I live in Memphis, TN. and I don’t think anyone around me thinks of Kiev at all.
I think of it as a Baltic or North Eastern European sociopolitical culture.
I associate it with the ancient Scytheans (sp?) and the Vikings that migrated westward towards the Black Sea through a system of rivers. I think of Onion Domed churches and a culture that is like us but—NOT like us. Kind of exotic. I think of a refreshingly cooler climate than what I am enduring here.
It might be a nice place to live, but I’d feel VERY insecure about moving or settling because the political situation, which I admittedly know very little about, still seems very unstable and there could be war, terrorism, or political oppression.
I like the region and the people as I know them, but really have not kept up with the political scene. I fear the Russia / Ukraine conflicts even though I know little about them. Would feel safer in the Baltic countries of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, or Poland.