“Ukraine on both banks of the Dnipro shall forever be free from foreign rule”: marking Ukrainian Statehood Day
On July 15, Ukraine marks Statehood Day — a day recalling the centuries-long history of Ukrainian state-building, its continuity, and the struggle of Ukrainians for the right to live in their own independent state.
«Ukraine on both banks of the Dnipro shall forever be free from foreign rule,» Pylyp Orlyk wrote more than three centuries ago.
Today these words sound especially relevant. They carry an idea that runs through the entire span of Ukrainian history: Ukraine has the right to its own state, freedom, and independence, and Ukrainians themselves have the right to determine their own destiny.
The Continuity of Ukrainian Statehood from Rus to Orlyk
The history of Ukrainian statehood did not begin in 1991. Its tradition dates back to the era of Rus, continuing through the Galician-Volhynian state, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Cossack state, the Ukrainian People’s Republic, and the Ukrainian State of the 20th century, and finds its continuation in today’s independent Ukraine.
A special place in this history belongs to Pylyp Orlyk — a hetman, diplomat, and political figure who devoted a significant part of his life to the struggle for the restoration of Ukrainian statehood and the promotion of the Ukrainian cause internationally.
In 1710, the «Pacts and Constitution of Rights and Freedoms of the Zaporozhian Host» was drawn up — a document that defined the principles of the Ukrainian Cossack state’s structure, limited the hetman’s power, and laid the foundations for the mutual accountability of authority and society. Living in forced emigration, Pylyp Orlyk continued his diplomatic struggle for Ukraine, seeking to persuade European states to support its right to freedom and independence.
The Struggle for Statehood Continues Today
More than three centuries have passed, but Ukraine is once again forced to defend its right to be free from foreign rule. Russia’s war against Ukraine is not merely a struggle for territory. It is a struggle to destroy Ukrainian statehood, historical memory, culture, and the right of Ukrainians to determine their own destiny.
That is why Statehood Day is not simply a reason to recall the past. It is a day to reaffirm the historical continuity of Ukraine and the responsibility of every generation for preserving and developing the state.
For the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, this idea is especially important. The name of Pylyp Orlyk reminds us that the struggle for Ukraine is waged not only on the battlefield. It also requires enlightenment, culture, diplomacy, international advocacy, the preservation of historical memory, and a strong Ukrainian voice in the world.
Today, Ukrainian soldiers are defending the state with weapons in hand. Diplomats, scholars, educators, artists, journalists, civic organizations, and Ukrainian communities abroad are working to ensure the world knows, understands, and supports Ukraine.
Centuries, generations, and circumstances change. But what remains unchanged is the aspiration of Ukrainians toward freedom.
«Ukraine on both banks of the Dnipro shall forever be free from foreign rule.»
Pylyp Orlyk’s words, written more than three centuries ago, sound today not merely as a historical testimony. They sound as a principle for which Ukraine continues to fight.
