On December 1, 1991, the Ukrainian people confirmed their historic decision—the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine—by their own free will. By a majority vote in a nationwide referendum, Ukrainians confirmed the Act of Declaration of Independence, adopted on August 24 by the Verkhovna Rada.
A positive answer to the question, "Do you confirm the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine?" was given by 90.32% of voters. There was not a single region or settlement where the idea of Ukraine's independence did not find support among the majority of citizens.
The referendum was held in 27 administrative units of Ukraine: 24 regions, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol. 84.18% of those eligible to vote, or 31,891,742 voters, took part in the referendum; 90.32% of those who participated, or 28,804,071 citizens, expressed their support for independence.
In the Donetsk region, 2,957,372 people took part in the referendum, which was 76.73% of all voters in the region. This was the largest number of voters among other regions of Ukraine. The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was supported by 2,841,157 (83.9%) voters in the Donetsk region.
The referendum strengthened the legal foundations of state sovereignty and created conditions for the development of state-building processes in independent Ukraine.
During the democratic expression of will on December 1, 1991, the Ukrainian people confirmed their desire to live in a sovereign state and laid the foundations for state-building processes in independent Ukraine.
Ukrainians once again confirmed their desire to live in a free and independent state, for which they had fought for centuries. In the 20th century, Ukraine finally regained its independence. The referendum finally confirmed the birth of an independent Ukrainian state.
Only after the All-Ukrainian referendum was Ukraine recognized by other countries of the world. And today, the Ukrainian state occupies a worthy place in the world.
The referendum on December 1, 1991, undoubtedly became one of the most important events in the modern history of Ukraine. Millions of Ukrainians, backed by generations of fighters for the freedom and liberty of their homeland, said their convincing "Yes." Today, when a treacherous enemy is once again encroaching on our independence, we continue to defend it on the battlefield.