Photo by Lynsey Addario, The New York Times
Ukrainian security forces defend Independence Square in Kyiv.
Posted at 12:16pm
By the influence of use which, unfortunately, has not been questioned in recent years, the Ukrainian capital is commonly called Kyiv in most Western media. And this, despite the geopolitical changes that should have prompted us to revise this habit.
Kyiv is actually the Russian name, which sticks to the city because of its Russian, and then Soviet, past.
But the Russian invasion sheds a harsh light on this anachronistic usage since the country’s independence in 1991, and the official abandonment four years later of that name of Russian origin in favor of the Ukrainian name, Kyiv (or Kyiv).
United Nations recognition followed in 2012.
for all kinds of good reasons (Journalism Not a combat magazine and tracking habits rather than imposing them) and bad (the agency texts we receive and publish for Kyiv), we haven’t embraced this change in terminology yet.
As of last Friday, the language consultant for JournalismLucy Cote fired thinking of using the names Kyiv, Kharkov and Lvov. The widespread use of Russian names in maps and graphs of some agencies has complicated this and slowed this change, so we were still using yesterday’s toponymy.
A situation that upset many of our readers for good reason. Yuri Monczak wrote to Elena, for example: “Every time Ukrainians see the word ‘Kyiv’ in your texts, they get goosebumps in a context where their own compatriots are fighting to protect their rights in Ukraine.”
Thus the option of preferring Kyiv (as well as Kharkiv and Lviv) can be seen as support for a democratic country targeted by a barbarian invasion, but aimed first at the normalization of the situation that this crisis forces us to think, albeit belatedly, to realize. He. She.
François Cardinal, Associate Editor
