Ukraine Marked Independence Day
On August 24th, Ukraine celebrated the 26th anniversary of independence. On that day in 1991, the Ukrainian parliament adopted the Act of Independence and Sovereignty, crowning the Ukrainian nation’s centuries-long struggle for independence and commencing the long and painful, but inevitable and much coveted process of separation from the Communist Empire of Evil. Congratulations on Independence Day arrived from the governments and parliaments of scores of countries and international organizations with wishes to the people of Ukraine for peace and prosperity.
Independence Day celebrations took place countrywide with official ceremonies, public gatherings, exhibitions, concerts, and other festivities. Prayers for Ukraine were read in all Christian churches, mosques, and synagogues. The central event was a military parade on Kyiv’s central street Khreshchatyk where columns of military servicemen marched under their banners to loud cheers of the crowd. Notably, the parade was attended by the defense ministers of 11 countries and marching along with the Ukrainian servicemen were their partners from the United States, the UK, Canada, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and Romania. Speaking at the military parade, President Petro Poroshenko said, “I am confident in our army which is in the best-ever shape, and this fact is confirmed by international experts. We are doing everything we can to strengthen and modernize our armed forces and make them fully compatible with NATO standards. Ukraine is also looking for effective long-term asymmetric solutions to deter the Russian army – the largest in Europe and the third-largest in the world. Ukraine is ready to give a hard rebuff to the aggressor in the event of a new offensive, but we prioritize a peaceful, diplomatic, and political way to reclaim the Donbas and Crimea. Russia’s aggression has consolidated the Ukrainians into a united patriotic family determined and able to defend its home.”
The President said that Ukraine “has finally overcome the deep economic crisis and is striding forward.” “Ukraine has one road – the broad European autobahn that leads to the European Union and NATO. In the 26th year of independence we removed the visa obstacle on this road: Ukrainian citizens can now travel to EU countries without visas,” Poroshenko said.
He said that the entry into force of the Association Agreement with the EU on the 1st of September would mark de jure and de facto Ukraine’s breakup with Russia and would serve as a roadmap for reform. “We have no doubts that Ukraine will be successful, in spite of all difficulties. The Ukrainians will be successful. Independence gave us a chance that we have no right to miss. We are looking and striding forward,” Poroshenko said.
Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said that the Russian aggression had made Ukraine stronger. “More than three years ago, the enemy started military aggression against our country. They calculated everything, knowing how weak our economy and armed forces were, but that was canceled out by the Ukrainian people’s heroism, patriotism, and resolve to defend their independence. The Ukrainian army, volunteers, and all people stood up as one to defend their Motherland. Her best sons sacrificed their lives for independence,” Poltorak said.
VR Chairman Andriy Parubiy called upon all Ukrainians to unite and work hard to build a just and powerful state and to remember the heroes who gave their lives defending Ukraine and other European nations from the Russian lethal threat.
“Stand strong united, be responsible, believe in God and Ukraine, and follow through on our way to victory!” Parubiy said in his greeting to the nation.
Opinion polls and sociological surveys show that the vast majority of Ukrainian citizens support independent statehood and identify themselves as part of the European communities sharing common European values while the number of those nostalgic for the Soviet era tends to zero.
We asked Oleksiy Leshchenko, vice president of the Gorshenin Institute – an independent center of sociopolitical analysis and research – to comment on the latest surveys. He said, “We have recently made a research jointly with the Ebert Foundation. We have found that Ukrainians identify themselves as part of the European space. We have found no rejection of European values in any region – eastern, western, northern, or southern. There is a structure called Eurobarometer that conducts surveys in EU countries every year of their citizens’ attitudes to values, including such general values as the freedom of religion, democracy, human rights, peace, solidarity, tolerance, and human life as the highest value. The majority of our respondents – 56.6% – named peace the highest value personally to them. This figure is on par with the latest surveys conducted by Eurobarometer: to Europeans peace is the highest value as well. Our respondents in all regions of Ukraine have said that a successful nation can be built on the basis of such values.”
Situation in Donbas – Weekly Review
The number of ceasefire breaches by Russia-backed militants has almost doubled at the beginning of the week. Military actions are most intensive in the Donetsk region where the enemy forces have repeatedly used heavy artillery, multiple launch missile systems, big-caliber mortars, and other weapons. Pro-Russian separatists keep shelling the Ukrainian positions in Luhansk and Mariupol directions. Commenting on the issue is CTO speaker colonel Olexandr Motuzianyk said, “The situation in Donetsk direction hasn’t changed, the enemy is regularly shelling the Ukrainian positions near Kamyanka, Avdiivka, and Butivka coal mine. Now and then the enemy uses mortars.”
This week the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission has opened a forward patrol base in the village of Stanytsia Luhanska, 10 miles northeast of Luhansk. The base is equipped with “The permanent presence of the Mission will expand the monitoring capabilities in this extremely important place on the bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska where an extremely unstable situation remains and, unfortunately, the only checkpoint in the entire Luhansk region is the entry-exit checkpoint,” the mission said on Facebook. The mission’s Principal Deputy Chief Alexander Hug said that the deployment of OSCE observers on a permanent 24-hour basis was a step towards normalizing the situation in the area. The Special Monitoring Mission also has forward patrol bases in Volnovakha, Pokrovske, Svitlodarsk, Novy Aidar, Shchastia, Popasna, Kadiyivka, Horlivka and Debaltseve, and plans to open more bases, primarily in separatist-held areas. “But before we open them, we need security guarantees from individuals exercising actual control in these areas,” Hug said.
Ongoing Russian Aggression against Ukraine is not a Challenge for a Single State; but a Risk for Entire Europe – Kurt Volker, US Special Envoy for Ukraine.
Russian aggression a threat not only to Ukraine, but for the whole Europe, said U.S. Department of State Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker said. This was stated during the press conference he gave in Vilnius on Tuesday. Volker considers the situation in Ukraine’s East as something that ought not to have happened at all, and that now we have to make every effort to end human suffering, as 10 thousand people are known to have died in this conflict already. He underlined the active support for the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by the United States. During his visit in the Lithuanian capital Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker has met with president Dalia Grybauskaite. The sides have discussed among other issues the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, as well as the support of reforms in Ukraine, Lithianian president’s press service informed. In the conditions of continuous occupation in Crimea and Russian aggression in the Donbas region, Ukraine needs international support, the information states. Lithianian president’s press service’s statement, it is extremely important for the US and EU sanctions against Russia to be sustained until the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented and Crimea is brought back to Ukraine.
Also the Economic Association Agreement with the EU coming into force in September and its importance for the Ukrainian choice of European path has been discussed during the meeting. Kurt Volker has discussed the situation in Ukraine in a meeting with Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius. According to Lithuanian foreign minister, the international community should invigorate efforts and make Russia fulfill its commitments that it had undertaken a few years ago to withdraw the weapons from eastern Ukraine and stop backing separatists. Linkevičius has said that Volker is an experienced diplomat and his designation testifies the US interest to reinforce its role for Ukraine and in the region, and the will to search for a solution in this situation.
Kurt Volker in turn has stressed that Lithuania’s role in the processes of conflict resolution in Ukraine is well known and very valuable. U.S. Department of State Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker has also had a meeting with Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov in Minsk on Monday in order to discuss Donbas conflict resolution. Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin has considered the results of their meeting in Minsk as very positive. He appreciated Volker’s approach to the process and his overarching vision of further development, as well as his clear position on all of these issues.
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