Images from Ukraine: The cities of Kyiv and Lviv were divided by history but remain united in identity

Reports from Ukraine: This feature is part of an original Milwaukee Independent editorial series that recorded news from cities across Ukraine, including Milwaukee's sister city of Irpin, in May 2022. It was the first and, at that time, only news organization in Wisconsin that traveled to the country since it was invaded. The purpose of this journalism project was to document personal stories and events that detailed or showed the conditions of the war at that time, and their connections to Milwaukee. mkeind.com/reportsfromukraine

It has been often said that the Ukrainian residents of the nation’s two major cities live in one nation but have dramatically different lives.

For Lviv in the west and Kyiv in the east, the social contrasts are due to a long history of domination by different foreign powers. In the early days of the Russian invasion, the capital city was targeted by rockets in preparation for occupation.

With an enemy in the east and the allied puppet state of Belarus in the north, Ukrainians had one direction to flee – west. Lviv became a gateway for fleeing refugees, and a potential stronghold if Kyiv fell.

But while the eastern territories of Ukraine are occupied by Putin’s forces, in an effort to annex more territory, the doomsday scenario of Kyiv being captured did not happen. The flow of refugees fleeing west had eased, and even though Lviv remains a refugee center many are trying to return home.

The histories of both Kyiv and Lviv are as complicated as they are, at times, tragic. Scholars traditionally believe that Kyiv was founded in 482 AD. In late May 2022, the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, its residents for its 1540 year history.

By contrast, Moscow has no documented references until 1147, and only then as a minor town.

Ukraine itself has a long history of occupation, liberation, division, and unification. Most of the nation fell to the Russian Empire under the reign of Catherine the Great in 1793. By its proximity, Kyiv was pulled toward Russia’s influence.

Lviv was part of Poland until World War II, and part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before that. It was also considered a closed city during the Soviet period from 1945 to 1991, leaving it isolated from the world.

Yet with a national culture that had different flavors based on regional locations, Putin’s invasion did more to unify the nation into a single identity.

So while there are volumes of history books to learn more about each city, and complexities abound to understand their evolution and current condition, this photo essay has a simply purpose. These images were taken in Kyiv and Lviv in late May 2022, and offer an immersive street level at each after three months of war.

© PHOTO NOTE: All the original editorial images published here have been posted to the Facebook page of Milwaukee Independent. That collection of photos contains the MI copyright and watermark for attribution, and may be used for private social media sharing. Do not download and share images directly from this page. mkeind.com/facebook