Left-bank Ukraine

Left-bank Ukraine, also called Livoberezhzhia, is a historical region of north-central and central Ukraine. It lies on the left, eastern, bank of the Dnieper River and covers the modern oblasts of Chernihiv and Poltava, together with the eastern parts of Kyiv and Cherkasy and the western part of Sumy. Its neighbouring historical regions are Right-bank Ukraine to the southwest, Zaporizhzhia to the southeast, Sloboda Ukraine to the east, and Polesia and White Ruthenia to the north. Its largest cities are Chernihiv, Poltava and Kremenchuk, along with the eastern part of Kyiv. The name came into use in 1663 for the area that stayed under Russian influence after the Treaty of Pereyaslav, and Russian rule was confirmed by the Treaty of Andrusovo in 1667. The region kept a measure of autonomy as the Cossack Hetmanate until that was withdrawn over the eighteenth century.