Ukraine celebrates its 33rd anniversary

On Saturday, August 24, Ukraine celebrates the 33rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Verkhovna Rada Speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk, in his message of greetings, said that Independence Day holds a special significance, value and meaning for every Ukrainian, it is a "day that unites us together".

"Thirty-three years ago, our state, following the thousand-year tradition of state-building in Ukraine, and guided by the right to self-determination, became sovereign and independent. And it is our independence that we are defending today and fighting for our independence!", Stefanchuk emphasized in his message.

"Each of us would like to celebrate this day, but we are making it.  While marking it we thank first and foremost our soldiers, our defenders, each and every one who is on the battlefield now, who defends positions, goes into battle and repels enemy attacks," the message continued.

The Ukrainians have "rallied the world around them. And this all is only because we are united by a common aspiration! The aspiration for living in an exactly independent Ukraine, who will definitely celebrate this day!"

The Minister of Defense Rustem Umyerov and the Ukrainian Armed Forces Chief Commander Oleksandr Syrsky congratulated the Ukrainians.

Umerov said on Facebook: "Freedom never comes without a struggle, and we know that its price is high. Our soldiers pay this price every day on the battlefield, fighting to the death for every meter of our land."

"Each of us is a part of this struggle, be it a warrior on the front line or parents who raised him, whoever is at the front line or at the home front - everyone who helps the army, takes care of the families of our heroes, who trusts in our struggle and believes in our victory," the Defense Minister said.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are fighting for independence every day, every second, the Commander-in-Chief said in his message of greetings on Facebook.

"We have defended our independence from the first days of the war --  when we were burning enemy columns, defending Kyiv, liberating the Kharkiv region, raising our flag over Kherson city and Zmiiny Island. The fight for our Independence continues - at Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Kharkiv and other fronts where our soldiers, by an enormous effort, are stopping and annihilating the enemy," Syrsky says in his message.

"Our Independence is in our rage against the enemy for the atrocities committed in our cities and villages, for the tears of our children, for the torment our war prisoners in Russian torture camps are subjected to. Our Independence is in revenge for every brother and sister who fell with a weapon in their hands, defending their land and freedom until their last breath," the Commander-in-Chief emphasized.

The Independence Day of Ukraine celebrates the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR in 1991 of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine - a political and legal document that had certified the new status of the Ukrainian State.

Ukraine had passed a long way to get its independence.

After the August 1991 putsch in Moscow, an extraordinary session of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR, on August 24, 1991, proclaimed the independence of Ukraine and the creation of an independent state - Ukraine. This meant that the Ukrainian State has its own indivisible and inviolable territory, on which only the Constitution and laws of Ukraine apply.

Ukraine gained full-fledged independence after a nationwide referendum on December 1, 1991, where 90.32% of citizens voted for independence.

Ukraine is celebrating its biggest national holiday for the third time amid Russia’s brutal, all-our war it is waging in our country.

Read more: An exhibition of Ukrainian art works honoring Independence Day opened in Kyiv

A total of 144 Independence Day events are set to take place throughout Ukraine, according to the National Police.

Ukrainian Diasporas are planning more than a hundred citizens’ actions and other events in 20 different countries in celebration of Ukraine Independence Day.

As reported, Ukraine celebrated the National Flag Day on August 23.

Photo via Getty Images