Ukraine's vote for independence 33 years ago — what it was like

On Sunday, December 1, Ukraine celebrates the 33rd anniversary of the referendum on independence. Back then, the majority of citizens were in favor of the decision.

The Novyny.LIVE article recalls how it happened.

The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine

On December 1, 1991, a referendum was held in Ukraine, in which the majority of citizens supported the Act of Independence. It was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada with 346 votes in favor on August 24, 1991.

At that time, in response to the question, "Do you support the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine?" 90.92% of voters across all regions answered affirmatively. In Crimea, 54.19% of citizens voted for independence, and in Sevastopol, 57.07%. In the Donetsk, Luhansk, Odesa, and Kharkiv regions, over 80% of citizens supported independence.  

Meanwhile, in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Ternopil, Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Vinnytsia regions, more than 95% of citizens voted "yes".

It is known that it was this All-Ukrainian referendum that gave the Act of Independence of Ukraine the legal force that allowed it to recognize the termination of the Soviet Union as an object of international law. On the same day, the first presidential elections in Ukraine took place, with Leonid Kravchuk winning.

As a reminder, yesterday Ukraine celebrated the Day of Radio Technical Troops of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Also, in the Novyny.LIVE article, we told you about all the big and important holidays in December 2024.