Kharkiv

Founded in 1654 as a Cossack fortress, by late 19th century Kharkiv had developed within the Russian Empire as a major commercial and industrial center. From December 1919 to January 1934, Kharkiv was the capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. During this period migration from the distressed countryside and a relaxation of restrictions on Ukrainian cultural expression changed the city's ethnic complexion: Ukrainian replaced Russian as the largest recorded nationality, however Russian remained the dominant spoken language. The city was the focus of major battles in World War II, and under German occupation witnessed the systematic destruction of its substantial Jewish population. In the last decades of the Soviet Union, it remerged as a major cultural, scientific, educational, transport, and industrial center.