Elections in Ukraine, the fire at Notre Dame, and protests in Moscow

The biggest events of 2019, according to Yandex searches

The Russian search engine and technology giant Yandex has issued a press release listing the most searched-for events of 2019 among its users. At the top of the list were the national election in Ukraine, the fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, and the protests that swept Moscow in advance of the Moscow City Duma elections.

The Superjet fire at Sheremetyevo Airport, the launch of a new diametrical rail line in Moscow, and the case against Meduza special correspondent Ivan Golunov also made the top 10.

Top 10 events of 2019

1. The Ukrainian election
2. The Notre Dame fire
3. Protests and opposition voting in Moscow
4. The Superjet 100 crash at Sheremetyevo
5. Zone 51 hype
6. The transition to digital TV
7. Billie Eilish’s concerts in Russia
8. Nursultan Nazarbayev’s resignation and the renaming of Astana
9. The Moscow Central Diameter rail line launch
10. The case against Ivan Golunov

The most searched-for sports event of the year was the lightweight UFC fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier. The most searched-for individuals, meanwhile, were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima, and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Top 10 people of 2019

1. Volodymyr Zelensky
2. Hideo Kojima
3. Greta Thunberg
4. Joaquin Phoenix
5. Billie Eilish
6. Ali Ersan Duru
7. Lyubov Sobol
8. Anton Batyrev
9. Alexandra Nikiforova
10. Mikhail Koklyayev

Among celebrities who died in 2019, Yandex users searched most often for the singer Yulia Nachalova, the rapper Kirill Tolmatsky (a.k.a. Detsl), and the journalist Sergey Dorenko.

T-34, Joker, and Avengers: Endgame were the most searched-for films among Yandex users this year. Game of Thrones, Chernobyl, and the Russian show Zhuki (Beetles) led the way among TV series.