Ukraine, Ukraine Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kyiv

Kyiv is Ukraine's capital and most populous city. The Dnieper River divides the city into two parts - the Right Bank and the Left Bank. The Right Bank is home to the majority of the city's attractions and business, whilst the Left Bank is primarily residential.

Answer: Lviv

Although Lviv is the largest city in Western Ukraine, it is only sixth largest overall. It is known as a centre of art and culture, with over 60 museums and a rich history of music and invention. The first Ukrainian school, the first Ukrainian hotel, and the first Ukrainian theatre were all launched here.

Answer: Odessa

Sited on the Northwestern shore of the Black Sea, Odessa is the third largest city in Ukraine. As a port city, its population is a melting pot of Ukrainian, Russian, Balkan and Mediterranean. The architecture has been heavily influenced by multi-cultural living and looks more like that of Southern Mediterranean cities than the brutalist approach of many ex-Soviet cities. Odessa's best known landmark is the Potemkin Stairs, which is a giant staircase said to represent the formal entrance into the city from the direction of the sea.

Answer: Kharkiv

Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv was originally founded in the 1650s as a small fortress in the Slobozhanshchyna region of Northeastern Ukraine and Southwestern Russia. As well as being a religious centre (it is home to the Annunciation and Dormition Cathedrals, both key sites of the orthodox Church of Kharkov), it has for many years been a leading city of industry and, particularly, the armament industry.

In 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kharkiv was a key target for the Russian army and, following "The Battle of Kharkiv" in which the city defended itself against the odds, it was designated a "Hero City of Ukraine".

Answer: Sevastopol

Following the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, Sevastopol became a key base for the Ukrainian Navy. However, Russia continued to assert its claims on Crimea until 2014 when it annexed the entire area. Despite this annexation and an illegitimate referendum held in March 2014 suggesting that over 80% of the Crimean people wanted to join Russia, Crimea remains internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.

Answer: Mariupol

Although only Ukraine's tenth largest city, Mariupol is strategically placed for trade, manufacturing and industry. It is home to the Crimean Bridge, which is a pair of parallel bridges spanning the Kerch Strait and linking the mainland of Ukraine to the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mariupol was heavily beseiged and saw heavy consequential damage to both its infrastructure and population.

Answer: Pripyat

Pripyat is a ghost city which was originally founded for, and populated by, workers in the Chernobyl Power Plant which was situated close by. After the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster of April 1986, the city was evacuated of its residents due to the high levels of radiation emanating from the power plant.

A purpose built replacement city named Slavutych was built later in the year to house the displaced population. As of 2022, Pripyat remains largely abandoned due to the continuing radiation in the area.

However, tourists can visit for short periods of time on guided tours and the town remains largely as it was on the day it was evacuated, making it an eerie and unique experience to visit it.

Answer: Donetsk

Originally founded by the British in the 1860s as a coal mining town, Donetsk retains a strong coal mining heritage and industry. Since 2014, Donetsk and its surrounding area have been controlled by the Donetsk People's Republic, a situation which arose as a result of an ongoing series of fighting called the "Donbas War", in which pro-Russian separatist forces battle against Ukrainian military forces for control of the Donbas region.

Answer: Kryvyi Rih

Originally founded as a military settlement in the 1770s, Kryvyi Rih is a centre of the Ukrainian steel industry, being close to significant iron-ore deposits and home to "Kryvorizhstal", the country's largest steel works. It is the largest city in central Ukraine and since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has become more famous internationally as being the birthplace and hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Answer: Vinnytsia

Vinnytsia was founded in the Middle Ages and was controlled by Polish, and later Russian, forces until it was annexed by the Russian Empire in the later 18th century. Adolf Hitler chose to situate his Eastern headquarters near the city during World War II and Nazi atrocities were committed there, including Holocaust massacres. Today, the city is better known as the base of the Ukrainian Air Force, though the base was heavily damaged during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.