Exerpt from Peter Hennig's article Kiev Rangefinders which can be found at: http://www3.telus.net/public/rpnchbck/zconrfKiev.htm
Parallel to Contax II and Contax III, the first Kiev models were named Kiev II and Kiev III (in later series they were designated as Kiev 2 and Kiev 3). These cameras are true replicas in all details of the Contax camera. It is obvious that the level of ambitions was very high at Zavod Arsenal in the early stage of the production. Both the choice of materials, and the mechanical construction, as well as the look of the camera, are practically identical to Contax. If you place a shutter- and film transport mechanism from an early Kiev beside one from the Contax - it will take a skilled specialist a close study in order to separate them to differentiate them. Therefore, parts from early Kiev and Contax cameras, are perfectly interchangeable in most cases.
Images courtesy of Alexey Nikitin