Ukraine’s freedom is marked on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv by a 61m-tall column, which was built to commemorate the 10th anniversary of its breakaway from the Soviet Union.
The centre of the capital city will look harrowingly different today than it did on the day the column was erected, as the country’s neighbour, Russia, continues to bomb it as part of a full-on invasion.
But when did Ukraine gain its independence as a nation?
Here is everything you need to know.
For the latest updates on the Russia-Ukraine war, visit our live blog: Russia-Ukraine live
When did Ukraine become an independent country?
From 1922 until the early 1990s, Ukraine was a state in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also known as the Soviet Union.
The Union consisted of 15 states total, including; Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
However, by 1991, the USSR had fallen apart, with states stepping out on their own to become independent.
Ukraine was one of them. It officially became an independent country just over 30 years ago, in December 1991.
The journey to independence started in August 1991, when the Ukrainian parliament set out the Act of Declaration of Independence.
A referendum on the Act was held in Ukraine on December 1, with 84% of eligible voters turning up at the polls. Just over 92% of people voted ‘yes’ to leaving the Soviet Union.
The very next day, on December 2, Ukraine was recognised around the world as an independent nation.
This came despite pressure from Moscow to enter into a restructured version of the Soviet Union, following the collapse of communism across the region.
Instead, Ukraine joined with Russia and Belarus to form the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), an intergovernmental organisation across Eastern Europe and parts of Asia.
However, the country formally ended all participation in CIS in 2018, having not participated in the organisation since 2014 following the Russian annexation of Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine war: Everything you need to know
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has escalated, with a 40-mile long Russian convoy closing in on Kyiv, and accusations of the illegal use of vacuum bombs and cluster munitions.
Amid the violence, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an impassioned speech to the EU saying that ‘nobody will break us’.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin will 'feel the consequences' for his invasion of Ukraine.
However, Putin has shown no signs of de-escalating anytime soon.
- Prince Charles calls Ukraine invasion an ‘unconscionable’ attack on democracy
- Tearful Ukrainian woman tells Boris ‘children are protecting Nato from missiles’
- Ukraine claims Belarus has crossed border to join Putin’s invasion
- Food supplies running out in Kyiv with empty shelves and huge queues at shops
- Which countries are Russia's allies?
- Dancing With The Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy arrested in Ukraine
- How can I join the Ukraine foreign legion?
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