Honour guard soldiers prepare to raise the Ukrainian national flag
(Picture: AP)Ukraine Independence Day looked drastically different one year ago, with thousands in attendance at their annual parade.
Now, six months on from Russian invasion, the country continues to fly its flag - despite warnings Moscow could launch missiles on this anniversary.
On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country was “reborn” after the war began, as he promised to rid the nation of Russian forces.
He said: “A new nation appeared in the world on February 24 at 4am. It was not born, but reborn.
“A nation that did not cry, scream, or take fright. One that did not flee. Did not give up. And did not forget.”
Here’s what you should know about Ukraine’s Independence Day:
When is Ukraine Independence Day?
The anniversary falls exactly six months from the first Russian invasion in 2022, on Wednesday, August 24.
Previously, Ukrainian diaspora recognised Independence Day as January 22 each year – the date in 1918 when the Declaration of Independence was announced.
This date was changed in 1992 after the first anniversary of the Declaration of State Sovereignty, when laws, military powers, and currency were all adopted under a new Ukrainian system.
Now the day marks 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union.
On August 23, Ukrainians also observe national flag day.
Since 2004, the “Day of the National Flag” includes a ceremonial raising of the blue and yellow flag.
What is the history and meaning behind Ukraine Independence Day?
After the chaos of the Russian Revolution, in 1918, pro-Ukraine activists declared independence of the state from Soviet powers.
The country sought an international treaty with Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire – the Central Powers who formed an alliance in World War I.
It took back control over banks, replaced the army with police, and held new elections for councils.
Echoing the sentiment of current Ukraine leaders, the declaration outlined a bid to “live in peace and friendship with all neighbouring states” without their “right to interfere in the life of the independent Ukrainian republic”.
In 2014, Russia occupied the Eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Over the next eight years, this military struggle acted as a barrier for Ukraine’s membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation(Nato) and the European Union, as they would not accept a country in active war.
In 2022, after receiving support from Western allies, the country was able to withstand the full-scale Russian attack – although some cities, including Mariupol and Rubizhne, were devastated.
What celebrations will be taking place?
The annual independence parade has been called off in fear of missile strikes from Russian foes this year.
President Zelensky on Monday banned public celebrations of the anniversary in the capital and Kharkiv, the second-largest city.
Authorities in Kharkiv have also enforced a curfew from 7pm on the eve of Independence Day to 7am on Thursday.
On Wednesday, they said: “"Russian occupiers continue to carry out air and missile attacks on civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine. Do not ignore air-raid signals.”
The public have been barred from organising peaceful meetings and rallies.
🇷🇺military equipment in the center of #Kyiv. Or just scrap metal of losers. #RussianUkrainianWar #RussianArmy #UkraineWillWin pic.twitter.com/UwDt9UetUP
— Yehor Brailian (@YehorBrailian) August 22, 2022
Although the main street of Kyiv, where the parade was held in 2021, is not busy with celebrations, Ukrainians are filming themselves on the boulevard by the captured Russian military equipment housed on the street.
Russian efforts have reached a stalemate in more recent months, but Ukrainian spirits seems alive and well in the cities.
