Today Marks The 31st Anniversary Of Ukraine's Independence From The Soviet Union

Wednesday, 24 August 2022 11:32

Civilians asked not to gather in cities

The People of Ukraine are today marking the 31st anniversary of the country's independence from the Soviet Union.

Officials in the country are asking civilians not to gather in the main cities to celebrate the holiday.

There are fears the events would have been targeted by Russia.

🇺🇦 Authorities in #Ukraine have banned celebrations for Independence Day out of fears that they could be easy targets.

Speaking earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky remained defiant.

"We only care about our land, we will fight for it until the end" ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/arLxI4vVbQ
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) August 24, 2022

NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has this warning for the EU:

Ukraine's Day of Independence falls on six months since Russian forces invaded Ukraine territory.

Close to 50,000 refugees have fled to Ireland since the outbreak of the war six months ago.

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudyk says no one expected the country to resist the Russian attack for so long:

Corrie Butler from The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has been paying tribute to people who have volunteered their services to help them:

In Ireland, Ukrainian Independence Day parades and rallies are taking place across the country.

Artem Nedostup from Ukrainian Action Ireland outlines where the list of parades here has been posted:

The history of Ukraine's independence is quite dramatic and inspiring. Ukrainian nation was fighting for centuries and continues to do so since Feb 24. Devotion, bravery, freedom. Our land - our independence. Brief historic update by @United24media: https://t.co/l66r5QYI6B. pic.twitter.com/W68zn4wvtB
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 24, 2022