Kyiv vs. Kiev, Zelensky vs. Zelenskyy, and the immense meaning of ‘the’ - The Washington Post
“Ukraine, not ‘the Ukraine,’ ” I’d jotted down in my to-do notebook a couple of weeks ago. “Kiev/Kyiv.” “Zelensky(y).” This column should have been a slam-dunk: a little copyeditorial erudition and explication, a few historical quotes for context and support, perhaps a digression into Bombay and Mumbai, or Burma and Myanmar, maybe a joke or two — how about a sly reference to the 1953 novelty pop hit “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”? (“If you’ve a date in Constantinople / She’ll be waiting in Istanbul.”)