On 28th July Ukraine annually celebrates the Day of Ukrainian Statehood, established by the Decree of the President of Ukraine on August 24, 2021, with the aim of affirming over a thousand-year-old traditions of Ukrainian state-building, which dates back to the founding of the city of Kyiv and flourished during the reign of Volodymyr the Great.

What is Ukrainian Statehood Day?

The Day of Ukrainian Statehood was introduced to confirm the continuity of the more than a thousand-year history of Ukrainian statehood, as well as to counter Russian disinformation and historical fakes about the supposed unity of the origin of the Ukrainian and Russian peoples. The history of Ukrainian state formation is evidenced by the first mentions of the foundation of the capital of the ancient Rus - the city of Kyiv and events related to the activities of Volodymyr Grand Duke of Kyiv.

In 988, he adopted Christianity as the state monoreligion, which became a civilizational choice for Ukraine. Christianity contributed to the rise of culture and education, and gave impetus to the development of the Cyrillic script. Kyivan Rus successfully joined the pan-European cultural and religious space. Its state-building traditions were continued, in particular, by the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia, the Ukrainian Cossack State, the Ukrainian People's Republic, the West Ukrainian People's Republic, the Ukrainian State of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi, Carpathian Ukraine, and modern independent Ukraine.

The Day of Ukrainian Statehood was established in honor of the outstanding state-builder of Kyiv, Prince Volodymyr the Great, on the Baptism Day of Kyivan Rus-Ukraine - July 28.