Day of Ukranian Statehood

About the Day of Ukrainian Statehood

On August 24th 2021, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr  Zelenskyy, approved a new public holiday. The Day of Ukrainian Statehood will be celebrated on July 28th, the Day of the Baptism of Rus.

"We are a young family from the glorious dynasty of Kyivan Rus' - Ukraine. From the ancestry of founders. Ancestry of baptists. From a brave ancestry. Wise ancestry. Cossack ancestry. We are not orphans or foundlings. We are descendants of a powerful country that was the centre of Europe. But we should not only feel accordingly. We must behave accordingly.

"... and we are beginning to celebrate the Day of Ukrainian Statehood. We consider the year of Kyiv's foundation to be its starting point. The capital of Kyivan Rus - Ukraine, is rightly called the city where it all begins. Orthodoxy originated here, the Old Slavonic language originated here, and its successor is the modern Ukrainian language. This is where our statehood began. We will celebrate the birth of our statehood on the day of the renaissance of our statehood – on the Day of Christianization of Kyivan Rus' - Ukraine. And I am going to sign a relevant decree today," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy when announcing the new holiday.

Volodymyr ruled Kyivska Rus from the year 980 to 1015. Kyiv was the first city in ancient Rus to adopt Christianity.

In 988, the Slavic ruler had the entire population of ancient Rus' baptised in the river Dnipro, rendering the peoples one Christian nation according to Byzantine Orthodox tradition.

Since 2010, this anniversary