Reflections on Ukraine’s 33rd Independence Day

Ukraine’s 3rd Summer of War

August 24^th is Ukrainian Independence Day. This year marked both 33 years of independence and three years of full-scale War. In 1991, Ukraine emerged from the largely peaceful collapse of the Soviet Union sovereign and independent only in name. True independence remained largely aspirational as a new generation of Ukrainians dreamed of realizing a Ukraine free of Russian domination. In the three decades since, Ukraine has enjoyed little respite and great struggle in securing its sovereignty and upholding the liberal democratic and market reforms necessary to achieve prosperity. Corruption has plagued Ukraine over the past decades and has stunted the transformation needed in Ukrainian society to deliver full prosperity. However, beyond these domestic factors, Russian predation has always loomed as the existential threat facing modern Ukraine.