Independence Day of Ukraine

Beginning in 2004, 23 August is celebrated as National Flag Day.[9]

Generally (but not every year) independence day is celebrated with a military parade held in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.[10][11] Since 2019 no military parade has taken place.[12][11] According to a 21 October 2020 decree by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2021 a military parade will be held (again) on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence.[13]

The Chayka Aviation Parade was a large-scale aviation show dedicated to Independence Day that took place at Kyiv Chaika Airfield in 1997. It featured flypasts by personnel of the Ukrainian Air Force. The parade was attended by President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma and Minister of Defense Oleksandr Kuzmuk.[14]

After the annual military parade in Kyiv the "March of the Unconquered" was held by active members of Ukraine's volunteer battalions, relatives of those killed during the fighting in the war in Donbas and family members of those killed during the Euromaidan uprising – known in Ukraine as the "Heavenly Hundred".[15] According to the Ukrainian army the volume of artillery fire set off by the separatist forces of the war in Donbas during the 24-hour period of 24 August 2016 was the highest since the February 2015 Battle of Debaltseve.[16][17]

Several Ukrainian cities held marches of people dressed in vyshyvanky (shirts with traditional Ukrainian embroidery).[18]

The March of Defenders during independence day 2019, featuring the UPA battle flag.

On 10 July 2019, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Facebook that the 2019 Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations will not include a military parade (for the first time since the parade's cancellation from 2010 to 2014) stating the following: "We have decided to allocate 300 mln hryvnias [nearly $12 mln] as bonus payments to our servicemen, i.e. fixed-term soldiers, cadets, sergeants, officers.”[11] Zelenskyy also mentioned that the government would take steps to "honor heroes" on Independence Day by highlighting the fact that the "format will be new".[19] On 30 July, Zelenskyy's Head of the Presidential Administration Andriy Bohdan announced that a March of Dignity (Марш гідності) will take place in replacement of the annual parade.[20][21] A separate march, known as the March of Defenders (Марш захисників) was also planned to be held by Ukrainian war veterans.[22] The ceremony went on as planned and even incorporated elements of the annual parade such as the flag raising ceremony and the awarding of veterans.[23][24] During his speech, Zelenskyy called for unity, saying "Ukrainian-speaking and Russian-speaking, regardless of age, gender, religion – we must be one people".[25]

Protestors demanding the release of war in Donbas veterans that were arrested in December 2019[26] on the suspicion of killing journalist Pavel Sheremet during the 2020 March of Defenders

On Independence Day in 2020, President Zelenskyy during his speech proclaimed that there would never be military equipment on parade in Kyiv as long as the war in Donbas is ongoing, during which he said that it is "Where it is needed now."[12] Zelensky stated that military parades would be held in the future "a parade of Ukrainian victory, when we will return all our people and all our territories."[12] The ceremony, as well as the concert that followed, was held in Mykhailivska Square in front of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, the current seat of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and thus also honored the Ukrainian medical workers and professionals who had contributed their efforts during the current COVID-19 pandemic in all of Ukraine.

The joint concert of Ukrainian stars following the ceremony was marked by scandal because various artists performing in it had continued to perform and/or accept awards in Russia, despite the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea being annexed by Russia in 2014 and the alleged support of Russia for the separatist forces of the war in Donbas.[27][28] It was also condemned that this concert took place during the March of Defenders (Марш захисників) commemorating the victims of the war in Donbas.[27]

In an English language Independence Day address, Zelenskyy launched an information campaign to restart the Ukraine NOW brand.[29] The 2020 events served as a national kick-off to the celebrations in 2021 marking the pearl jubilee year of independence.

In 2021, Ukraine celebrated the 30th anniversary of its independence with three days of events. A company from Lviv developed a special 30th Anniversary logo and a new award known as the "National Legend" was announced, to be presented in a ceremony on August 22.[30] It was also announced that the first Summit of the Crimean Platform would take place on August 23.[30] A number of foreign leaders were invited to the 30th anniversary celebrations, including US president Joe Biden,[31] Greek president Katerina Sakellaropoulou,[32][33] Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda[34] and Moldovan president Maia Sandu.[35][36]

On 24 August a large military parade made its way through Kyiv past Maidan Nezalezhnosti, featuring Ukrainian Ground Forces, Special Operations Forces, and visiting units from several foreign armed forces. The parade included more than 5000 troops and 400 tanks and armoured vehicles. The event also included a fly-by of Ukrainian Air Force units over Kyiv. Simultaneously, Ukrainian Navy units were shown carrying out exercises at Odessa.[37] Visiting troops from Slovenia, Moldova, Poland, the United States of America and Canada marched with Ukrainian forces,[38] and two British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons took part in the fly-by alongside four F-16 Fighting Falcons.

Delegates from 46 countries attended, including Polish President Andrzej Duda, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian,[38] and Eastern Orthodox Church patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople.

Immediately prior to the parade, President Zelenskyy addressed the crowd, calling for closer relationships with other ex-Soviet countries, European nations, and NATO.[37]