Turning the pages back... July 16, 1990 (07/17/05)

Turning the pages back...

July 16, 1990

On July 16, 1990, between 5,000 and 10,000 Kyiv residents took to the streets to celebrate the Declaration on State Sovereignty on the evening of its adoption by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR. They did so by gathering in Kyiv's October Revolution Square, reported the Ukrainian Press Agency (UPA).

At the meeting People's Deputy Bohdan Horyn proposed declaring July 16 Independence Day and renaming the square Independence Square. The suggestions were met with cheers, cries of "Glory to Ukraine" and prolonged applause. Mr. Horyn was quoted as saying that the declaration was the first step toward full independence.

He was followed to the podium by Oles Shevchenko, Vyacheslav Chornovil, Larysa Skoryk and Mykola Porovsky, all deputies in the Ukrainian Parliament. Mr. Shevchenko proclaimed that "from today our children will be born in a free country and not in a colony belonging to Moscow," the UPA noted.

The large crowd of people formed into a column and marched toward St. Sophia Square. Several people were dressed in Kozak costumes. The column stopped briefly at the building where in 1917-1918 the Ukrainian Central Rada (Council) had held its meetings. Several people gave speeches in memory of the first president of the Ukrainian National Republic, Mykhailo Hrushevsky. The column of people then proceeded toward the Taras Shevchenko monument where wreaths were laid.

Reached by telephone, Mr. Chornovil, a deputy from Lviv and chairman of the Lviv Oblast Council, who was just elected the leader of the National Council (Narodna Rada), a group of radical deputies from the Democratic Bloc, gave The Weekly his reaction to the day's historic events.

"On July 16, the people rejoiced as children would; some of them may not understand that this declaration is just a sheet of paper, our work is just beginning. Others may just want to shut their eyes temporarily, relishing the moment," he said. "But, no matter, this is precisely what our people needed at this time."

Source: "Ukraine proclaims sovereignty"; "Euphoria, trepidation, mixed emotions are reaction to Ukraine's proclamation," by Marta Kolomayets; The Ukrainian Weekly, July 22, 1990, Vol. LVIII, No. 29.

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