Far from home, Ukrainians abroad mark 35 years of independence as war with Russia drags on

BRUSSELS: Thirty-five years after Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union, the country is still fighting to preserve its sovereignty. 

Ukraine’s Independence Day on Monday (Aug 24) falls exactly four-and-a-half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

For the millions of Ukrainians displaced by the war, the anniversary is both a celebration of the country they left behind and a reminder of what is still at stake.

“It’s a day where we understand that we stay in war,” said Misha Dzivitskyi, president of the Brussels-based Ukrainian Voices Refugee Committee (UVRC), which supports Ukrainians in Belgium.

“We continue to be strong. It’s difficult, but it’s a moment where we understand that we have independence.”

BUILDING LIVES AWAY FROM HOME

In Belgium, some 70,000 displaced Ukrainians are still living under the European Union’s temporary protection scheme, which allows them to live and work in the bloc and has been repeatedly extended as the war drags on.