Anniversary of the Formation of the Ukrainian People's Republic

This event marked the beginning of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (Ukrainska Narodna Respublika, UNR) — a form of statehood that embodied the aspiration for self-determination at the beginning of the twentieth century. To understand this historical period, it is important to explain the term Central Council (Centralna Rada), which refers to a body of socio-political consensus created to coordinate national life and lay the foundations of democracy. The Ukrainian People’s Republic (Ukrainska Narodna Respublika) became an important attempt to build a modern state on Ukrainian lands after a long period under imperial rule.

The Central Council (Centralna Rada) was headed by Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, an outstanding historian and public figure who is traditionally regarded as the first president of Ukraine. He devoted his life to the scholarly substantiation of the distinctiveness of Ukrainian culture and history, which helped consolidate society around the idea of independence. Under his leadership, key state-building decisions were adopted. An important milestone was the Third Universal (Tretii Universal) of November 20, 1917, which officially proclaimed the creation of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (Ukrainska Narodna Respublika). The word Universal originates from the tradition of Cossack documents of the seventeenth century and signifies an act of state importance addressed to the entire people.

The independence of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (Ukrainska Narodna Respublika) was finally affirmed by the Fourth Universal (Chetvertyi Universal) on January 22, 1918. This decision allowed Ukraine to enter the international arena as an independent subject, which was confirmed during negotiations in Brest-Lytovsk. At that time, the states of the world recognized the sovereignty of Ukraine, establishing the foundation for diplomatic relations. The state had its own currency — the hryvnia (national currency of Ukraine) — and national symbols, including the Tryzub (trident), which remains the coat of arms of Ukraine today. The Tryzub symbolizes continuity with the Kyiv State (Kyivska Derzhava) of the 9th–13th centuries. An important historical event was the Act of Unity (Akt Zluky) on January 22, 1919, when the Ukrainian People’s Republic (Ukrainska Narodna Respublika) and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic (Zakhidnoukrainska Narodna Respublika, ZUNR) united into a single conciliar state.

The historical continuity of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (Ukrainska Narodna Respublika) became the legal and ideological foundation for the restoration of independence in 1991. Today, the struggle of the Ukrainian people — which has continued since 2014 and entered a phase of full-scale defense against the Russian invasion in February 2022 — is a continuation of the same path toward freedom. Ukrainians honor the leaders of 1917 as those who established the tradition of democratic parliamentarism. The deep roots of state institutions help society preserve resilience, uniting efforts for peace, justice, and the preservation of its cultural identity within internationally recognized borders.