City with special status

City with special status (Ukrainian: місто зі спеціальним статусом) (formerly, "city of republican subordinance") refers to two of Ukraine's 27 administrative regions, which are the cities of Kiev and Sevastopol. Their administrative status is recognized in the Ukrainian Constitution in Chapter IX: Territorial Structure of Ukraine and they are governed in accordance with laws passed by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.

Overview

Although Kiev is the nation's capital and its own administrative region, the city also serves as the administrative center for Kiev Oblast (province). The oblast entirely surrounds the city, making it an enclave. In addition, Kiev also serves as the administrative center for the oblast's Kiev-Sviatoshyn Raion (district).

Sevastopol is also administratively separate from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, retaining its special status from Soviet times as closed city, serving as a base for the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet. The city was home to the Ukrainian Navy as well as the Russian Black Sea Fleet, although since the Crimean crisis, both Crimea and Sevastopol were incorporated into Russia as federal subjects, a move declared illegal by both the Ukrainian government and a majority of the international community.

List of cities

ISO code	Name	Flag	Coat of arms	Status	Area	Population
UA-30	City of Kiev			Capital of Ukraine; Administrative center of Kiev Oblast and Kiev-Sviatoshyn Raion	839 km2 (323.9 sq mi)	2,782,016
UA-40	City of Sevastopol			Incorporated into Russia in what is viewed as annexation by most countries and deemed illegal by Ukrainian law and non-binding United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262. Considered occupied territory for Ukrainian legal purposes.	1,079 km2 (416.6 sq mi)	380,301