Sweden switches from Kiev to Kyjiv and abandons Russian names for Ukrainian cities
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed the decision and thanked the Swedish government for its support.
"It is entirely logical that Ukrainian cities should bear their Ukrainian names, not Russian-derived versions imposed by centuries of imperial rule," he stressed.
Background
As Rubryka wrote, in March 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers defined a procedure to unify the process of clearing place names of Russian imperial narratives and help restore historical names. The document sets out a clear algorithm of action for state authorities and local governments. In particular, it provides procedures for identifying geographical sites whose names contain symbols of Russian imperial policy, as well as for making decisions to restore their historical names.
It should be noted that at Barcelona's Sagrada Família basilica, one of the world's most visited religious landmarks, workers removed an old stained-glass window with the Russian-language transliteration of Ukraine's capital, "Kiev." They replaced it with a new one bearing the correct spelling, "Kíiv."
Also, back in 2020, Facebook, the world's largest social network, officially switched to using the correct transliteration of the Ukrainian capital, "Kyiv."
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- July, 03
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4 of July 2026
