Kiliya, city, southwestern Ukraine, on the Kiliya Branch of the Danube River, just north of the border with Romania. Kiliya dates back to at least the 10th century ad, though Greeks had settled at the site as early as the 7th century bc. Because of Kiliya’s strategic location, control over the city has changed often. It is now a river port with fishing, boatbuilding, food-processing, and building-materials industries. The city’s monuments of architecture include the 17th-century church of St. Nicholas and the early 19th-century Holy Protectress Cathedral. Pop. (2005 est.) 21,805.