2000, National Television Company of Ukraine. A programme from the series ‘History of Ukrainian Statehood’ devoted to reviewing significant events in Ukrainian history since the 1991 All-Ukrainian referendum. 

The video features: opening credits, Ukrainian symbols, archival footage of important historical events (the collapse of the USSR, Leonid Kravchuk in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the formation of the CIS, President Leonid Kravchuk's oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people, the decision on Ukraine's non-nuclear status, the adoption of the Constitution of Ukraine), students of Kyiv Specialised School No. 196 express their opinions on independence, the Ukrainian army, the Black Sea Fleet, rallies, the Verkhovna Rada, the harvest, and the Ukrainian Cossacks. The video recording includes fragments produced by the State Enterprise ‘Ukrainian Television Film Studio ’Ukrtelevizor" and materials from the Central State Film, Photo and Phono Archive. 

Comments: Leonid Tupchienko, candidate of philosophical sciences; Viktor Pynzenyk, Deputy Prime Minister; Hennadiy Udovenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN from 1985 to 1991.

Authors: Stanislav Kulchytsky, Oleksandr Ryabokrys, Nadiya Dovgych.

‘History of Ukrainian Statehood’: significant events in history

November 21, 2019, Kyiv.

Video: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska at the site where the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity is planned to be built; tour, work plan; speech by the President of Ukraine on Dignity and Freedom Day; ceremony of laying flowers and honoring memory at the memorial plaques of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.

Reference: Dignity and Freedom Day is a public holiday of Ukraine, celebrated annually on November 21 in honor of the beginning of the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity of 2013. The day is designed to honor events in modern history that have testified to the aspiration of Ukrainian society for democracy, freedom, and national dignity.

Dignity and Freedom Day, 2019

Ukraine's accession to the Council of Europe, 1995. 

Video program about the Ukrainian government delegation's visit to Strasbourg to attend the ceremony of Ukraine's accession to the Council of Europe: airport, Prime Minister of Ukraine Yevhen Marchuk walks down the ramp, greets officials, meeting with Miguel Martinez, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, meeting on Ukraine's accession, ceremony, speech by Yevhen Marchuk, raising of the Ukrainian flag, interviews with Yevhen Marchuk and Miguel Martinez. 

Background: In 1995, during its September session of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe adopted a positive opinion on Ukraine's application for membership. Ukraine was allocated 12 seats in the Assembly. A Ukrainian delegation headed by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada took part in the PACE session. On October 31, 1995, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law on accession to the Charter of the Council of Europe. And on November 9, the solemn ceremony of Ukraine's accession to the Council of Europe took place.

Ukraine's accession to the Council of Europe 

October 1990, Kyiv.

The video shows the Student Revolution on Granite — a protest and hunger strike by students in Kyiv on October Revolution Square (now Independence Square). Barricades, students rallying, people behind the fence support the protesters, sing songs, shout slogans, speech by Yaroslav Kendzor, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, speech by schoolboy Maksym Butkevych, singer Oleg Pavlyshyn performs the song ‘A my khloptsi, bandervtsi’ (We are Bandera's boys), an excerpt from the song ‘Khmary hriznishe zisyadyshly nad holovamy’ (Threatening clouds gathered above our heads) performed by singer Andriy Khavunka.

Reference: The main demands of the protesters were: the resignation of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, Vitaly Masol; the prevention of the signing of a new union treaty with the USSR; the re-election of the Verkhovna Rada on a multi-party basis; the nationalisation of the property of the Communist Party of Ukraine and the Komsomol; and the service of Ukrainian conscripts within Ukraine.
Maksym Butkevych is a Ukrainian human rights activist, journalist, and co-founder of NGOs who has been working on migrant issues and human rights violations for over 20 years. After the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, he went to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was captured by the Russians, was sentenced to 13 years in prison, but was released in October 2024 in exchange.

The Revolution on Granite, 1990

15 July 1996, Kyiv.

A plot about the second convocation of Ukrainian MPs taking an oath of allegiance to Ukraine and signing the corresponding Act. Verkhovna Rada, Ihor Yukhnovskyi shows an icon of the Mother of God, session hall, the oldest member of parliament, Ihor Yukhnovsky, reads the text of the oath, the head of the Socialist Party, Oleksandr Moroz, at the podium, members of parliament sign a copy of the Constitution of Ukraine, members of parliament sign the text of the oath in the corridors.

Comments from MPs: Ihor Yukhnovsky, Volodymyr Yavorivsky, Bohdan Horyn, Viktor Omelych.

Deputies take the oath of office to the people of Ukraine

August 24, 2007, Kyiv.

Celebrations on Independence Square on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the proclamation of Ukraine's Independence.

Video shows preparations, officials from various angles, President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko and First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko with children; military band, beginning of the ceremony, performance of the National Anthem of Ukraine. March of military bands of various branches of the armed forces, opening the festive parade by the elite unit of the Metropolitan State Department of the State Automobile Inspectorate of the Specialized Battalion of the Road Patrol Service for the Support of the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the city of Kyiv.

The military parade ends with a solemn march by the combined band and Oleg Pavlyshyn with the performance of the song "I Believe".

Independence Day: 2007

August 24, 2006, Kyiv.

Celebrations on the Independence Square on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the proclamation of the Independence of Ukraine.

Video shows a military choir, various plans of the Independence Square, the beginning of the concert program.

Demonstration of military orchestras of various branches of the Ukrainian armed forces: a company of the Honor Guard on the march; students of the Ivan Bohun Military Lyceum; an elite unit of the Capital State Department of the State Automobile Inspectorate of the specialized battalion of the road patrol service to ensure the escort of the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the city of Kyiv; march-parade of military bands: military band of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, band of the Poltava Military Institute of Communications, band of the 3rd Separate Special Purpose Regiment named after Prince Svyatoslav the Brave, band of the Military Art Training Center of Lviv, band of the 13th Army Corps (now the Operational Command "North"), band of the Center for Musical Art of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, band of the Zhytomyr Military Institute of Radio Electronics, band of the Center for Military Musical Art of Odesa, military bands of the Joint Rapid Response Forces, band of the Center for Military Art of the Ground Forces of Ukraine in Chernihiv, band of the Sumy Military Institute of Missile Forces and Artillery (SumSU) named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky, band of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, military band of the 117th Separate Rocket Artillery Regiment of the Order of Kutuzov of Kremenchuk (now the 117th Separate heavy mechanized brigade), 72nd mechanized brigade, exemplary and demonstration orchestra of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kyiv, orchestra of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Field concert with the performance of famous musical works. The song "Let's be brothers" performed by Pavlo and Petro Pryymaki and Zhanna Bondaruk.

Host — Vasyl Ilashchuk.

Independence Day of Ukraine: 2006

July 16, 1990, Kyiv.

The video shows the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine at a session of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR. The session hall, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ivan Plyushch opens the session, the roll call of the deputies, the adoption of the final version of the Declaration, the results of the voting on the scoreboard, other issues on the agenda, the speech of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Vitalii Masol with proposals for the formation of the Government of the Ukrainian SSR.

Speeches by deputies: Vadym Hetman; Roman Lubkivsky; Leonid Kravchuk; Henrik Altunyan; Volodymyr Shlemko; Vasyl Mykhailiuk; Yaroslav Kendzior; Ivan Zayats; Serhiy Ryabchenko; Vitalii Karpenko; Ihor Yukhnovskyi; Mykola Shulha; Serhii Pravdenko.

Adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine

The inauguration of Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the sixth President of Ukraine, took place on May 20, 2019.

In the video, Volodymyr Zelenskyy enters the Verkhovna Rada, where representatives of the Ukrainian authorities and guests of honor have gathered. The national anthem of Ukraine is playing. Tetyana Slipachuk, head of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine, reads the protocol of the presidential election results. Volodymyr Zelenskyy takes the oath and delivers a speech. He is then handed certificates and other attributes of the head of state.

Recording of the broadcast provided by the press service of the President's office.

Inauguration of Volodymyr Zelenskyi

Kyiv, 2008, military parade on Ukraine's Independence Day. 

The video shows: the opening of the parade, a solemn march of various units, a column of tanks, trucks with anti-aircraft guns, Grad multiple rocket launchers, military equipment with missiles, an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov, a military band, spectators, helicopters, planes, and attack aircraft flying overhead, Khreshchatyk Street, and Independence Square.

Independence Day: 2008

Kyiv, 1998. The video shows a live report from the military parade on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of Ukraine's independence. Commentators: Svitlana Ganska and Vasyl Byrzul. 

First Deputy Minister of Defense, Head of the Kyiv Garrison, Colonel-General Ivan Bizhan is in command. The parade is hosted by the Minister of Defense, Army General Oleksandr Kuzmuk. A company of drummers from the Ivan Bohun Kyiv Military Lyceum opens the event. Representatives of various units march along Khreshchatyk, as well as columns of military equipment.

The military parade ends with a solemn march by a combined orchestra.

Independence Day: 1998

March 14, 2013, Independence Square, Kyiv.

The story is about the first volunteers from the Maidan self-defense, who formed the first volunteer battalion named after Serhiy Kulchytsky. Flags of Maidan self-defense, volunteers lining up, activists, volunteers boarding buses to European Square, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy on stage with a loudspeaker.

Comments: Alisa, a representative of the 39th Women's Hundred; Mykola Lukyanenko, a centurion of the 19th Hundred.

Reference: On March 14, 2014, the Ukrainian volunteer movement was revived. The first 500 fighters of the Maidan Self-Defense volunteered to go to the training base in Novi Petrivtsi. Later, this volunteer battalion was named after its first commander, Major General Serhiy Kulchytsky. The Ukrainians self-organized, underwent a short training course, and went to the east of the country to defend their homeland from russian aggression.

In 2014-2015, 40 volunteer battalions took part in the fighting, most of which later joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Since 2017, March 14 has been officially celebrated as the Day of the Ukrainian Volunteer.

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