Ukraine commemorated the 35th anniversary of its independence on Monday, 24 August, in a atmosphere that blended solemn mourning with determined resolve. In Kyiv's central Maidan square, citizens dressed in traditional embroidered vyshyvankas — the Ukrainian national garment — laid flowers at memorials to the fallen, while European leaders gathered for closed-door meetings at St. Sophia's Square. Large public celebrations were ruled out due to the constant threat of Russian bombardment, yet Ukrainians came anyway, in quiet but visible numbers.
President Volodymyr Zelensky used the occasion to deliver a pointed message: Ukraine wants peace, he said, but will never submit to Russia. The day also brought together the "Coalition of the Willing," a grouping of European partner states that reaffirmed their commitment to sustained military and financial support for Ukraine. The coalition called for intensified pressure on Russia's so-called "ghost fleet" — the network of tankers used to circumvent Western sanctions on Russian oil exports — signalling that economic as well as military tools remain on the table.
Russia made no concession to the symbolism of the date. Ukrainian air force officials reported a major overnight combined attack involving two Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, six guided munitions, and 143 drones, with the Odessa and Chernihiv regions bearing the heaviest impact. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones struck four warehouses belonging to the online retail giant Ozon in southern Russia, killing two children, in what represented one of Kyiv's retaliatory strikes. A train from Odessa arrived in the capital three hours late after repeated stops triggered by air-raid alerts along the route.
The human cost of the war was palpable throughout the day. Marianna Kolos, dressed in a white embroidered gown, received the "Hero of Ukraine" award on behalf of her fallen son, Nazariy Hrynzevych, known by his callsign "Grenka." He had been among the youngest defenders of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol during the brutal 2022 siege, survived Russian captivity, returned to the front, and was later killed in eastern Ukraine. In Odessa, around 200 people gathered along the "Alley of Heroes" in Shevchenko Park, where 400 photographs of local soldiers killed in the war line the path. Mothers came to update portraits of their sons.
Yet life persisted alongside grief. By late afternoon, Odessa's beaches were busy, the city's residents refusing to let Russian strikes dictate the rhythm of their days — a posture that has become a form of resistance in itself. The presence of multiple European heads of state and government in Kyiv, despite the very real danger, was not lost on Ukrainians. "Today I saw that the world is not indifferent to us," said Marianna Kolos. "Ukraine is Europe's shield. And as long as we are independent, Europe has that shield."