July 16 marks the anniversary of the proclamation of the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine. On this very day in 1990, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR, by a constitutional majority of people’s deputies—355 votes in favor, with four against and one abstention—adopted the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine. The document proclaimed Ukraine’s sovereignty as the supremacy, autonomy, completeness, and indivisibility of the republic’s authority within its territory, as well as its independence and equality in foreign relations. The Declaration marked an important step toward independence. The fundamental provisions of this document later became the basis for legislative acts of national significance—the Constitution and laws of Ukraine.
From June 28 to July 11, 1990, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR considered and debated drafts of the declaration. On July 16, 1990, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR, “carrying out the will of the Ukrainian people to build a free and independent state,” adopted the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine.
The Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine consisted of a preamble and 10 sections. Almost all of its provisions contradicted the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR in force at that time.
The day the Declaration was proclaimed was declared a public holiday in Ukraine. Ukraine celebrated Independence Day for the first time on July 16,
1991. That day was marked by massive festive rallies and demonstrations in many regions. On this holiday, at the conclusion of the “Cossack Trails” cultural tour through the cities of the Donetsk region, activists Mykola Tyshchenko and Volodymyr Biletsky raised the Ukrainian flag over Svyatogorye for the first time.
The Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine served as the basis for the “Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine,” adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on August 24, 1991.
Immediately after the historic decision was adopted, an emotional Levko Lukyanenko declared on the square in front of the Verkhovna Rada: “This Declaration is a roadmap for Ukraine’s liberation from Moscow’s rule. It is up to us whether the Declaration will become a practical plan for building an independent Ukraine, or whether the pro-Moscow orthodox communists will succeed in turning it into yet another empty piece of paper.”
The Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine became an act of reviving the Ukrainians’ aspirations for statehood 70 years after the era of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921. Yet the struggle for our independence continues to this day—now on the battlefield.
Today, as we commemorate this event, we thank everyone who helped bring Independence closer. We honor all those who fell in the struggle for Ukraine’s freedom. Let us continue to build a strong, law-abiding, and democratic state together.