1991: The leaders of the then still “soviet” Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian Republics sign “The Agreement on the Establishment of a Commonwealth of Independent States” at Viskuli, Belarus, in a hunting lodge in the Belavezhskaya National Park. This epoch-making event marked the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
2004: The Ukrainian Rada amends the electoral law to enable a new round of elections for the Presidency, following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Ukraine that had invalidated the results of the November 21, 2004, run-off ballot due to evidence of widespread irregularities and electoral fraud on the part of the Viktor Yanukovych campaign.
2013: The Vladimir Lenin monument, located at the intersection of Kyiv’s Khreshchatyk Street and Shevchenko Boulevard, was toppled from its pedestal, and demolished by protesters from the Euromaidan demonstrations taking place on Independence Square.
Commentary:
December 8 has played an oversized role in modern Ukrainian history, serving as a key date during independence, the Orange Revolution, and the Revolution of Dignity. With Russian troops amassed on the border and poised for invasion, it reminds us that independence is still something Ukraine is fighting to protect.
