Ukraine Celebrating Statehood Day for First Time (Video)

Today, 28 July, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Ukrainian Statehood for the first time in its history. Symbolically, this holiday is tied to the Day of the Baptism of Kyiv Rus-Ukraine which has been celebrated on this day for many years.

President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested introducing a new state holiday last year during the celebrations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine and signed the corresponding decree.

On 31 May 2022, the Verkhovna Rada supported the draft law with 257 votes “for.” The law entered into force on 9 June this year.

On Statehood Day, Ukrainians celebrate the continuity of more than a 1,000-year history of Ukrainian statehood, which began back in the days of Kyiv Rus-Ukraine. And this is not just a symbol and tribute. This is also a powerful blow to Russian propaganda, which stubbornly tries to impose the opinion that Ukraine does not exist as a state, that it is an artificial creation of the times of the USSR. We are being deliberately torn from our historical roots.

However, Ukrainians affirm their vision of the history of statehood and remind themselves and demonstrate to the whole world that we have a very old tradition of statehood. From the very beginning of statehood in the Ukrainian territory, our choice of civilisation was Europe.

Now, Ukrainians defend their civilisation, which, despite the change in historical eras, was able to bring to the present day the key principles of democracy, European choice, and freedom.

The President of Ukraine congratulated the citizens of our country on the holiday. In a video address, he emphasised that it is very important not only to celebrate the emergence of statehood but also to unite for its preservation.

“We thought we started to live happily on our land. We do not spare either our souls or bodies to get freedom. Because we forgot that not all enemies are already dead as the dew in the sunshine… But we haven’t forgotten our kin. Therefore, luck will surely smile on us because it’s our fate,” Volodymyr Zelensky said, paraphrasing the word of the national anthem.

At the same time, he noted that the country had a restless morning today because of the missile terror launched by the Russian Federation.

“We will not surrender. We will not give up. We will not be intimidated. Ukraine is an independent, free, indivisible state. And it will always be like that,” said the President of Ukraine.

Bohdan Marusyak