Zelenskyy: 1991 Referendum united all of Ukraine, we will never again be the plaything of empires

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasised that the referendum of 1 December 1991 on Ukraine’s independence was free and honest, and it also united all of the country. 

Source: President Zelenskyy’s nightly video address 

Quote: "On 1 December, 31 years ago, a referendum was held that united the entire territory of our state.

None of our people remained outside the All-Ukrainian decision. Kyiv and Sevastopol, Odesa and Crimea, Lviv and Cherkasy, Chernihiv and Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk, Khmelnytskyi and Kirovohrad oblasts, Volyn and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil, Zhytomyr Oblast and Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Kyiv Oblast, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Rivne… Everyone expressed their support.

People confirmed the Act of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine - freely and legally. It was a real referendum, not some kind of imitation. It was an honest referendum, and that is why it was recognized by the world."

Details: The President emphasised that since the 1991 referendum, Ukrainians have experienced many attempts to turn a full stop into an ellipsis or a semicolon.

"We have seen many public figures who could not put up with the fact that the empire had been overthrown. We are still defending Ukraine from such ‘comrades’ who wanted to celebrate the centenary of the empire this year instead of another anniversary of freedom. They wanted to... But Ukrainian rules will prevail. Our desire to live freely, expressed on 24 August and confirmed on 1 December, will not be broken. Ukrainians will never again be the building blocks of any empires. We have already gained and will ensure the full independence of our state," Zelenskyy said.

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