The Orange Revolution City

Posted by Amanda Kendle Sep 14, 2006

Back in November 2004, a suspected fraudulent run-off presidential election between Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych sparked a month-long protest in the city of Kyiv. Ukrainians peacefully demonstrated against the alleged rigged vote that favored Yanukovych, the government-preferred candidate. Sometimes a million people - waving orange flags, the color of Yushchenko's campaign - stood out in the freezing weather, and it remained peaceful until the end, when a second election resulted in a Yushchenko victory.

The nightly reports showing this remarkable show of solidarity and democracy gave me a strong interest in the city of Kyiv. OK, some people still think of it more as the home of chicken Kiev (it's not: a Frenchman invented this dish) but whatever the reason, it's a great place to visit. Some of its major sights are described in this week's article, Ukrainian Capital Highlights.