Kyiv Television Center

The Kyiv Television Center, or The Pencil, is a modernist skyscraper in Kyiv, and the current symbolic headquarters of Ukrainian public television broadcasting (it has been empty since the invasion). The inception for the building occurred sometime in the 1960s, but its construction was delayed until 1983. It was built on the site of an old Jewish cemetery, which was removed in the 1970s.

For many years, this building was one of the 6 tallest buildings in Kyiv. Shortly after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the 1991 Ukrainian independence referendum, Ukrainian public television moved from its former headquarters, the Kyiv Television and Radio Center, into this building in 1992. Because the building is exceptionally difficult to heat during the winter, an urban legend sprouted that the building was designed by Cubans with Russian surnames, who grew up without having to consider the cold. This building, with its pyramid at the top, inspired several pyramid-domed buildings throughout Kyiv in the 90's. In the late 1990s, the center received a $13.5 million investment to upgrade its electronic equipment. As of 2008, it supported three television channels: 1+1, UT‑1, and TRK Era. The building serves as the headquarters of the National Television Company of Ukraine and accommodates several broadcasting channels. For more than two decades, the facility operated as a restricted-access site. This changed in 2018, when a public New Year's celebration was held on the premises, a shift toward greater openness. However, with the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the building was completely emptied of staff.