good description of Kiev, by Jake Marmer. for more, see below

Kiev changed a great deal since my last visit, over a decade ago. One can feel the weight of the bloody civil unrest that led to the civil war that still continues in the East. There are new monuments and banners, including the ubiquitous: “Ukraine is Europe!” And indeed, clean streets, fancy department stores, flashing advertising signs, cute coffee shops teeming with chattering, colorful crowds seem far more Western than anything I have ever seen in Ukraine." from an article on the Vernadksy Library, in Tablet by Jake Marmer, For more, pick up "Klara's Journey," historic novel, "The Scattered Tribe, travel narrative, and "A Travel Guide to Jewish Russia and Ukraine."