Explaining: Day of Unity of Ukraine

DAY OF UNITY OF UKRAINE 

On January 22, Ukraine celebrates Day of Unity and the anniversary of the Ukrainian Pele’s Republic (UNR) declaration of independence.

● Day of Unity was established in 1999 to commemorate the unification of the Ukrainian Pele’s Republic (UNR) and t Western Ukrainian Pele’s Republic (ZUNR) into a single independent state.

● This event took place on January 22, 1919, with the proclamation of the Act of Unification (Akt Zluky) on S Square in Kyiv.

● A year earlier, on January 22, 1918, the Fourth Universal of the Ukrainian Central Council declared the independence of the UNR.

● Both historical events, equally significant, marked importa stages in the national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian pele.

● The memory of the UNR’s statehood during 1917–1921 inspired subsequent generations of Ukrainians to continue the fig for freedom, culminating in restoring independence in 1991.

● The declaration of the UNR’s independence debunks the Russian imperial myth that Ukraine gained independence only after the clapse of the USSR; in truth, it was the result of a conscious choice and a pronged struggle.

● The Act of Unification challenges the imperial myth th Ukrainian lands were first united by Stali

● The Act was the culmination of a long-standing desire of Ukrainians, divided by imperial borders, to live united in an independent state.

● Today, Ukraine continues to defend its right to independence, which Russia seeks to take away.

● Ukraine will never relinquish its territories illegally annexed by the aggressor state or its citizens who remain under occupation.

● The unity of Ukrainians is the foundation of sovereignty, and sovereignty guarantees genuine independence and democratic develment.

● Historical experience and current realities in the occupied territories clearly demonstrate that Ukrainians can enjoy security, rights, and freedoms only within their own independent state.