August 24: Independence Day in Ukraine
Prayer Idea
Pray for the people and government of Ukraine.
Map by Peter Hermes Furian / Shutterstock.com. Russia has effectively controlled Crimea, a peninsula in southern Ukraine, since 2014. Russia took over additional territory in southern and eastern Ukraine after invading Ukraine again in 2022.
History Note
Ukraine lies along the northern shore of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Ukraine’s geographic location and rich resources have made it a target of foreign invaders many times.
Around 1000 AD, Ukraine and its capital Kyiv were home to the Kievan Rus people. For many years the Kievan Rus made up the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Over the years, and partly because of invading Mongols, the Kievan Rus spread north to the region around Moscow. They became who we know today as the Russians.
As Russians developed their identity, Ukrainians developed a strong cultural and religious identity. About two-thirds of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians, a large number of the rest are Catholic, and a small number are either Muslim or Jewish.
Ukraine knew a brief period of independence from the mid-1600s until the late 1700s, but eventually the Russian Empire absorbed it. Many Russians settled in eastern Ukraine and in Crimea, and Russia imposed its language and culture on Ukraine.
During the Crimean War, fought between 1853 and 1856, the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire fought each other over control of Crimea and other issues. Both empires wanted to increase their power in the Black Sea region. England and France sent troops to support the Ottomans. Fighting took place for three years, much of it in Crimea, until Russia surrendered. In the treaty that ended the war, Russia continued to control Ukraine, including Crimea.
When the Communist Revolution took place in Russia in 1917, Ukraine declared its independence from Russia. However, the Communist government in Russia took it back in 1920. Under Communist rule, Ukraine suffered greatly. The Soviets created two famines by manipulating the food supply which cost the lives of about eight million Ukrainians. During World War II, another 7 to 8 million died. This included Jews killed in the Holocaust, soldiers fighting for the Soviet Union, and civilians who died when Germany invaded the region.
The Communist government of the Soviet Union considered Crimea a separate republic until 1954, when the central government transferred control of Crimea to Ukraine.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine became a separate country in 1991 and continued to control Crimea. However, many ethnic Russians in Ukraine have wanted to remain allied with Russia. On the other hand, in reaction to the years of suffering under Russian rule, many other Ukrainians have wanted closer ties to Europe, including the possibility of joining NATO and the European Union.
After years of instability in Ukraine, Russia seized control of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. Over the next several years, violent conflict continued between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian factions in eastern Ukraine. In 2022 Russia launched a major military invasion of Ukraine that has caused destruction and deaths of both soldiers and civilians. Millions of Ukrainians have fled the country as refugees.
Ukrainians celebrate August 24 as Independence Day, remembering their declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
This photo shows children celebrating Independence Day in Dnipro, Ukraine, on August 24, 2021. Photo by rospoint / Shutterstock.com.
Learn More
1+1 is a Ukrainian television channel. They produced this video of the country’s national anthem in 2015. It features children who performed on talent shows and adult who appeared on various programs.
Find more resources at Homeschool History.
