Dear friends! Dear colleagues and students! We sincerely congratulate you on the 35th anniversary of the Independence of our state! We believe in the peaceful and bright future of Ukraine, bringing it closer with our work, defending it with weapons in our hands. The whole world sees the indomitability of our people. It is in such a difficult time that the true independence of the new Ukrainian society is being fought for.

Let us recall August 24, 1991. On this day, an extraordinary session of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR adopted the “Act of Proclamation of Independence” and two resolutions: “On the Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine” (with the appointment of a republican referendum on the confirmation of the “Act of Independence” for December 1, 1991) and “On Military Formations in Ukraine” (regarding the formation of the Ministry of Defense and the subordination of all military formations deployed on the territory of the republic to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine).

321 deputies voted for the declaration of independence on the first attempt (for the Resolution on the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine) – a constitutional majority. However, some pulled out their cards so as not to participate in the vote. Noticing this, Leonid Kravchuk, who chaired the meeting, announced that those who did not “have time” to vote should write written statements to the secretariat. As a result, the “Act of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine”, which was voted on immediately afterwards, was supported by 346 deputies.

In the wake of the excitement that reigned in the session hall and outside the walls of the parliament (the session was broadcast on the radio), Vyacheslav Chornovil proposed to bring a blue-and-yellow flag into the parliament hall, and also to raise the national flag over the dome of the parliament. A few minutes later, the flag appeared in the hall. And already on September 4, 1991, the blue-and-yellow flag fluttered over the parliament of Ukraine.