Key points
- Sweden has officially adopted the Ukrainian spellings of Kyiv, Odesa and Donbas in Swedish-language communications.
- Swedish government bodies and the diplomatic service will use Kyjiv/Kyiv instead of Kiev, Odesa instead of Odessa and Donbas instead of Donbass.
- Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer-Stenergård explained the decision by citing the importance of these names for the history and identity of the people.
Sweden is officially changing the spelling of Ukrainian place names in Swedish-language communications. From now on, Swedish government bodies and the diplomatic service will use Kyjiv/Kyiv instead of Kiev, Odesa instead of Odessa, and Donbas instead of Donbass, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Names are not just words. They embody history, identity and a people’s right to self-determination.
– Maria Malmer-Stenergård, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sibiga, thanked the Swedish side and emphasised that Ukrainian cities should bear their own names, rather than the Russian-language versions imposed by centuries of imperial rule.
The change in spelling applies to official communications by the Swedish government and its diplomatic service.
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On the stained glass of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Russian transliteration of Kyiv was replaced with the Ukrainian one
