Every year on June 28, Ukraine celebrates Constitution Day.
The Constitution of Ukraine was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada at 9:20 AM on June 28, 1996. Deputies worked on the draft all day and all night, remaining in the session hall without breaks. 315 people's deputies voted "for" the adoption of the Basic Law. The Constitution of Ukraine of 1996 became the first universally recognized Constitution of an independent Ukrainian state in the world. It defines the foundations of social and state order, the rights and freedoms of individuals and citizens, the organization and functioning of state authorities and local self-government bodies.
The Constitution is the core of the legal system, on which the present is based and the future of the Ukrainian state and its people unfolds. This document is the foundation for the development and strengthening of democratic, social, and legal principles in building our society, where a person, their life and health, honor and dignity, inviolability and security are recognized as the highest social value. In fact, this also makes us part of Europe and significantly distinguishes us from Russia.
Our Constitution defines that Ukraine is a rule-of-law state based on the principles of respect for the individual and the inviolability of their rights and freedoms, the rule of law, and adherence to the law. It prohibits discrimination. The Constitution enshrines the sovereignty of the Ukrainian state over its entire territory, which is inviolable. The protection of this sovereignty and territorial integrity is the most important function of the state and the responsibility of the entire Ukrainian people.
Today, citizens of Ukraine who resist the Russian invasion are defending the state from the occupier, thus fulfilling their constitutional duty. After all, our Basic Law is not only about rights but also about the duties of citizens. Therefore, together we continue to resist the aggressor, who disregards legal norms and international law.
Predecessors of the modern Constitution:
The Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk – 1710;
The Constitution of the Ukrainian People's Republic – April 29, 1918;
The Small Constitution of the West Ukrainian People's Republic – November 13, 1918;
The Temporary Constitution of Carpathian Ukraine – March 15, 1939.
Today, in the context of the full-scale Russian invasion and numerous crimes of the occupiers, we all reassess the significance of the values enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. The Basic Law is the core of the consolidation of the Ukrainian people.
The unchanging civilizational choice of the Ukrainian people over the centuries is once again defended in armed struggle against Moscow's aggression. The Moscow authorities have made and continue to make attempts to appropriate Ukrainian history, to steal our achievements, our people, children, and future.
The Ukrainian Constitution is real, not declarative. In contrast, for the Rashist regime, as well as its predecessor, communist totalitarianism, what is written in their constitution remains a declaration. This in no way protects either their own citizens from the restriction of their rights or other nations from crimes of aggression.
The Constitution of Ukraine is not only the core of our national legal system but also our moral compass. For us, Ukrainians, the Constitution is about rights and freedoms, dignity and values, resilience and unconquerability.
Historically, the constitutional process reflects the intentions of legally enshrining at the highest level such values of the Ukrainian people as democracy, the rule of law, equality of citizens, independence, and territorial integrity of their state, as well as the European civilizational choice.
We have succeeded in this, and today Ukraine is an independent modern European state. Provisions regarding the strategic course of our country towards acquiring full membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are now enshrined in the Basic Law.