16/07/2026
📄 On July 16, 1990, the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR – a document that became one of the most important milestones on Ukraine’s path to restoring its independence 🇺🇦
The Declaration affirmed the Ukrainian people’s right to determine their own future. It established that the people are the sole source of state power and that Ukraine has the right to pursue its own domestic and foreign policy, as well as to develop its economy, education, science and culture independently.
Although Ukraine remained part of the Soviet Union at the time, the Declaration laid the legal and political foundations for the country’s future independence. Just over a year later, on August 24, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine, and on December 1, the Ukrainian people overwhelmingly confirmed that decision in a nationwide referendum.
Thirty-six years ago, the Declaration of State Sovereignty expressed the Ukrainian people’s determination to choose their own path – a principle that remains as strong today as ever.