Ukraine celebrates 35 years of independence

Although it’s taken some time, Ukraine has achieved impressive things in the 35 years of its independence, Ukrainska Pravda puts in:

“The state emerged from the grip of an authoritarian regime that had nearly suffocated it, and, having barely recovered from its illness, learned to walk again. It handed back money and powers to local authorities, established transparent procurement procedures, overhauled the banking system and restructured the army so fundamentally that the next invasion came up against an entirely different country to the one it encountered in 2014. … However, none of these steps was taken of the state’s own political will, but rather in the midst of upheaval, under pressure from the Maidan, the front, the Western partners and disaster.”