Day of Unity of Ukraine

Today all Ukrainians inside the country and abroad celebrate the Day of Unity of Ukraine according to the Decree of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko as of December 22, 2014.

Unity Day has been introduced for official celebration in 1999.

The holiday is celebrated annually to commemorate the day when the Act on reunification of Ukrainian People’s Republic with Western Ukrainian People’s Republic has been declared on January 22, 1919 at Sofiyivska square in Kyiv.

But this year's Day of Unity of Ukraine is of particular importance for Ukrainians from around the world, as for the first time it will be celebrated under the conditions of temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia, and support by Moscow of pro-Russian separatists and terrorists in eastern parts of Ukraine - Donetsk and Luhansk.

Day of Unity of Ukraine has deep historical and political significance.

Centuries-torn Ukrainian people in 1918 have finally set free from the bondage - Left-bank Ukraine was liberated from Russian while Right-bank Ukraine from Austro-Hungarian Empires and reunited in its own Ukrainian State.

The historic Act of Union was preceded by the eternal struggle for Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Ukrainian State. For many years the Ukrainian Nation was separated and only in January 1919 the Ukrainian People's Republic was established and later, in October 1918, on the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire the Western Ukrainian People's Republic was founded. In December 1918 the leaders of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Western Ukrainian People's Republic signed the intention agreement for integration of peoples and territories of the two republics into a single unified Ukrainian state. This agreement was called the Act of Union.

Soon, Ukraine was separated again, but the Act of Union of the Ukrainian nation in a single country demonstrated the willingness of Ukrainians to their national self-determination.

Regardless of centuries under slavery and separation between the two conflicting empires Ukrainians have revealed tremendous strength and shown to the whole world that there is hardly anyone or anything able to subdue the single nation that is striving for liberty and worthy life in its own land.

Today the celebration of the Day of Unity acquires special significance, because it symbolizes strong fight of Ukrainians for self-governance and unity of the Ukrainian state. Words Unity, Freedom, Dignity and Independence gained new significance and became synonymous of the Ukrainian struggle for territorial integrity, self-governance, democratic values and principles and peace in their own land.

Embassy of Ukraine to the Republic of Cyprus