German authorities change Ukrainian capital transliteration to Kyjiw

Berlin, Germany (Svidomi) — German authorities will now use the transliteration of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv based on the Ukrainian spelling, not the Russian one, the German Foreign Office says. 

"What has long been a common practice for many is now changing in the 'Country Directory for Official Use'. This means that official German correspondence now uses the Ukrainian spelling of the capital's name, Kyiv," the German Foreign Office says in a statement.

Previously, the German official language used the word Kiew, which is based on the Russian spelling.

The German Foreign Ministry will gradually change the spelling of the capital, in particular, on websites, signs of the Ukrainian embassy and official seals.

In 2018, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine launched an online campaign. Ukraine appealed to foreign media and organisations to spell the name of the city of Kyiv correctly #KyivNotKiev.