At noon on January 22, several dozen Kharkiv residents unfurled a blue-and-yellow flag near the Derzhprom building, which was damaged twice by Russian strikes.
This was reported by a Ukrinform correspondent.
Participants of the event unfurled the flag from east to west, symbolically demonstrating the unity of the country’s East and West. They observed a minute of silence to honor the memory of those who died in the war and thanked the Armed Forces of Ukraine for making it possible to celebrate today’s holiday.
For the first time since the start of the full-scale war, the Day of Unity event in Kharkiv is taking place above ground, noted co-organizer and Kharkiv Regional Council deputy Halyna Kuts.
“We gathered near a symbol of Kharkiv, our Derzhprom building, which is currently ‘wounded.’ And may our police forgive us — it seems there are more than 50 of us here (mass gatherings are prohibited in Kharkiv for safety reasons – ed.). Our city is very important, it is our stronghold for the country. Kharkiv has given much to Ukraine. The first political party in Naddniprianska Ukraine was founded here, and the slogan ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ was created by Kharkiv students,” Kuts said.
She emphasized that today is a double holiday: in 1918, the Fourth Universal of the Ukrainian People’s Republic declared Ukraine independent, and in 1919, the Act of Unification was proclaimed. Interestingly, another significant historical event took place on this day.
“On January 21, 1934, Kharkiv was stripped of its status as the ‘first capital,’ a myth that Russian propaganda is built on. In reality, our statehood has much deeper, centuries-long roots. The Independence Day we have celebrated for just over 30 years, since 1991, is actually a day of restored independence,” Kuts said.
Co-organizer Volodymyr Chystylyn recalled that during Soviet times, efforts were made to erase the memory of unification.
“Few knew about this day because they wanted to destroy the very idea of statehood,” he said.
In January 2022, Kharkiv residents organized a large-scale event: they marched from Taras Shevchenko monument to a building on Rymarska Street, where a memorial plaque was unveiled in honor of linguist Yurii Sheveliov.
In 2023 and 2024, due to the constant threat of shelling, symbolic events were held in the subway.
As reported, January 22 is the Day of Unity in Ukraine. This holiday was officially established in 1999 and is celebrated every year on the anniversary of the 1919 proclamation of the Act of Unification of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic.
Source: Flag unfurled in Kharkiv near Russian-damaged Derzhprom building to mark Unity Day
