Independence Day in many nations is a celebration of past victories. For Ukraine, the battle for independence is still on because of Russia’s war in the Donbas, which has raged since 2014.
It’s hard to think of a modern country of Ukraine’s size whose existence as an independent state is constantly under threat, as it is here.
But this is Ukraine’s every-day reality: Every Independence Day marks one more year Ukraine has retained independence — de jure or de facto — from its powerful imperial neighbor, Russia.
This has been the case since Ukraine gained independence in 1991, but after Russia invaded and occupied Crimea and the Donbas in 2014, Independence Day has become an even more special event for Ukraine.
So this Independence Day, we won’t write odes to how great a country Ukraine is — although it is great, and we believe its best days are ahead.
Rather, in this special edition we decided to chart progress made during the latest year of independence, in economics, technology, culture, and war. There is much to report, we’re happy to say.
And we hope that Ukraine will celebrate many more years of independence, absent threats to its statehood. Maybe then military parades can give way to picnics.
