The proclamation of independence in 1991 was not the beginning of Ukraine’s statehood, but the culmination of a centuries-long history and a long struggle to regain a sovereign state.

Across different periods of history, from the times of Rus to the Cossack Hetmanate and the Ukrainian People’s Republic, people here had various forms of statehood and governance. On August 24, 1991, Ukraine restored its independence after decades of Soviet rule – a return to the independent Ukrainian state, declared by the Ukrainian People’s Republic over 100 years ago.

Words matter – they shape how history is understood. Saying that Ukraine restored its independence, rather than was born in 1991, recognises this longer historical continuity and the role of generations of Ukrainians who helped shape the country as it is today.