual threat of the accident, nor recognized as its victims. Moreover, on May 1, 1986 (a few days after the accident), local CPSU (The communist party of the Soviet union) leaders ordered Kievites (including hundreds of children) to take part in a mass civil parade in the Kiev city's center - "to prevent panic". Later, thousands of refugee from accident zone were resettled in Kiev city.