What is Freedom? Ukrainian Independence Edition
Recalling the arrest of Gorbachev, the saving of the Ukrainian language, and the wild events of 1991
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Wealth & Democracy
On August 24, Ukraine celebrated 30 years of independence. Here we share with you stories from Lviv people about the end of the Soviet Union and about the current state of freedom in Ukraine.
1991: After Communists Arrest Gorbachev, Ukraine Declares Independence
IHOR YUKHNOVSKY, a physicist and politician, was the first member of parliament of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic to call for debate on the declaration of independence. Now 95 years old, he speaks with us about those wild, decisive days.
“We took advantage of the actions of the State Committee for Emergency Situations, but before gaining that Independence, there was a lot of work of the nation for centuries. Everyone who fought, who was in prison. That was their merit. We just made the last jerk.”
Story by Victoria Savitska. Read it here …
«Glory to Ukraine»: How the Blue and Yellow Flag Was First Raised in Lviv.
FEAR AND RISK. The entire Soviet Ukraine looked at Lviv. The capital of Ukrainian Galicia became the inspiration for a national revival. Lviv was one of the first cities to raise the blue-yellow flag over the City Hall a little more than a year before the proclamation of independence. On April 3, 1990, thousands of people gathered in the main square of the city. Seeing the national flag on the tower, they shouted at once in delight; some even cried, and Lviv expressed its pro-Ukrainian position.
Story by Yuliia Osym. Read it here …
«It’s a True Miracle That the Language Survived.»
DESPITE THE cynicism and meanness of the communist era, the Ukrainian language survived, according to the well-known Lviv linguist, Oleksandra Serbenska, doctor of philology at Franko university. Here she shares a memory of the day of independence, 1991:
«It wasn’t time for restaurants, so we gathered at home. My husband, who was a historian and worked as a teacher, clung to the TV in the next room and looked forward to the act’s proclamation. Suddenly, he ran and joyfully exclaimed that independence had been accepted. Everyone got up together and sang «Oh u luzi chervona kalyna» (Oh in the meadow, a red guelder rose.» We still remember the image of that little dream come true. It was a unique moment that still lives in our family and is associated with certain efforts of our relatives for freedom and independence.»
Story by Olha Shveda. Translated by Vitalii Holich. Read it here …
2021: Photos and Videos from the March of the Unconquered
TO THE BEAT OF MANY DRUMS, hundreds of Lviv residents took part in the March of the Unconquered. From Lychakiv Cemetery, where they commemorated the soldiers killed in the war, the March went to the military hospital, where wounded servicemen are treated.
Story by Khrystyna Hogol; photo and video by Taras Babenchuk. See it here …
What Is Freedom? An American Talks with Ukraine’s Rocker-Politician-Physicist-Philosopher
SLAVA VAKARCHUK, front man of the band Okean Elzy, has packed stadiums of tens of thousands. His song «Na Hebi» is regularly heard on the streets of Lviv, often with dozens of people singing along.
As a musician, he has become one of the chief chroniclers of Ukraine’s life and heritage. But he has also worked to define Ukrainian freedom: He served twice in the Ukrainian parliament and his name was in early contention in the latest presidential race. He’s also a physicist who has explored the outer edges of knowledge: He received his PhD in physics, focusing on supersymmetry, from Lviv University.
Lviv Now’s Joe Lindsley, an American seeking to define freedom, had a brief chance to whether Slava Ivanovych has a grand unified theory of Ukraine. You can read the story here.
And, from that story, here is a video of the Lviv National Opera’s opening of the Independence Day celebrations with Carl Orff’s haunting “O Fortuna”:
About Us
Lviv Now: Showing How Strong a Community Can Be When Creating Quality Changes Together
LVIV NOW is a project of Tvoe Misto (“Your City”), Lviv’s solutions-focused media hub, working with American journalist Joe Lindsley.
Each week, the journalists of Tvoe Misto, led by editor-in-chief Svitlana Zhabiuk and publisher Taras Yatsenko, host problem-solving public forums, one topic at a time, to activate democracy for all citizens. Their newsroom provides daily reporting as part of their solutions-focused journalism. We welcome you to share this newsletter or individual stories with digital nomads, creative people, travelers, diplomats, researchers, entrepreneurs, the Ukrainian diaspora, and more!
“Through the Lviv Now project, we want to tell the English-speaking audience about Lviv as a lively and attractive city, with its unique architecture, history, and entrepreneurial initiatives. We seek to show how strong a community can be when creating quality changes together,” says the director of the media hub Tvoe Misto, Taras Yatsenko.
“We hope Lviv Now will be useful and interesting among the English-speaking audience of scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, journalists and tourists, as well as firmly establish Lviv on the global map of the world,” Yatsenko says. “Therefore, the slogan of our project is "Let's Open Lviv to the world!"
For more stories and to leave comments, please visit our website LvivNow.com. We welcome your ideas and responses.