For 10 points, name this large former Soviet republic in Eastern Europe, a country whose notable cities include Kharkov, Odessa, and its capital, Kiev.
This country's south-central lowland is home to such rivers as the Inhul and the Southern Bug, and that lowland is flanked by the Volhynian-Podolian uplands on the west and the Donets range on the east. With its northern neighbor, this country shares the Pripet marshes, thought by some to be the original homeland of the Slavs. The Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov to a larger sea, separates this country's large southern peninsula from Russia. That peninsula, the Crimea, contains Yalta, the site of a prominent meeting during World War Two, and Sevastopol, a Black Sea resort. For 10 points, name this large former Soviet republic in Eastern Europe, a country whose notable cities include Kharkov, Odessa, and its capital, Kiev.
This country's south-central lowland is home to such rivers as the Inhul and the Southern Bug, and that lowland is flanked by the Volhynian-Podolian uplands on the west and the Donets range on the east.
Ukraine [or Ukrayina]