Kyiv Kyiv Kyiv I see it everywhere, where the fuck did this come from? My whole life the spelling was always Kiev. I am in my late 30's and have always had an interest in both geography and history.
My guess is it is so when people google it they automatically get "approved sources" with the new spelling, and anything with the spelling I am more familiar with will be deemed old fashioned. I imagine this is not the first time they've tried something like this. Am I the only one that is driven mad by this sudden new spelling?
I'm also in my 30s and I had the exact same thought. It was always Kiev and I've studied geography a lot, too. That's a very good point about it being for search engines. Good eye.