Thread by @With__Ukraine

On January 22, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Unity. This post explains the events that made this day important for Ukrainians and the date's symbolism.
#withukraine_history #withukraine #ukraine #dayofunity

After WWI, the territory of Ukraine was divided between the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires. On Jan 22, 1918, Ukrainians of the eastern and central lands proclaimed the independence of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, UNR. A crucial milestone in Ukraine’s state-building

Proclamation of Ukraine’s Independence Act at Sofia Square in Kyiv, January 22, 1918.
Source: unip.gov.ua

After Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed, the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic, ZUNR, was born in Nov 2018. Later, the negotiations between UNR and ZUNR governments have led to the creation of a single sovereign Ukraine on Jan 22, 1919 by signing the Unification Act in Kyiv

The Unification Act stated: ‘‘The territory of Ukraine, divided over the centuries into the West Ukrainian People’s Republic [..] and Transdniprian Great Ukraine will now become united. Centuries-long dreams for which the best sons of Ukraine fought and died have come true [..]’’

In Soviet times, the Day of Unity was not officially celebrated, but in 1990, Ukrainian activists organised one of the largest rallies to honor the event. It is estimated that between 1 and 5 million people joined a ~700 km long human chain stretched from Lviv to Kyiv

In the photo, representatives of the Donetsk and Kharkiv delegations at the “Living Chain” rally in Kyiv, 1990. The banner reads: "Kharkiv and Donetsk have been Ukrainian since time immemorial."

Source: M. Yakovenko, V. Biletskyy

In Dec 2011, then-President Victor Yanukovych cancelled the celebration of the Day of Unity which was an official holiday in Ukraine since 1999. People’s dissatisfaction with the pro-Russian policies of Yanukovych government eventually resulted in the Revolution of Dignity

The first violent deaths on the Maidan occurred on On Jan 22, 2014 and shook the world marking the beginning of the end of President Yanukovych's pro-Russian regime, who, unable to curb the indignation of the Ukrainian people, soon fled from Ukraine to Russia.

In 2014, then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree restoring Jan 22, the Unity Day, as the official holiday
In 2022, Ukrainians celebrated the Day of Unity amid the looming threat of Russian full-scale invasion. Below the photo of the 2022 celebration in Bakhmut: