“Everyday we fight so that everyone on the planet finally understands: we are not a colony, not an enclave, not a protectorate. Not a gubernia, an eyalet or a crown land, not a piece of a foreign empire, not a ‘part of the land’, not a union republic. Not an autonomous zone, not a province, but a free, independent, sovereign, indivisible and independent state.”
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY
The date August 24, 2022, marks the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. This year’s Independence Day carries particular significance as it coincides with six months of Russian President Putin’s full-scale war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, their sovereignty, and cultural identity.
The Kremlin’s disinformation and propaganda have accompanied and supported Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, including the attempted annexation of Crimea, support of separatist movements in eastern Ukraine, and the ongoing war of aggression. The Kremlin repeatedly attempts to delegitimize Ukraine as a nation and state in the eyes of the Ukrainian and Russian publics, and international community.
President Putin regularly denies that Ukraine is a true nation. In 2008, he told President Bush “Ukraine is not a country,” and in July 2021, he publicly identified Russians and Ukrainians as “one people” and declared “the true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia.” Putin has...
"I will note that in 2024, troops were -- that was Joe Biden by the way, Joe Biden -- were deployed to polling locations in 15 states," Hegseth said April 29, 2026 before the House of Representati...