July 15 is celebrated as Ukrainian Statehood Day
On July 15, Ukraine celebrates Ukrainian Statehood Day, which coincides with the Day of the Baptism of Rus'-Ukraine and the day honoring the outstanding state-builder, Kyiv Prince Volodymyr the Great.
"The adoption of Christianity by Kyiv Prince Volodymyr in 988 was a civilizational choice for Ukraine. Christianity contributed to the rise of culture, education, and gave impetus to the development of Cyrillic writing.
Statehood embodies the nation's path to its own state. The core of statehood is the will for self-determination, the historical experience of the people, their mentality, and legal traditions. And the state is a means of ensuring and guaranteeing the integral existence of the nation.
Signs of successful statehood include the realized right of the nation to independence, an effective state apparatus and a capable military, a system of legal norms, international recognition of the state, and its legal identification in the world.
The state and statehood are inseparable like a tree and its roots. Without historical roots, a state cannot exist. History gives society an awareness of the connection between generations and the construction of a common path.
The history of Ukrainian state-building traces its origins to the medieval Rus' state, centered in Kyiv. It was Rus' that laid the foundation of the state-building traditions of Ukrainians. From there come the coat of arms, the currency unit, and most importantly, Kyiv as the political and cultural center of Ukraine.
The traditions of Rus' in building a pan-European cultural and religious space were continued, in particular, by the Galicia-Volhynia Principality, the Ukrainian Cossack state, the Ukrainian People's Republic, the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, the Ukrainian State of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi, Carpathian Ukraine, and modern independent Ukraine.
Knowledge of our state-building history in its entirety is a powerful force against manipulations of historical facts amid the information war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
Real history refutes the fakes of Russian propaganda that Ukrainians and Russians are one people and that Ukraine is an artificial, nonviable state. Therefore, the current war is not only a struggle for the future of our state but also for its past, national independence, and identity," the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance states.
In 2022 and 2023, Statehood Day fell on July 28. Starting in 2024, the celebration date was changed — it is now observed on July 15. The changes are related to the transition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from the Julian to the Revised Julian calendar.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel t.me/sudua and to Google News SUD.UA, as well as to our VIBER and WhatsApp, our page on Facebook and on Instagram to stay informed about the most important events.
