Ukraine Independence Day takes place on August 24 and it marks the Ukraine’s declaration of independence from the U.S.S.R. in 1991. The day is celebrated with great enthusiasm and is the most popular day of the year. Ukraine has always had its own culture and language, although it has been dominated for centuries by Russia, Poland, Turkey, and other nations. As a result, the holiday has a special meaning for Ukrainians, as it allows them to express their affection for a country run by and for them.
Ukraine marks its 31st Independence Day on Aug. 24, 2022. This year, the holiday will not be a celebration of Ukraine’s victory – at least, not yet. The war is in a stalemate, with Russia having taken over the vast majority of the far eastern regions and Ukrainian forces slowly trying to retake the southern territories. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has banned all celebrations for Independence Day in 2022, cautioning Ukrainians that Russian forces may launch major attacks to mark the day.
Khreshchatyk, the main street of Kyiv that hosted a festive parade in 2021 and before, is now home to a graveyard of rusted, captured Russian military equipment.
Ukrainians are triumphantly posting videos and images of their strolls down the boulevard, past these hulking and disfigured signs of Russia’s failed attempt to snuff out Ukrainian independence.
Russia has finally gotten its military parade in Kyiv – just, perhaps, not in the form Russian President Vladimir Putin thought it would take.
Today August 24, 2022, the Presidential couple of Ukraine laid flowers at the Wall of Memory of the Fallen Defenders ofat the Mykhailivskyi Cathedral in Kyiv. Today is the 3108th day of the war and the 182nd day of the large-scale russian invasion.
