Our freedom has grown over centuries. From Princess Olga, who ruled the state with wisdom, to Taras Shevchenko, who turned words into weapons, and Lesya Ukrainka, whose words “I hope without hope” became the promise of an entire nation. It resounds in the prose of Mykhailo Kotsyubynsky, in the poems of Vasyl Symonenko, in the indomitability of Vasyl Stus.
It was cherished by the artists of the “Executed Renaissance,” whose names were tried to be erased, but the memory of them became a cornerstone of our identity. It burned in the words of Mykola Khvylovy, who called for his own path, and on the stage of Les Kurbas, who raised a new Ukrainian generation.
This independence was fought for by Vyacheslav Chornovil, a symbol of indomitability and faith in a free state. They were all voices of one nation that had gone through torment but had not lost its dignity.
Today, we are the continuation of this history. Independence is not a gift or a date on the calendar. It is the sacrifices, pain, and struggle of generations. It is the choice to stand up when they want to break you. It is the duty to preserve what was left to us by those who dreamed of a free Ukraine.
Honoring their memory, we look to the future with faith and strength. Because our independence is our destiny, our law, and our victory. Our military continues to fight for the sovereignty of our state today, for which we are infinitely grateful.
Happy Independence Day