Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
I invited Anna from Ukraine and Alex from Ukraine to correct the Ukrainian place names I regularly mispronounce. What began as a pronunciation lesson quickly became a deeper discussion about Kyiv, Ukrainian identity, Russian linguistic imperialism, and why Ukrainian is far more distinct from Russian than many outsiders realize.
0:00 Anna and Alex Begin the Pronunciation Intervention
2:29 How to Properly Pronounce Kyiv
6:13 Lutsk, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk
9:44 Rivne, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyi
12:05 Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Irpin, and Chernihiv
13:16 The Sounds That Make Ukrainian Difficult
14:00 Why Ukrainian Uses H Where Russian Uses G
15:14 How Different Are Ukrainian and Russian?
17:00 Where the Slavic Languages Came From
22:31 How Russia Uses Language as an Imperial Weapon
#Ukraine #UkrainianLanguage #Kyiv #LearnUkrainian #RussiaUkraineWar
Facts over noise. Context over headlines. Truth over talking points. Principle over partisanship.
***** To support me as as I provide Ukraine war context: *****
Patreon: patreon.com/ProfessorGerdesExplains
Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/professorgerdes
Paypal: paypal.com/paypalme/professorgerdes
YouTube Channel Membership: youtube.com/@Professor-Gerdes/membership
🇺🇸 Contact the White House to express your support for Ukraine
whitehouse.gov/contact
*****IF YOU WISH TO PROVIDE DIRECT AID TO UKRAINE: *****
🇺🇦 I have partnered with Greg Terry for all donations to Ukraine. He has raised and delivered more than a quarter of a million dollars of aid to date. To directly support this effort of delivering necessary provisions to the front lines, click on these links (and then watch him give your donations to soldiers on the front lines on his channel): youtube.com/@GregTerryExperience
Amazon Shopping List USA/North America (Shop and send to UKRAINE AID c/o Bethel Life's Gift Registry Address)
https://a.co/iodWsUK
Amazon Shopping List for EU/UK
https://www.amazon.de/hz/wishlist/ls/...
Direct Link for Financial Giving via our 501(c)(3) Tax-Deductible in the USA
gregterry.org/donate.html
Link for Greg's 501(c)(3) EIN Information
gregterry.org/donate.html
🇺🇸 Alternatively, you may choose to donate to Samaritan’s Purse:
samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/ukraine-response/?utm_source=FY22UkraineResponseVanityURL&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=m_YUKR-22L3&utm_content=Ukraine-Response-Redirect%20%20
🇺🇦 If you wish to support the Ukrainian Army, give directly to United 24. Follow this link: https://u24.gov.ua/
***BUY SOMETHING TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE ***
🇺🇦 If you purchase from Saint Javelin with my link below, a cut of the proceeds will go directly to humanitarian aid for soldiers (bandages, tourniquets, etc.). I don't get the revenue. It goes to buy medical supplies from UnitewithUkraine.com. Use this link: saintjavelin.com/en-us?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Gerdes
🇺🇸 This is the absolute CHEAPEST THING YOU CAN DO to support Ukraine (This is NOT MY SITE) amzn.to/4aPtwQr - Just support the war effort somehow.
🇺🇦 I wrote a book about Ukraine's president Zelenskyy which I have updated for the first 4-5 months of the war in Ukraine: It is free if you have Amazon Kindle Unlimited or $9.99 otherwise: amzn.to/3Q2wnyE
🇺🇦 If you cannot give or buy, you can like, share, and pray for the people of Ukraine.
🇺🇸 Please leave comments and tell me how I can help you gain more perspective. You can contact me @Dr_Gerdes on Twitter or email professorgerdesyt@gmail.com
#UKRAINE #UKRAINERUSSIAWAR #UKRAINEWAR
I invited Anna from Ukraine and Alex from Ukraine to correct the Ukrainian place names I regularly mispronounce. What began as a pronunciation lesson quickly became a deeper discussion about Kyiv, Ukrainian identity, Russian linguistic imperialism, and why Ukrainian is far more distinct from Russian than many outsiders realize.
0:00 Anna and Alex Begin the Pronunciation Intervention
2:29 How to Properly Pronounce Kyiv
6:13 Lutsk, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk
9:44 Rivne, Ternopil, and Khmelnytskyi
12:05 Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Irpin, and Chernihiv
13:16 The Sounds That Make Ukrainian Difficult
14:00 Why Ukrainian Uses H Where Russian Uses G
15:14 How Different Are Ukrainian and Russian?
17:00 Where the Slavic Languages Came From
22:31 How Russia Uses Language as an Imperial Weapon
#Ukraine #UkrainianLanguage #Kyiv #LearnUkrainian #RussiaUkraineWar
Facts over noise. Context over headlines. Truth over talking points. Principle over partisanship.
***** To support me as as I provide Ukraine war context: *****
Patreon: patreon.com/ProfessorGerdesExplains
Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/professorgerdes
Paypal: paypal.com/paypalme/professorgerdes
YouTube Channel Membership: youtube.com/@Professor-Gerdes/membership
🇺🇸 Contact the White House to express your support for Ukraine
whitehouse.gov/contact
*****IF YOU WISH TO PROVIDE DIRECT AID TO UKRAINE: *****
🇺🇦 I have partnered with Greg Terry for all donations to Ukraine. He has raised and delivered more than a quarter of a million dollars of aid to date. To directly support this effort of delivering necessary provisions to the front lines, click on these links (and then watch him give your donations to soldiers on the front lines on his channel): youtube.com/@GregTerryExperience
Amazon Shopping List USA/North America (Shop and send to UKRAINE AID c/o Bethel Life's Gift Registry Address)
https://a.co/iodWsUK
Amazon Shopping List for EU/UK
https://www.amazon.de/hz/wishlist/ls/...
Direct Link for Financial Giving via our 501(c)(3) Tax-Deductible in the USA
gregterry.org/donate.html
Link for Greg's 501(c)(3) EIN Information
gregterry.org/donate.html
🇺🇸 Alternatively, you may choose to donate to Samaritan’s Purse:
samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/ukraine-response/?utm_source=FY22UkraineResponseVanityURL&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=m_YUKR-22L3&utm_content=Ukraine-Response-Redirect%20%20
🇺🇦 If you wish to support the Ukrainian Army, give directly to United 24. Follow this link: https://u24.gov.ua/
***BUY SOMETHING TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE ***
🇺🇦 If you purchase from Saint Javelin with my link below, a cut of the proceeds will go directly to humanitarian aid for soldiers (bandages, tourniquets, etc.). I don't get the revenue. It goes to buy medical supplies from UnitewithUkraine.com. Use this link: saintjavelin.com/en-us?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Gerdes
🇺🇸 This is the absolute CHEAPEST THING YOU CAN DO to support Ukraine (This is NOT MY SITE) amzn.to/4aPtwQr - Just support the war effort somehow.
🇺🇦 I wrote a book about Ukraine's president Zelenskyy which I have updated for the first 4-5 months of the war in Ukraine: It is free if you have Amazon Kindle Unlimited or $9.99 otherwise: amzn.to/3Q2wnyE
🇺🇦 If you cannot give or buy, you can like, share, and pray for the people of Ukraine.
🇺🇸 Please leave comments and tell me how I can help you gain more perspective. You can contact me @Dr_Gerdes on Twitter or email professorgerdesyt@gmail.com
#UKRAINE #UKRAINERUSSIAWAR #UKRAINEWAR
