Ukraine is a geographically large country in eastern Europe. It became independent after the October Revolution, in 1917, before becoming a republic of the Soviet Union. It became an independent country after the end of the Soviet Union.
The western part of Ukraine has been ruled in the past by Poland, and the eastern part by Russia.
Kyiv is the capital city of Ukraine. It's historical importance is that it was the center of the kingdom known as Kievan Rus, which was the predecessor state of Ukraine, Russia and, Belarus. it is believed by many that St. Andrew, one of the apostles in the Bible and the brother of St. Peter, either predicted the future location of, or actually visited the site of, Kyiv.
The story of Kyiv revolves around a ruler of Kievan Rus, known as Vladimir the Great. Vladimir not only united the kingdom but made one of the most momentous decisions in history. He made a choice of religion for his kingdom, and investigated every practical choice. His emissaries were so impressed by the Hagia Sophia, during a visit to Constantinople (now Istanbul), that they could not be sure whether they were still on earth or had actually entered Heaven. Vladimir thought that Byzantine Christianity, from which the Eastern Orthodox Church of today is descended, was certainly the best choice.
This image, from Google Street View, is of the statue of Vladimir the Great, in Kyiv.

Other important figures here are the two Byzantine missionary brothers, Cyril and Methodius. The language of the region was Old East Slavic. Cyril was very good with languages, and created an efficient alphabet so that the Bible could be copied into the language. That is why the alphabet that is used by Russia, and other nearby countries today, is called the Cyrillic Alphabet.
Kyiv has been controlled, down through the centuries, by a wide variety of peoples. It was destroyed by the Mongols in 1240, and only fully recovered it's position in the Nineteenth Century. When the Eastern Church finally split altogether from the Catholics in 1054, it brought about a division in the region, with Catholics using the Latin script on one side, and Eastern Orthodox using the Cyrillic script on the other side. The Cold War was but a secular manifestation of this split of nearly a thousand years ago.
The best-known landmark in Kyiv is the green-and-white St. Sophia's Cathedral. The first six images are from Google Street View.






The cathedral appears very Orthodox, but has passed between Orthodox and Catholic control during it's history. The following scenes begin inside St. Sophia's Cathedral, which was begun in the 11th Century. The cathedral is named for the Hagia Sophia that we saw in the posting on this blog, "The House Of Holy Wisdom, Where The Modern World Began".
In Sophia Square, in front of the cathedral, is the statue of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. He led an uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, who ruled Kyiv, to bring about an independent Ukraine. He was allied with the tsar of Russia, and the involvement of Russia was the beginning of it being a great power. These two images of the statue and the square are from Google Street View.


As with most other conflict in this region, it was rooted in the 1054 split between Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Kiev was Orthodox, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was Catholic.
The blue buildings, with gold domes, are the cathedral and monastery of St. Michael, it was destroyed in the Soviet era but reconstructed. The first seven images of St. Michael's are from Google Street View.
This is the Mariyinsky Palace.
This is the Ukrainian Parliament Building.
This is the Cabinet of Ministers Building.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Golden+Gate,+Kiev,+Volodymyrska+St,+40%D0%90,+Kyiv,+Ukraine,+02000/@50.4488889,30.5125,3a,75y,276.76h,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sCIHM0ogKEICAgIDiqLuT2AE!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2Fgrass-cs%2FABsKjrzEnCDY83N7nhGqDZsLN4T2_9LvGLgsHBX64nSK7NhgqV1u4WMmVQrPWmsO8xtQsBBxvvX-jxoqJ43pELpIL5DTKTJMppJVYGHgHZavDKx4F7msYuLdeP60Y8TJSgkK8xr4L2xL5Q%3Dw203-h270-k-no!7i3456!8i4608!4m6!3m5!1s0x40d4ce59bb472067:0x78e3f901cddf2fe7!8m2!3d50.4488319!4d30.5133314!16s%2Fg%2F11b6y91wqc?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
This is St. Andrew's Church, built on a hill in the Eighteenth Century. The first five images are from Google Street View.
This is the Kyiv Fortress, from the days when the Romanov Dynasty ruled Russia, and the nearby area. The first image is from Google Street View.
Kharkiv is the major city of the eastern part of Ukraine. It was founded in the 17th Century and so does not have the long history of Kyiv. Today Kharkiv is a very industrial city.
Freedom Square is the focal point of Kharkiv. The first three images are from Google Street View.
Holy Annunciation is a well-known church in Kharkiv. The first four images are from Google Street View.
The city of Lviv, founded in the 13th Century, is in the far western part of Ukraine. It was once under Polish control. There is an opera house in Lviv that is reminiscent of the Palais Garnier in Paris. These three images, from Google Street View, are of the Theater of Opera and Ballet.
This is St. George's Cathedral in Lviv. The first two images are from Google Street View.