Stories

33 years ago, Ukraine celebrated its first Independence Day. We publish unique photos of celebrations in Kyiv and recall why this date was moved up

Author:
Serhii Pyvovarov
Date:

In 1991, Ukraine celebrated the Independence Day on July 16 for the first and last time. Then the reason for the celebration was the anniversary of the Declaration on State Sovereignty of Ukraine in 1990. It prescribed political and economic independence within the borders of the Ukrainian SSR, Ukrainian citizenship, the need to create its own Constitution, army, financial system and state budget. At the same time, it was decided to consider July 16 as Ukraineʼs Independence Day, despite the fact that it still formally remained part of the USSR. Babel publishes unique photos of Oleksandr Klymenko from the festive procession and concert in the center of Kyiv on July 16, 1991. And also mentions why the new date of the Independence Day of Ukraine appeared next month — August 24.

In the late 1980s, the economic and political crisis intensified in the USSR. This led to the "parade of sovereignties" in 1990. Declarations of independence and sovereignty were announced by the Baltic, Asian and Transcaucasian republics, as well as Moldova and Russia (at that time the RSFSR).

In the same year, a new era of Ukrainian state independence began — on July 16, 1990, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR adopted the Declaration on State Sovereignty of Ukraine by an absolute majority of votes (355 MPs in favor, 4 against). The document consisted of 10 chapters, in which the foundations of the state, political, and economic order were prescribed in detail, independence and sovereignty were emphasized.

On the same day, the Verkhovna Rada decided "to consider July 16 as the Day of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine and to annually celebrate it as a public national holiday of Ukraine."

March on Khreschatyk Street in honor of the Independence Day on July 16, 1991.

The main provisions of the Declaration on Sovereignty, adopted on July 16, 1990:

  • inviolability of the territory within the existing borders of the Ukrainian SSR;

  • the republican form of statehood, the only source of power is the people, and only the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) can speak on its behalf;

  • the supremacy in its territory of its own laws and the Constitution (the Declaration was supposed to become the basis for the new Constitution); own citizenship;

  • the right to own, use and dispose of national and natural resources on its territory; own banking, price, financial, customs and tax systems, the state budget and, if necessary, its own currency;

  • own Armed Forces, internal troops, state security agencies; the obligation not to spread, not to manufacture and not to build up nuclear weapons;

  • independent international relations with other states;

  • relations with other Soviet republics based on agreements concluded on the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.

Before the first anniversary of the Declaration of Sovereignty, on July 16, 1991, mass events dedicated to the Independence Day of Ukraine took place in Kyiv. The party leadership ceremoniously laid flowers at the monuments to Lenin, in the absence of other rituals. And then a meeting was held in the "Ukraine" palace, where the then chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Leonid Kravchuk said: "Today we gathered for the first time in our history to celebrate the Independence Day. We walked to this day with difficulty, following the call of the heart, following the voice of public conscience and national duty, with great and holy faith in our people, in their right to freedom and independence. And this day has come."

March on Khreschatyk Street in honor of the Independence Day on July 16, 1991.

Thousands marched through Khreschatyk Street — with blue and yellow flags and in national clothes. And in the evening, a concert of Ukrainian bands and performers was held on October Revolution Square (now Independance Square [“Maidan Nezalezhnosti”]). Its culmination was the performance of the Lviv rock band "Braty Hadiukiny" and a festive salute.

The scene on October Revolution Square (now Independence Square) during the Independence Day celebration on July 16, 1991.

A member of the duet "Braty Hadiukiny" at a concert in honor of the Independence Day on July 16, 1991.

Three days after the suppression of the 1991 putsch, on August 24, at an extraordinary meeting, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR actually proclaimed Ukraineʼs independence for the second time. The date of Independence Day was moved up from July 16 to August 24 by a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada on February 20, 1992.

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