Drones Over Kiev

The Ukrainian capital Kiev is closely tied to the Dneiper River on which it sits.   Kiev sits roughly midway down the 2.2k km (1.36k mi.) river, Europe's fourth longest .  The Dneiper rises near Smolensk in western Russia and empties into the Black Sea to the south.  Along the way, it provides enough hydropower to generate about 10% of the Ukraine's electricity needs.  In this video, you'll get a nice bird's eye view of the mighty river in winter, compliments of contributor Anthony Esteban Gonsales.

Take in these stunning sunset views of Kiev in this fantastic drone video by Tempostudio.  The focus of the video is the aesthetic heart of the Ukrainian capital city: the area around Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti).   Located on Khreshchatyk Street just a few blocks west of the Dneiper River, Kiev's largest public square became the center of the Ukrainian independence movement during the waning days of the USSR.  Since then, it's been the epicenter of every major mass political movement in this East European country.

The bridge and road infrastructure of Kiev, Ukraine is the subject of this drone video by Antonio Esteban Gonsalez.  As a city originating on the west bank of the Dneiper River, the ongoing growth of the Ukrainian capital city has been dependent on the construction of a series of bridges over the river.  In the video you'll see a number of the city's most well-known bridges, such as the Parkovy (pedestrian) bridge appearing at :30 and the landmark Pivnichnyi (formerly Moskovskyi) Bridge at :40.

Here's an excellent drone video taken over the course of a day in the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev.  The video will take you over some of the most well-known sights of this large Eastern European city on the banks of the Dneiper River.  It features footage of the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery at the :10 mark (with the great Rodina Mat World War II statue in the background), the Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge (:19); the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge (:30), the Kiev TV Tower (:40), and more.

One of the important distinctions between Ukrainian and Russian cultures is religion; whereas Russia is primarily Eastern Orthodox, Ukraine is predominantly Catholic.  Not surprisingly, the cathedrals which dot the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev are some of its most prominent landmarks.  In this video, contributor Alp Karagulle uses a drone to give us an aerial tour of the Cathedrals of Kiev, including the magnificent Saint Sophia's Cathedral. It's considered one of the great churches of Eastern Europe.

Contributor and drone pilot Alp Karagule created this awesome aerial video of the main square of Kiev, Ukraine.  It's now called Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti), in recognition of the role it's played in promoting and securing Ukrainian independence from Russia since the time of the dissolution of the USSR in the early 1990's.  Independence is one of three main squares in the Ukrainian capital, which is the third largest city in Eastern Europe after Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia.

Contributor Sphereview created this beautiful drone video of one of the most important landmarks in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.  The Golden Gate was built in the 11th century as part of the fortification system to protect the city, which was perennially vulnerable to invasion from the west.  The gate fell into ruins during the Middle Ages.  In 1982, during the period of rule by the USSR, the gate was reconstructed.  The reconstruction was highly controversial, given the lack of information about the original design.    

As is the case with many Eastern European cities, the tallest landmark in the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev is a broadcast tower.  The Kiev TV Tower stands 385 meters (about 1.25k ft.) over the city.  Completed during the Soviet era in 1973, it's still the world's tallest freestanding lattice construction.  The tower was originally designed to be built for Moscow, which instead opted for the design which became Ostankino Tower.  Check out Kiev's famous tower from a bird's eye view in this excellent drone video by smakozawr.  

St. Andrews Church is one of the most important in Kiev, a city known in part for its churches and monasteries.  It was constructed atop a prominent hill in the middle of the 18th century.  The church commemorates St. Andrew, who is alleged to have visited the site of the city on the Dneiper River in the first century AD.  It continued to hold services even during the worst period of Stalinist religious repression in the 1930's.  Today the church is considered one of the top 2-3 tourist spots in the city.  

The Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge is a massive span which crosses the Dneiper River in Kiev, Ukraine.  It is the capital city's northernmost (upriver) crossing point, spanning a difficult and wide stretch of it compared to the crossing points of the downriver bridges.  Opened in 1976, the 816 meter (about 2.7k ft.) cable-stayed suspension bridge  was a major Soviet era infrastructure investment.  Contributor CamFly  flew a drone over the span at sunset to create this amazing bird's eye view.  

The Motherland Monument (Rodina Mat) is an immense statue in Kiev, Ukraine.  Part of the Museum of the History of the Ukraine in World War II, the statue is a memorial to the many millions of Ukrainians who died during the Great Patriotic War (as World War II is generally known in the former Soviet Union).  In this video, contributor and pilot Alp Karagulle used a drone to create a stunning aerial perspective of this monument, which is still standing after most Soviet-era statues have been removed.  

Kiev Pechersk Lavra is one of the most well known Christian Orthodoz monasteries.  It's situated in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.  Founded in the 11th century as a cave monastery, it's considered the most important Eastern Orthodox monastic structure in Eastern Europe.  The site consists of several different buildings, which are jointly managed by a museum commission and the Eastern Orthodox Church.  Seen here in this drone video by Aleks-Dron83, Kiev Pechersk Lavra is one of the top tourist attractions in Kiev.  

The New Darnytskyi Bridge is one of a half-dozen which span the Dneiper River in the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev.  It's the next-to-southernmost, between the upstream Berezniaky footbridge and the downstream South Bridge.  Seen in this excellent drone video by top contributor smakozawr, it's a cantilever structure which carries both rail and road traffic.  Opened in 2011, the bridge has a total length of 1.1k meters or about 3.6k ft.  Also known as the Kerpa Bridge, it connects the city's Darnytskyi and Holosiev Districts.   

AirVuz contributor and pilot Tempostudio brings us this fantastic drone video of the Metro Bridge in Kiev, Ukraine.  The bridge over the Dneiper River was built in the 1960's as part of the expansion of the Kiev Metro, the city's rapid transit system.  It actually consists of two spans, one on either side of Venetsiansky Island.  The part shown in the video is the longer of the two spans.  It connects the island with the river's right (western) bank and includes road traffic lanes on either side of the train tracks.

This drone video of Kiev, Ukraine by contributor and pilot Aleks-Drone83 opens with some aerial shots of the National Circus Building in Peremohy Square, home of the country's world-famous circus which has entertained millions.  The second half of the video features footage of the magnificent Baroque-style Mariyinsky Palace.  Constructed in the late 1700's and used by the Russian royalty beginning with Catherine the Great, it burned and was reconstructed in the late 1800's by Alexander II.  

Brand-new AirVuz contributor yuravake used a DJI Mavic Air 2 to create this fantastic aerial tour of the historic Podil neighborhood of Kiev, Ukraine.  Podil is located on the west bank of the Dneiper River, just upstream (north) of downtown Kiev.  After the city of Kiev was destroyed in the Mongol Invasions of the 13th century, Podil served as the commercial and business center of Kiev until the 19th century.  The video features some excellent shots of the new Podilsko-Voskresensky Bridge, a combined road-rail span over the river.  

In this drone video by YoungPilot, you will get aerial views of two of the most important landmarks in the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev.  The first is the magnificent Saint Sophia's Cathedral and its adjacent Bell Tower.  Founded in the 11th century under Grand Prince Vladimir the Great, it's a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the city's top attractions.  The second featured spot is the massive Motherland (Rodina Mat) statue commemorating the country's role in defeating Nazi Germany.  

In this drone video by content creator Tempostudio, you'll get a great aerial perspective on two of the landmarks of the city of Kiev, Ukraine.  The video was shot over the Square of Contracts, a historic landmark which is now home to one of the country's largest ferris wheels.  As the video proceeds, you will be pointed in the direction of St. Andrew's Church.  Lying directly to the south of the square, it was built on the orders of Tsar Elizabeth I, along with the Mariyinsky Palace a bit further to the south.  

In this drone video by AirVuz contributor and pilot Tempostudio, you'll get an excellent sunrise view of one of the bridges of Kiev, Ukraine.  It's called the Parkovy Pedestrian Bridge, and it's the next-to-northernmost of the city's half-dozen Dneiper crossings, downstream (south of) the Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge and upstream (north of) the Venetian Bridge.  Completed in 1957, the 400 meter (1.3k ft.) bridge carries bike and pedestrian traffic between the city's Podil neighborhood and Trukhaniv Island.

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner smakozawr brings us this excellent drone video of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Kiev, Ukraine.  It's the second-oldest Roman Catholic church in the city, the majority of whose residents are adherents to branches of Eastern Orthodoxy.  Located in the Pecherskyi District in the heart of the city, the church dates to the turn of the 20th century.  The church was closed during much of the Soviet period, when religious adherents of all stripes were subject to varying levels of persecution.  

Check out this aerial video of a well-known park in Kiev, Ukraine, compliments of AirVuz contributor and drone pilot AEROZOND.  It's called Feofaniya Park, and it's located in the Holosiivskyi District south of the center city.  The park's main attraction, which you'll see prominently in the first part of the video, is the St. Panteleimon's Cathedral.  Constructed in the early 20th century, it's considered a prime example of the Russian Revival school of architecture which emerged in the 1800's.  

AirVuz contributor Tempostudio brings us this excellent drone video from the Dneiper River in the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev.  The video was show flying downstream on the great waterway, beginning with a "fly-under" of the Kiev Metro Bridge, a 1960's era span which carries the city's Kiev Metro rapid transit line as well as road traffic.  Continuing downstream, you'll see two of Kiev's great landmarks on the river's right bank: the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery and just beyond it the great Rodina Mat World War II monument.  

The most prominent landmark in the Ukrainian capital Kiev is the Rodina Mat, a giant steel monument overlooking the Dneiper River.  The statue commemorates the USSR's victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 against Nazi Germany.  While recent laws have required many Soviet era monuments to be destroyed, World War II monuments are exempted.  Here is Tempostudio's drone video of the immense statue, which is now seen as recognition of Ukraine's immense contribution to the Soviet victory.

AirVuz contributor haron5544 used a DJI Mavic Air drone to create this beautiful mini-tour of Kiev, Ukraine.  The video opens with shots of the Motherland Monument (Rodina Mat), the great steel statue which overlooks the Dneiper River and is the city's most iconic site.  Then it's on to the Kiev Monastery of the Caves (Kiev Pechersk Lavra), one of the most important Orthodox Christian Monasteries.  Other featured locations include the Patona Bridge at the 1:05 mark, the Candle of Memory at the National Museum of the Holodomor, and more.