24.08.2024 – Translated from Ukrainian via Google and OFP

Since declaring independence in 1991, Ukraine has come a long and difficult way, full of challenges and victories that will forever remain in the history of our country. Each year has become an important stage in the development of Ukrainian statehood, political and social identity.

From times of peace to military conflicts, from economic reforms to cultural revival – all of this has influenced our modern national experience. Read about what each of the 33 years of Ukrainian independence was remembered for in the OBOZ.UA article.

1991

1991 marked the beginning of a new era for Ukraine. On August 24, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine proclaimed the Act of Independence, supported by the all-Ukrainian referendum on December 1. 90.32% of Ukrainians answered “yes” to the question “Do you confirm the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine?”, and Leonid Kravchuk was elected president.

But with freedom came new economic challenges. There was a shortage of everything except bread, and huge lines formed at stores to spend rubles and coupons.

At the same time, Ukrainian education and culture began to recover. Less than a month after Ukraine declared independence, it was decided to resume the activities of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

1992

During 1992, Ukraine’s independence was recognized by most countries in the world. This year also marked the approval of state symbols – the coat of arms, flag and anthem.

This year also saw shifts in religion. The Bishops’ Council of the UOC (MP) removed Metropolitan Filaret of Kyiv and All Ukraine from the post of head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. After this, two patriarchates appeared in Ukraine – Moscow and Kyiv.

1993

1993 was a time of great hardship for many Ukrainians, but these changes laid the foundation for future development.

The country was experiencing hyperinflation, businesses were closing, and wages were being paid in kind. There was also a miners’ strike, the state was suffering from a lack of taxes, etc. In addition, the country began experiencing massive power outages.

In September, after a meeting in Crimea between Leonid Kravchuk and Boris Yeltsin, Ukraine agreed to give up some of its Black Sea Fleet ships to pay off debts for Russian oil and gas.

1994

In 1994, the first democratic presidential elections in Ukraine took place, in which Leonid Kravchuk handed over power to Leonid Kuchma, who in turn introduced a moratorium on land sales, which slowed down the development of agriculture.

On December 5, the Budapest Memorandum was signed between Ukraine, Russia, the United States and Great Britain due to Ukraine giving up its third-largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for security guarantees.

In the same year, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk renamed his group to “Okean Elzy”, the group “Vopli Vidopliassova” released the album “Kraina Mriy”, and “Dynamo” brought Andriy Shevchenko onto the field for the first time.

In addition, Ukraine participated in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1994 as a separate team, and not as part of the united CIS team. As a result, on February 26, figure skater Oksana Baiul won the first Olympic gold in the history of Ukraine.

1995

As early as 1994, Moscow pursued its policy in Crimea to separate the peninsula from Ukraine. But the SBU carried out several successful special operations. Finally, in 1995, the government issued the law “On the Autonomous Republic of Crimea”, suppressing attempts at annexation.

On August 31, Ukraine confirmed its status as a space state and launched its first satellite, Sich-1.

On November 9, Ukraine became a member of the Council of Europe.

1996

On June 28, 1996, Ukraine approved its Constitution, which became one of the most important documents in the formation of the state. Also this year, as a result of the monetary reform on September 2, the national currency, the hryvnia, was introduced.

The so-called “oil war” between Ukraine and the Russian Federation also begins. The reason was that Ukraine raised tariffs for transporting neighboring oil via the Druzhba gas pipeline.

As for culture, the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta in the USA became the most successful for Ukraine at that time. Athletes brought the state the 9th overall team place, 9 gold, 2 silver and 12 bronze medals.

1997–1998

The year 1997 was marked by the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and Russia, which was important for stabilizing relations between the two countries.

The economy began to develop gradually, the average salary was almost 150 dollars.

On November 19, the first cosmonaut of independent Ukraine went into space on the American ship Columbia as part of a scientific expedition.

On February 26, 1998, President Kuchma made his first state visit to Moscow, where an agreement on economic cooperation was signed.

1999–2000

The year 1999 was marked by the re-election of Leonid Kuchma as President of Ukraine. This was influenced, in particular, by the fact that his main competitor Vyacheslav Chornovol died in a car accident.

And the year 2000 was remembered for the “cassette scandal,” when recordings of conversations in the president’s office were made public, testifying to his involvement in the contract killing of opposition Internet journalist Georgy Gongadze. At that time, this led to mass protests and a political crisis.

Also during this period, Ukraine for the first time pays off its gas debts to the Russian Federation with cruise missiles Kh-55 and Kh-55SM. At that time, 575 of them were transferred.

2001

On February 13, 2001, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was arrested for smuggling Russian gas into Ukraine and tax evasion.

Also in 2001, Pope John Paul II visited Ukraine for the first time.

And on December 5, the first and only all-Ukrainian population census revealed that 48 million 457 thousand citizens live in the country.

2002

On July 9, Ukraine officially declared its intention to integrate into NATO, as Leonid Kuchma introduced the RNBO decision on Ukraine’s integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.

Subsequently, on November 21, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Anatoly Kinakh was dismissed. Therefore, the then head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration Viktor Yanukovych was appointed head of the Government.

2003

On August 11, Ukrainian peacekeepers left for Iraq to carry out a peacekeeping mission.

From September 24 to October 23, a conflict took place around the island of Tuzla, caused by Russia’s construction of a dam in the Kerch Strait, which became another serious test for Ukrainian-Russian relations.

2004

On April 20, the Ukrainian parliament ratified the agreement on the Single Economic Space with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

On May 15, singer Ruslana wins Ukraine’s first victory at the Eurovision Song Contest.

On October 23, mass demonstrations in support of Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko took place in Kyiv.

On November 22, after Viktor Yanukovych’s dubious election victory, the Orange Revolution began. At that time, the Ukrainian people protested en masse against the falsifications in the presidential elections, which led to a change in the country’s political course.

On December 26, a repeat vote of the second round of the Ukrainian presidential elections took place. As a result, Viktor Yushchenko was elected as the next President of Ukraine by a minimal margin.

2005

On February 4, Yulia Tymoshenko receives record support from parliament and becomes the first woman in the history of Ukraine to hold the post of head of government.

On May 19, the Bologna Declaration on Harmonization of Higher Education was signed.

2006

On February 17, the European Union granted Ukraine the status of a country with a market economy, so entrepreneurs could sell goods abroad. Because of this, exports next year increased to 227 million hryvnia.

On November 28, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law recognizing the Holodomor of 1932–1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.

2007

On April 2, Viktor Yushchenko used his right to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada for the first time and announced early parliamentary elections, which were won by the Party of Regions.

On May 12, Andrey Danilko took second place in the Eurovision Song Contest.

iPhones and IMAX cinemas appear in Ukraine.

2008

On April 2-4, a summit of NATO member states was held in Bucharest. Then, in his speech, the Russian president hinted for the first time at possible territorial claims against Ukraine in the event of rapprochement with NATO.

External independent assessment became mandatory for all applicants. The first exam session began on April 22.

On May 16, Ukraine became the 152nd full member of the World Trade Organization.

On October 23, the European Parliament also recognized the Holodomor as a crime against humanity and expressed condolences to the Ukrainian people.

2009

On May 20, Shakhtar Donetsk became the first Ukrainian club since independence to win the UEFA Cup.

On June 11, experts from the World Health Organization declared an outbreak of the H1N1 flu pandemic.

On August 29, the elite category stadium “Donbass Arena” was opened in Donetsk.

2010

In 2010, Viktor Yanukovych was elected president of Ukraine. He and Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement on April 21, according to which Ukraine extended the Black Sea Fleet’s stay in Crimea until 2042 in exchange for a discount on gas.

On July 16, the first Odessa International Film Festival started, which later became known as the Eastern European Cannes.

2011

On August 5, 2011, Yulia Tymoshenko was arrested in the Pechersk Court of Kyiv. On October 11, she was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

The EU subsequently refused to sign the Association Agreement and create a free trade zone with Ukraine, citing the politician’s lawsuit.

2012

On July 3, the law on the principles of state language policy was adopted.

Ukraine also hosted the European Football Championship Euro 2012 together with Poland, which became one of the biggest sporting events in the country’s history.

2013

On November 24, mass protests begin against the government’s decision to suspend the signing of the Association Agreement with the EU.

On the night of November 30, after the forceful dispersal of the peaceful Euromaidan by Berkut, the “Revolution of Hydnost” began.

Subsequently, more than 1,000 Lenin monuments throughout Ukraine were demolished.

2014

2014 was considered the hardest year in the history of independent Ukraine at that time. Casualties on the Maidan, dictatorial laws, the Heavenly Hundred, the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the beginning of the war in the east. All this led to significant losses and upheavals for the country.

On February 22, President Viktor Yanukovych fled Ukraine.

On February 23, the armed invasion of Crimea by Russians began. This marked the beginning of the open phase of aggression against Ukraine.

2015

On January 21, 2015, after 242 days of heroic defense, Ukrainian troops left the destroyed terminals of Donetsk airport.

On February 11-12, at the request of the leaders of Germany and France, the Minsk agreements were signed in 2015. These are agreements on a ceasefire on Russia’s terms.

May 21 – The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the creation of the National Police in Ukraine.

2016

January 1 – the free trade zone between Ukraine and the EU came into force.

On May 15, singer Jamala wins the Eurovision Song Contest.

On May 25, the exchange of Ukrainian political activist Nadezhda Savchenko for Russian GRU prisoners convicted in Ukraine took place.

2017

On June 11, a visa-free regime between Ukraine and the European Union came into effect – a status that allows citizens of Ukraine to freely cross the interstate borders of the countries of the European Union.

2018

On September 17, Petro Poroshenko put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to terminate the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership with Russia.

On November 4, volunteer Katya Gandzyuk dies after the attack, and protests against the inaction of the investigation take place across the country.

2019

On January 5, Ukraine received a tomos from the Ecumenical Patriarch – a decree granting autocephaly, that is, independence from the Moscow Patriarchate.

Also this year, the current President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his desire to participate in the elections. He offered his opponent Petro Poroshenko to hold debates at the Olympic Stadium, after which the showman won with 73% of the votes.

On April 25, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” with 278 votes.

Since October 1, protests have been taking place against the “Steinmeier formula” imposed by Germany, which provides for the withdrawal of troops in the combat zone and the granting of a special status to the occupied territories.

2020–2021

The COVID-19 pandemic begins. People are forced to wear masks and learn to live online. All education and a large number of workers are transferred to remote mode.

On July 3, 2021, the ban on the sale of agricultural land, which has been in effect since 1917, will be lifted.

2022

This year has become one of the most tragic and terrible in the history of the entire existence of the Ukrainian state. On February 24, Russia launched a full-scale offensive, declaring it a “special operation” and began the largest war of modern times.

But the Russians’ plans to “take Kyiv in three days” were too self-confident and optimistic. Not only the Ukrainian army but also the entire nation, which sometimes went out against the terrorists with bare hands, stood up to the invaders.

In the occupied cities, residents came out en masse to rallies and protests, not hesitating to fight for freedom even in front of armed Russians. Some even began to wage their own guerrilla warfare.

On April 2, Irpen, Bucha, Borodyanka and the entire Kyiv region were liberated from the Russian invaders, after which a number of atrocities and crimes against civilians and humanity in general became known. Torture, rape, kidnapping of children, looting, etc. are the constant policy of the Russians.

On April 13, two Ukrainian Neptune missiles destroy the flagship cruiser Moskva.

On May 9, US President Joe Biden signs Lend-Lease, a bill on armed support for Ukraine.

The Kalush Orchestra group wins Eurovision with the song STEFANIA.

2023

The year 2023 also brought many economic and environmental challenges to the Ukrainian people. However, at the same time, Ukraine began to strengthen its position on the world stage and prove its fortitude, power and endurance.

On January 18, a helicopter carrying the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs crashed in the city of Brovary in the Kyiv region. As a result, 14 people died, including Minister Denis Monastyrsky, State Secretary of the Ministry Yuriy Lubkovich and First Deputy Minister Yevhen Yenin.

On the night of May 3, two Ukrainian drones attacked the Kremlin for the first time.

May 24 – The Bishops’ Council of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine approved the transition to the New Julian church calendar.

On June 4, the Ukrainian defense forces launched a counteroffensive. To hinder the Ukrainian Armed Forces, on June 6, the Russians blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station and provoked a large-scale man-made disaster. As a result, 620 square kilometers of territory in the Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions were flooded and damage amounted to almost $14 billion.

July 8 – Military commanders who defended Azovstal returned to Ukraine from Turkey.

On September 2, law enforcement officers served a notice of suspicion on the well-known oligarch Igor Kolomoisky under the articles of fraud and legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means. Subsequently, he received 2 more notices of suspicion.

Since November, Polish carriers have been on strike at the border and have blocked the checkpoints “Korcheva – Krakovets”, “Grebennoe – Rava-Russkaya”, “Dorogusk – Yagodin”. In this way, they wanted to achieve the abolition of the so-called “transport visa-free regime” for Ukrainian truckers.

On November 27, it became known that the historical collection of ancient treasures from the Crimean museums (Crimean gold) returned to Ukraine.

On December 14, the European Council decided to begin negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Along with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia also received EU candidate status.

2024

After Ukraine’s long journey towards European values, an intergovernmental conference between Ukraine and the EU was held in Luxembourg in June 2024, where negotiations with Ukraine on joining the union officially began. However, it was noted then that they were rather formal, and real progress should not be expected before 2025.

On August 12, Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine had launched an offensive in the Kursk region. This is the first time that Ukrainian armed forces have entered Russian territory. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky reported that Ukraine currently controls about 1,000 square kilometers of enemy territory.

Also this year, experts from the forensic research institutions of the Ministry of Justice established the first ever shooting down of a Russian hypersonic missile, the Kinzhal.

A new law has been passed, according to which the transition to daylight saving time is cancelled in Ukraine.

Also in August, many Ukrainian sportsmen and women distinguished themselves at the Olympic Games in Paris. For example, Olha Kharlan won gold in the 2024 Olympic Games final in team sabre fencing. Thanks to this, she became the most titled Ukrainian sportswoman.

On August 20, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the law banning the UOC-MP as a whole.

Previously, OBOZ.UA published a number of interesting facts about the independence of Ukraine and the history of its adoption.

https://www.obozrevatel.com/novosti-obschestvo/33-goda-nezavisimosti-ukrainyi-hronologiya-v-sobyitiyah.htm