On the occasion of Ukraine’s National Flag Day, the Museum hosted a meeting with a political and public figure, a member of the People’s Movement of Ukraine, Ivan Zayets, and Captain Volodymyr Bondarenko, Acting Head of the Civil-Military Cooperation Unit of the 31st Mechanized Brigade named after Cornet General Leonid Stupnytskyi. The event served as a platform for a discussion about the symbols of Ukrainian statehood and the contemporary challenges facing society in its struggle for independence.
The event’s moderator, Yaryna Zakalska, presented a chronology of the establishment of the blue-and-yellow flag as a state symbol. With its origins in medieval tradition, a banner close to its modern form was first raised as a symbol of the struggle for Ukrainian rights during the revolutionary events of the “Spring of Nations” in the Austrian Empire in 1848. The blue-and-yellow flag was affirmed as a state symbol during Ukraine’s War of Independence of 1917–1921, but for many decades was banned under Soviet occupation. When the time came to restore independence, blue-and-yellow flags rose across the country as a symbol of the reborn Ukrainian state.
It was precisely the events on the eve of Ukraine’s declaration of independence that were described in more detail by their participant, Ivan Zayets. He recalled the activity of the People’s Movement of Ukraine in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the mass rallies, and the support of people who longed to see Ukraine free. The politician emphasized that state symbols have always been markers of the struggle for independence and remain a factor of societal unity today.
Captain Volodymyr Bondarenko drew attention to the current realities of defending statehood. He spoke about his unit, in particular about the origin of its unique name. It honors the memory of Cornet General Leonid Stupnytskyi — the first instance in which a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine bears the name of a military leader of both the Ukrainian People’s Army and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Volodymyr noted that the servicemen of his brigade feel a special responsibility in their service, for this designation is not only a testament to the military valor of its personnel but also a sign of continuity in the struggle for Ukrainian statehood.
This event united different generations around the symbol of the Ukrainian people’s freedom and statehood. We are sincerely grateful to the participants for a meaningful discussion.
