Volyn

Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( voh-LIN-ee-ə; Ukrainian: Воли́нь, romanized: Volýnʹ, Polish: Wołyń, Russian: Волы́нь, romanized: Volýnʹ, Yiddish: װאָלין, romanized: Volin), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and western Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but the territory that still carries the name is Volyn Oblast, in western Ukraine.
Volhynia has changed hands numerous times throughout history and been divided among competing powers. For centuries it was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After the Russian annexation during the Partitions of Poland, all of Volhynia was made part of the Pale of Settlement on the southwestern border of the Russian Empire. Important cities include Zhytomyr, Rivne, Lutsk, Zviahel, and Volodymyr.