The Kyiv Independence Day Parade () has been the main event of various celebrations of the

Independence Day of Ukraine Independence Day of Ukraine (, ) is a public holidays in Ukraine, state holiday in Ukraine, celebrated on 24 August in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine, Declaration of Independence of 1991. History When Ukraine was st ...

, which is celebrated annually in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

on August 24.Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives on Nationalism
by

Taras Kuzio Taras Kuzio is a Professor of Political Science at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy ( Kyiv, Ukraine). His area of study is Russian and Ukrainian political, economic and security affairs. Education Taras Kuzio is of Ukrainian de ...

, ibidem Press, 2007, (352)
Language Policy and Discourse on Languages in Ukraine Under President Viktor Yanukovych
by Michael Moser, ibidem Press, 2013, (page 102)
Ukraine military parade marks 25 years of independence

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

(24 August 2016)

Background of the parades

The first parade in honor of Independence Day was held on

Khreschatyk Street Khreshchatyk (, ) is the main street of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. The street is long, and runs in a northeast-southwest direction from European Square through the Maidan to Bessarabska Square and the Besarabsky Market. The offices o ...

in 1994 on the country's third anniversary. The parade commander was the head of the

Kyiv Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exist ...

Ivan Bizhan and inspecting the parade was the

Defense Minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

Vitaly Radetsky. It was then held off and on in different formats. A large-scale aviation show on Independence Day took place at Kyiv Chaika Airfield in 1997, featuring flypasts by personnel of the

Ukrainian Air Force The Ukrainian Air Force (, PS ZSU) is the air force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU). Its current form was created in 2004 by merging the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces into the Air Fo ...

. In 1998, the parade included military vehicles for the first time since 1990. The last parade of the century was in 1999.

21st century

2001

President Putin and President Kuchma during the parade

On its 10th anniversary of independence of 2001, Kyiv held its largest parade at the time. 173 pieces of equipment and 6,530 soldiers took part in the parade. Soldiers, who were dressed in old Cossack uniforms, were also at the parade. A new column of

T-84 The T-84 is a Ukraine, Ukrainian main battle tank (MBT), based on the Soviet Union, Soviet T-80 MBT introduced in 1976, specifically the diesel engine version: T-80UD. The T-84 was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Arme ...

s, took part in the parade for the first time. For the first time, there were parades in

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

and

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

Chernihiv Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukraine ...

and

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

. Russian president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

, Polish president

Aleksander Kwaśniewski Aleksander Kwaśniewski (; born 15 November 1954) is a Polish politician and journalist. He served the maximum two terms as the president of Poland from 1995 to 2005. His tenure as President was marked by modernization of Poland, rapid economi ...

, and Macedonian president

Boris Trajkovski Boris Trajkovski ( GCMG; , pronounced ; 25 June 1956 – 26 February 2004) was a Macedonian politician who served as the President of Macedonia from 1999 until his death in 2004 in a plane crash. Early life Trajkovski was born on 25 June 195 ...

attended the parade. It was inspected by Minister of Defense

Oleksandr Kuzmuk Oleksandr Ivanovych Kuzmuk (; born 17 April 1954) is a Ukrainian politician and military commander, who was a member of the Party of Regions and also served as Minister of Defence of Ukraine on two occasions, from 1996 to 2001 and from 2004 to ...

2003

The 2003 parade, marking the 12th anniversary of independence, included more than 5,000 soldiers from 16 battalions. The National Anthem was performed by a Ukrainian folk artist

Ivo Bobul Ivo Bobul (; born 1953) is a Ukrainian singer of Romanian ethnicity. Bobul won the People's Artist of Ukraine award in 1998. Biography Bobul started as a restaurant singer, before becoming part of the VIA Chernivtsi Philharmonic in 1980. A yea ...

. Also first time as official title performed the march «Kozatska slava» (). The parade did not include military equipment. The 2003 Commander was the Chief of the Kyiv Garrison Colonel-General

Petro Shulyak Petro Ivanovych Shulyak (; born 29 March 1945 in Korshiv, Zdolbuniv Raion, Soviet Union) is a member of the Ukrainian military, Colonel General who served as the Chief of General Staff and Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. Career N ...

. Inspecting the parade was Defense Minister

Yevhen Marchuk Yevhen Kyrylovych Marchuk (; 28 January 1941 – 5 August 2021) was a Ukrainian politician, intelligence officer, and general who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Ukraine after its independence in 1991. During his career, Marchuk served ...

2004

The 2004 parade did not use military equipment. 19 battalions of soldiers took part in the parade. Officers who participated in the parade received a commemorative badge in honor of the 23rd anniversary of independence. The parade was inspected by Defense Minister

. The commander of the parade was Mukola Petruk.

2008

This parade was the first one since 2004 due to lack of funds for the parades. This parade celebrated the 17th anniversary of independence. Participating in the parade were 144 ground units, 22 aircraft, 8 helicopters, and over 3.5 thousand troops.

2009

In 2009, 3,400 soldiers marched on Khreshchatyk in honor of the 18th anniversary of independence. Thirty-five planes, including bombers, attack aircraft and combat helicopters flew over the capital during the parade. The highlight of the parade was the

Antonov Antonov (d/b/a Antonov Company, formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov or Antonov ASTC, and earlier the Antonov Design Bureau, for its chief designer, Oleg Antonov) is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and ...

planes flying overhead. The musical accompaniment was provided by the Massed Bands, which composed of 19 independent bands. Commanding the parade was the

Ground Forces of Ukraine The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

Colonel-General Ivan Svyda. The parade was inspected by the Chief of General Staff General of the Army Sergey Kirichenko.

2014

The 2014 parade was led by Lieutenant-General . It was inspected by Defense Minister

Valeriy Heletey Valeriy Viktorovych Heletey (; born 28 August 1967) is a Ukrainian Colonel General who served as Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the par ...

. The capital was lined up with 50 pieces of military equipment, including new models of the

BTR-3 The BTR-3 is an eight-wheel drive armored personnel carrier developed in 2000 and 2001 by an international consortium. The companies involved in the project include the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau of Ukraine, Adcom Systems o ...

E and the "Wasp" anti-aircraft gun. More than a thousand troops from the Armed Forces, Interior Ministry and State Border Service took part in the parade. 120 of the 1,500 participants were participants in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in

Eastern Ukraine Eastern Ukraine or East Ukraine (; ) is primarily the territory of Ukraine east of the Dnipro (or Dnieper) river, particularly Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts (provinces). Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are often also regarded as ...

. Many denounced the parade as a waste of money and as an inappropriate event during the

War in Donbass The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war began in April 2014, when Russian paramilitaries seized several towns. Ukraine's military launched an operation ...

. There was a moment of silence to remember the " Heavenly Hundred" who died during the Maidan Revolution of 2013 and 2014.

2015

The parade went without the participation of military vehicles. In President Poroshenko's speech he mentioned the

Battle of Ilovaisk The Battle of Ilovaisk started on 7 August 2014, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine and pro-Ukrainian paramilitaries began a series of attempts to capture the city of Ilovaisk from pro-Russian insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Rep ...

and promised to not forgive those responsible. At the same time, he called the

Minsk II The Minsk agreements were a series of international agreements which sought to end the Donbas war fought between armed Russian separatist groups and Armed Forces of Ukraine, with Russian regular forces playing a central part. After a defe ...

protocol "uncontested". There were 2,300 soldiers participating in the parade. Fourteen units carried battle flags of honor with the combat banner "For courage and bravery".

2016

2016 celebrated the 25th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. The parade involved more than 4,000 soldiers of the Armed Forces, and over 200 pieces of military equipment. The parade commander was Lt. General Serhiy Popko. The soldiers paraded in the new model uniforms which incorporate details from the uniforms worn by the

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army (), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or by the derogatory term Petliurivtsi (, ), was the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–1921). They were often quickly reorganized units of the former I ...

. Participants of parade honored the dead Ukrainian heroes. A minute of silence was accompanied by the folk song . The celebrations were attended by the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

Andrzej Duda Andrzej Sebastian Duda (born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as the sixth president of Poland since 2015. Before becoming president, he served as a Member of the Sejm from 2011 to 2014 and before becoming Member of ...

. Also participating in the parade was the Lithuanian–Polish–Ukrainian Brigade. Many changes took place in the musical accompaniment, particularly when the German made ''Unter dem Siegesbanner'' by Franz von Blon accompanied the march of the foreign delegation, as well as when the traditional ''Red Cranberry & For Ukraine'' was replaced by the theme from ''Ukraine'' (by

Taras Petrynenko Taras Petrynenko (, born 10 March 1953) is a List of Ukrainian musicians, Ukrainian musician, People's Artist of Ukraine. Background His musical career started in 1969 after his performance on the dance floor with the group ''Eney'', which cons ...

) as the presidential fanfare.The opening inspection of troops was also accompanied by a new piece of music which was adapted to fit a military march, ''Zporiz'kyy March'' by

Mykola Lysenko Mykola Vitaliiovych Lysenko (; 22 March 1842 – 6 November 1912) was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist of the late Romantic period. In his time he was the central figure of Ukrainian music, with an ''oeuvre'' tha ...

2017

In 2017, the parade celebrated the 26th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. 4,500 troops participated in the parade, along with 9 formations from

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

allied countries The Secretary of Defense of the United States, and the Defense ministers of Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Montenegro, Estonia, and the United Kingdom attended the ceremony. Also there was a military equipment exhibition on Mikhaylivska Square. * For the first time in the parade the colour of the 3rd Iron Rifle Division of the

(of the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

) - one of the most famous combat units of the times of the

Ukrainian War of Independence The Ukrainian War of Independence, also referred to as the Ukrainian–Soviet War in Ukraine, lasted from March 1917 to November 1921 and was part of the wider Russian Civil War. It saw the establishment and development of an independent Ukr ...

(1917–21) was officially displayed. * For the first time in the parade the colour of the 1st Ukrainian regiment of the Bohdan Khmelnitsky which was formed in Kyiv in May 1917, who fought in the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic also was paraded. * Military units were officially given names of historical figures: ** 72nd Mechanized Brigade received the name of the military formation of the Ukrainian People's Republic Army — , ** 24th Mechanized Brigade received the name of King Danylo. Also, two other units were given honorary titles:

Hetman ''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...

Ivan Vyhovsky Ivan Vyhovsky (; ; date of birth unknown, died 1664), a Ukrainian military and political figure and statesman, served as hetman of the Zaporizhian Host and of the Cossack Hetmanate for three years (1657–1659) during the Russo-Polish War (1654 ...

, under whose leadership the Cossacks defeated the

Tsardom of Russia The Tsardom of Russia, also known as the Tsardom of Moscow, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of tsar by Ivan the Terrible, Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter the Great in 1721. ...

army near Konotop in 1659.

2018

The 2018 parade took place on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, as well as the centennial anniversary of the founding of the

. The parade was expected to demonstrate more than 200 new models military hardware in the mobile column. The Ukrainian military included a battalion of 120 female military personnel in the parade for the first time since its inception. The unit comprised cadets from the Taras Shevchenko National University Military Institute and the

Military Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technologies The Military Institute of Telecommunication and Information Technologies named after the Heroes of Kruty () is an institution of higher military education in Ukraine and part of the State University of Telecommunications, located in Pechersk n ...

. Their appearance as they marched along

Khreshchatyk Khreshchatyk (, ) is the main street of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. The street is long, and runs in a northeast-southwest direction from European Square (Kyiv), European Square through the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Maidan to Bessarabska Sq ...

was greeted with loud applause from the spectators. The parade was also the first to use "''

Glory to Ukraine "Glory to Ukraine!" ( ) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian national salute, known as a symbol of Ukrainian sovereignty and resistance to foreign aggression. It is the battle cry of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is often accompanied by the response "To ...

''" and "''Glory to the Heroes''" as the official greeting of the parade formations. Also, a number of Armed Forces units were granted unit honorifics honoring

figures and battles and important Ukrainian military heroes.

2019

The Independence Day in 2019 was celebrated with two separate marches, one of which was unofficial. The new President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

refused to hold a military parade, instead which provoked the disagreement of veteran and volunteer organizations. and already on July 10 the preparation of an alternative parade was announced. The active preparation for the alternative parade prompted the President to change his position and announce the preparation of official events called the "March of Dignity".

2021

According to a 21 October 2020 decree by President Zelensky on Independence Day 2021 a military parade was held on the occasion of the

30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence The 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence () was a celebration of Ukrainian independence held from 22 to 24 August 2021, marking 30 years of Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union. As part of the celebrations, more than 150 events we ...

.Zelensky planned a military parade on the 30th anniversary of Independence

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

(21 October 2020) The parade was considered to be, the words of defense minister Andriy Taran, a break from the "Sovietness" of previous parades and a demonstration of the country's "commitment to NATO standards". As part of this, a new way to march was implemented, in which the servicemen have already raising the leg by five centimeters. The following foreign dignitaries attended the parade: *

Bartholomew I of Constantinople Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox ...

*Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda *Moldovan president

Maia Sandu Maia Sandu (; born 24 May 1972) is a Moldovan politician who is serving as the sixth president of Moldova since 2020. She is the founder and former leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity and was Prime Minister of Moldova, prime minister o ...

*Polish President

*Macedonian President

Stevo Pendarovski Stevo Pendarovski (, ; born 3 April 1963) is a Macedonian politician who served as the President of North Macedonia from 2019 to 2024. Early life and education Stevo Pendarovski was born on 3 April 1963 in Skopje. His family originates from Gal ...

*Estonian President

Kersti Kaljulaid Kersti Kaljulaid (; born 30 December 1969) is an Estonia, Estonian politician who served as the fifth president of Estonia between 2016 and 2021, and was its first and only female head of state since the country declared independence in 1918. S ...

*Latvian President

Egils Levits Egils Levits (born 30 June 1955) is a Latvian politician, lawyer, political scientist and jurist who served as the tenth president of Latvia from 2019 to 2023. He was a List of members of the European Court of Justice, member of the European Cour ...

*French Foreign Minister

Jean-Yves Le Drian Jean-Yves Le Drian (; born 30 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the governments of Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex (2017–2022) and as Minister of Defence under Preside ...

Many dignitaries attended in connection with the

Crimea Platform The Crimea Platform (; ) is a diplomatic summit initiated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in August 2021 and attended by delegations from 46 Western-aligned countries. It is designed to be an international coordination mechanism to res ...

held the previous day, including representatives of 46 states. During the preceding ceremony, a theatrical performance referred to as "DNA" presented the

history of Ukraine The history of Ukraine spans thousands of years, tracing its roots to the Pontic–Caspian steppe, Pontic steppe—one of the key centers of the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages, Indo-European migrations, and early domestication of the horse, hors ...

from the Kyivan Rus’ to modern Ukraine the Cossack era, literary Ukraine. At the outset, a 30 meter long

flag of Ukraine The national flag of Ukraine (, ) consists of equally sized horizontal bands of blue and yellow. The blue and yellow bicolor flag was first seen during the 1848 Spring of Nations in Lemberg (Lviv), the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lo ...

held by soldiers marched first in front a veterans contingent. Foreign participants in the march-past, fly-past, and a flotilla off the coast of Odesa included Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the National Guard of Ukraine and border guards contingents, canine units were used for the first time. It demonstrated the latest developments, including the Vilkha multiple rocket launcher,

Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...

cruise missile,

Hrim-2 Hrіm-2, Grom or OTRK Sapsan (), also known as Operational-Tactical Missile System Hrim (), is a Ukrainian short-range ballistic missile system being developed by KB Pivdenne and PA Pivdenmash, designed to combine the features of a tactical m ...

ballistic missile and other new and modernized defence equipment, as well as the Turkish UAV

Bayraktar TB2 Bayraktar TB2 (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Standard-bearer TB2'') is a Medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operati ...

. The Ukrainian military also held a military parade on the

Dnieper River The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

, outside the one on Khreshchatyk.

Cancelled parade periods

2005–2007

By decree of President

Viktor Yuschenko Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards the West, European Union, and NATO. Yushchenk ...

in 2005, the parade was cancelled, only to return in 2008 for the 17th anniversary of Ukraine.

2010–2014

Under the presidency of

Viktor Yanukovich Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

, the parade was not held at all.

2019–2020

On 10 July 2019 Ukrainian President

announced on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

that the 2019 Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations will not include a military parade. Zelensky also stated "We have decided to allocate ₴300 million (nearly $12 million) as bonus payments to our servicemen, i.e. fixed-term soldiers, cadets, sergeants, officers.”
On Independence Day 2020, Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

declared that there should not be military equipment on parade in Kyiv, but on the front line of the

"Where it is needed now."Zelensky told when there will be a military parade in Ukraine

(24 August 2020) Zelensky also stated that there will be a military parade in the future "a parade of Ukrainian victory, when we will return all our people and all our territories." Ukraine lost control of

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

(due to the

2014 Russian annexation of Crimea In February and March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula, part of Ukraine, and then annexed it. This took place in the relative power vacuum immediately following the Revolution of Dignity. It marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrain ...

) and of territories currently held by the

Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR; , ) is Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupied territory in Ukraine that the Russian Federation has claimed to annex and declared as a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia, comprising parts o ...

and

Luhansk People's Republic The Luhansk People's Republic (LPR; , ) is a disputed territory administered as a republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was proclaimed by Russian-backed paramilitar ...

at the start in 2014 of the war in Donbass.Ukraine conflict: Deadly flare-up on eastern front line

(18 February 2020)

2022

The parade was cancelled a third time under Zelenskyy due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian military, which Independence Day marked six months from the beginning of. Ukraine's Culture Ministry confirmed there would not be any public celebration to mark the holiday, and officials warned civilians against gathering in major cities due to the high likelihood Russia would target celebrations for shelling, with President Zelenskyy stating "Russia may try to do something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel." In substitute to a parade, the remains of numerous Russian military vehicles and artilleries destroyed by Ukrainian troops were displayed along

Expanded summary

As Independence Day is the national independence holiday of Ukraine the celebrations in Kyiv thus serve as a national event to mark the holiday. The celebrations begin as the parade commander (The commander is usually the Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces holding the rank of Colonel General) arrives to take his place in the parade and receives the salutes of the Commandant,

National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

and reviews the formations in attendance. At 10am the President arrives and personnel of the tri-service Kyiv Presidential Honor Guard Battalion marches in the formation on Independence Square, carrying the

Flag of Ukraine The national flag of Ukraine (, ) consists of equally sized horizontal bands of blue and yellow. The blue and yellow bicolor flag was first seen during the 1848 Spring of Nations in Lemberg (Lviv), the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lo ...

to be raised and halts just west of the flagpole to render honors, with the massed bands of the Military Music Directorate of the Armed Forces playing music. The flag is raised to the National Anthem Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy (either with the massed bands plus optional chorus or a capella) and a 21-gun salute is then fired. The parade then prepares for its inspection by the Minister of Defense. As the vehicle carrying the Minister approaches the Massed Bands, as the Drum Majors and the Senior Director of Music signal the bands to stop playing the parade commander informs him of the readiness of the parade to be reviewed. The bands then resuming the inspection music, the vehicles of the parade commander and the Minister then inspect the formations of the ground column, which present arms with eyes right. As the vehicles stop upon reaching each battalion and the massed bands pause at the orders of the senior director of music, the Minister then addresses the formations assembled: ::Minister: ''Glory to Ukraine!''
Troops: ''Glory to the heroes, sir!''
Minister: ''To the service personnel of the (states unit/formation), I greet you on the occasion of the anniversary of the independence of Ukraine!'' A threefold '' Glory!'' (Ukrainian: ''Slava!'') is the response of the battalions following the greeting as the music resumes. Following the ground column, the parade commander and Minister then inspect the battalions of the vehicle and gun crews forming up the mobile column, and then return to the saluting base at Independence Square. After the review finishes, the President, upon receiving the concluding report from the Defense Minister (who is a civilian or holding

general of the army Army general or General of the army is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System. Army general is normally the highest rank used in peacetime. In countries that adopt the general officer fou ...

rank if military), and the parade being ordered to stand at ease, then addresses the nation. The

Prayer for Ukraine File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

is then played afterwards, after which (in recent years) an awards ceremony is held, wherein distinguished servicemen are honored and new colours received by military, police, civil defence and border guard units. As the linemen and markers take their places afterwards, at the same time the

colour guard In military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is highly prestigious, and the military colour is generally carried by a yo ...

formed from the new colours received on this day takes its position in the line behind the tri-service colour guard in readiness for the march past. After the colour guard is formed, the parade commander then orders the parade to commence the march past in review in the following manner: ::''Parade... attention! Ceremonial march past!''
''Form battalions! Distance by a single lineman! Slope... arms!''
''Eyes to the right, by the left, forward, quick march''! As the parade forms up, as the PC shouts the ''Ceremonial march past'' order, the parade's armed units execute high port arms and all the unit color guards execute slope arms and then all the contingents advance in review order at this point and halt without a word of command in the middle of the street turning about. After the final command, the Corps of Drums of the Ivan Bohun Military High School beats a cadence to begin the march past segment, preceded by the parade commander's vehicle and followed by the tri-service colour guard, historical colours and the massed colour guard unit. As the massed bands start playing the Corps of Drums stop playing by the signal of the Corps Drum Major and swings its drumsticks while on the eyes right.

Order of the parade in order of inspection by the Minister of Defense

Military bands in attendance

* Massed Bands of the

Military Music Department of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces The Military Music Department of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces serves as the official service of military bands and choirs in active service within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. List of Directors General – Senior Directors of ...

Band of the Kyiv Presidential Honor Guard Battalion Band of the Kyiv Presidential Honor Guard Battalion is a military unit that performs military music with the Kyiv Presidential Honor Guard Battalion. The band is part of the Military Music Department of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed For ...

(2015) ** National Presidential Band of Ukraine (2016, 2018) ** Military Band of the National Guard of Ukraine (2017, 2018, 2021) * Composite

massed bands (2021) **

United States Air Forces in Europe Band The 686th Air Force Band, known also as the United States Air Forces in Europe Band (USAFE Band) is composed of 45 active duty Air Force musicians who serve under the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa Command and work as mus ...

** British Army Band Colchester

Ground march past column

* Corps of Drums,

Ivan Bohun Military High School The Ivan Bohun Military High School (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Київський військовий ліцей імені Івана Богуна) is an educational military institution located in Kyiv, Ukraine. History Soviet Era It ...

* Tri-Service Colour Guard of the

Kyiv Presidential Honor Guard Battalion The Kyiv Presidential Honor Guard Battalion () is a guard of honour unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is a part of the Separate Presidential Brigade, Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky Independent Presidential Guard Brigade. History On November 1 ...

* Historical colour guard * Colours from military, police, civil defence and border guard units * Historical component ** Zaporozhian Sich/Cossack Hetmanate ** Registered Cossacks of Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth ** Ukrainian War of Independence *** Ground Forces *** Navy * Corps of Cadets, Ivan Bohun Military High School * Corps of Cadets, Naval High School *

* Corps of Cadets, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Ground Forces Academy *

* Corps of Cadets

Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University The Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University ( KNAFU, ) is a state university administered by the Ministry of Defence (Ukraine), Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and is located in the city of Kharkiv. The university is named in honor of ...

* Corps of Cadets Koroliov Military Institute (

National Aviation University The National University "Kyiv Aviation Institute" () is a state-sponsored aviation university in Kyiv, Ukraine. The university started in 1933 when the Kyiv Aviation Institute was founded on the basis of the mechanical department of Kyiv Mach ...

) * Regiment of Cadets, Naval College Odesa ( Nakhimov Naval Academy) ( National University "Odesa Maritime Academy") * Odesa Military Academy * 24th Mechanized Brigade * 72nd Mechanized Brigade * 1st Tank Brigade * Composite battalion of the Rocket Forces and Artillery * Composite battalion of the Air Defense Missile Artillery * Composite battalion of the Corps of Engineers of the Ground Forces * Composite battalion of Ukrainian Army Aviation * Composite regiment of the Air Assault Forces ** 25th Airborne Brigade ** Air Assault Infantry ** Airmobile Infantry * Composite battalion of the Air Defense Forces of the Air Force * Composite regiment of the

Ukrainian Marine Corps The Ukrainian Marine Corps (, ), also known simply as the Ukrainian Marines (), is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2023, responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations. From ...

** Marine Infantry ** Marine Artillery * Composite Navy Fleet battalion * Composite battalion of Ukrainian Naval Aviation * Composite regiment of the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine ** Battalion of SOF Regiments ** Naval SOF Center ** Ranger Regiment battalion * Composite battalion of the Armed Forces Reserve * Composite battalion of female personnel of the Armed Forces * Territorial Defense Forces composite battalion * Territorial Defense Forces composite female battalion * Corps of Cadets, Yaroslav Kondratiev Law High School *

National Academy of Internal Affairs The National Academy of Internal Affairs ( ) is an educational institution in the Ministry of Internal Affairs that serves as a higher lever training center for future personnel of the National Police of Ukraine. It is one of seven educational ins ...

* Composite battalion of female personnel of the National Police * Kyiv Patrol Police * Special Police Forces battalion from Liut Police Brigade * National Guard Military Academy * Battalion from the 25th Public Security Brigade, National Guard of Ukraine * Composite battalion of NGU Offensive Guard Corps * National Security Service Academy * Khmelnytskyi National State Border Guard Service Academy * Composite battalion of the

State Border Guard Service of Ukraine The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine ( SBGSU; , ; ) is the border guard of Ukraine. It is an independent law enforcement agency, organized by the Constitution of Ukraine as a military formation, the head of which is subordinated to the Pres ...

* Battalion of Steel Border Infantry Brigade, SBGSU * Kharkiv National Civil Defense University,

State Emergency Service of Ukraine The State Emergency Service of Ukraine
''Kyiv Post'' (24 De ...

* 1st Guards Battalion (Mechanized), Independent Presidential Brigade * Composite battalion of K-9 dogs and handlers of the Armed Forces, National Guard, National Police, State Emergency Service and State Border Guard Service * Foreign contingents * Veterans contingent

Guest contingents

Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2017 10

Gallery

File:Парад войск - Troops parade (29096527302).jpg File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2015 07.jpg File:Humvee, Kyiv 1015.JPG File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2017 37.jpg File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2017 01.jpg File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2015 08.jpg File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2015 04.jpg File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2015 03.jpg File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2015 01.jpg File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2015 05.jpg File:День Незалежності України 2015 19.jpg File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2017 58.jpg File:Independence Day military parade in Kyiv 2017 23.jpg File:BM-21U.JPG File:IndependenceDayParadeKyiv2016 07.jpg, President Poroshenko and the commanders of all parade contingents in front of a banner depicting the logos of all military units in the parade.

Videos

References

External links

*
Українські військові готують урочистий парад на День Незалежності

Тривають тренування парадних розрахунків Гвардії до Дня Незалежності України

У ЗС України триває підготовка до параду на День Незалежності
(2017)
У параді до Дня Незалежності візьмуть участь більше 4 тисяч військових
(2017)
Українське військо готується до грандіозного маршу до Дня Незалежності
(2017)
Ночные тренировки парада Киев 2003

Выпуск новостей
{{Parades in Ukraine Events in Kyiv Ukrainian independence movement Public holidays in Ukraine Summer in Ukraine Military parades in Ukraine