Kyiv renames nearly 100 streets to shed Russian past

People walk along a street, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 12, 2022. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's capital renamed 95 streets on Thursday as part of a drive to purge Russian and Soviet place names, Kyiv's mayor announced a day after Ukraine marked 31 years of independence.

Since Russia invaded in February, Ukraine has accelerated what it calls "derussification", a campaign to shed the legacy of hundreds of years of rule by Moscow.