Kyiv , also spelled Kiev, City (pop., 2008: 2,745,006), capital of Ukraine, located along the Dnieper River. It was founded in the 6th or 7th century, and by the late 9th century its princes had expanded their territory to establish the state of Kyivan Rus. In 1240 it was destroyed by the Mongols of the Golden Horde. After being rebuilt, it came under Lithuanian, Polish, and Cossack rule. It was incorporated into Russia in 1793, and in 1934 Kyiv became the capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. It became Ukraine’s national capital after the country achieved its independence in 1991. An important industrial city, it is also an educational and cultural centre; it is the seat of a national university and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
