Today Ukraine Marks 34 Years of Independence
At the opening of the Lviv Media Forum, Kateryna Zarembo, an analyst at the New Europe Center and a paramedic with the Hospitallers Medical Battalion, said: “The history of Ukraine is a continuous story of how no one believed in us, but we succeeded. … Forty years ago, even the very idea of an independent Ukraine seemed utopian to many people — abroad, only a couple of dreamers believed in it.”
Today Ukraine marks 34 years of Independence. It is an event that ceased to be a utopia on 24 August 1991. It was the day when a group of deputies led by Viacheslav Chornovil brought the blue and yellow flag, under which Ukrainians stood on the barricades near the state duma of the russian federation during the attempted coup in moscow, into the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada of Independent Ukraine to the anthem of the Sich Riflemen “Oy u luzi chervona kalyna.”
Having gained independence 34 years ago, we continue to fight for it: to prove that the territory of Ukraine is indivisible and inviolable, and that only the Constitution and the laws of Ukraine are in force.
Independence is the borders that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are defending right now. It is a value that Ukrainians fight for every day with their lives. It is the people for whom being Ukrainian means not only pride but also great responsibility. The future of our state, the path of democracy and freedom depend on each of us.
Happy Independence Day!