The Embassy of Ukraine in India, together with the Ukrainian community in India, marked the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine’s independence at the Embassy.

Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Embassy of Ukraine in India, Mr. Artem Nosko, and Head of the Ukrainian Community in India, Mrs. Maryna Akram, addressed the gathering.

In his remarks, Mr. Nosko reflected on Ukraine’s thousand-year history and tradition of statehood, our long struggle for freedom and the strength of a nation that has repeatedly defended its right to exist, to speak its own language and to determine its own future.

Mrs. Maryna Akram read a poem specially written for the occasion, dedicated to Ukraine, to the feeling of home and to the bond with one’s country that no distance can break.

In a moment of profound unity and remembrance, we observed a minute of silence for Ukraine’s defenders and civilians whose lives were taken by Russia’s aggression. We remembered those who stood for Ukraine until their last breath, those whose lives were cut short simply because Russia brought war to our land, and all those whom Ukraine carries forever in its memory.

Together, we sang the National Anthem of Ukraine.

For Ukrainians, independence has always been inseparable from volia, a Ukrainian word that means both freedom and will. It is the spirit that has carried our nation through centuries of struggle and the strength that keeps Ukraine standing and fighting for its freedom today.

Volia is Ukraine’s superpower.

We were. We are. And we will be.

Slava Ukraini! Heroiam Slava!