On National Flag Day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the solemn ceremony of raising the blue-yellow flag.
In the presence of the Head of State, the country's largest flag, located on the territory of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II, was raised in Kyiv. The solemn raising was accompanied by a military orchestra. The National Anthem was played. The honour guard company marched.
During the speech, the President noted that every year, shortly before Independence Day, the Ukrainian people pay tribute to one of their most important symbols and one of the greatest shrines - the National Flag of Ukraine.
"The combination of two colors that we incredibly love, cherish and will never exchange for any other. We will never recognize foreign colours on our land and in our sky. And we are always ready to defend our blue-yellow flag," Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Head of State announced a moment of silence to commemorate the heroes who gave their lives for these colors.
The President noted that our flag has gone through a lot and was present at many places. In particular, it was brought to the parliament on the day of the declaration of independence of Ukraine, it was in space together with Leonid Kadeniuk, at the North Pole with our polar explorers, it conquered Everest. The blue-yellow flag was also a star on the stages in Istanbul, Stockholm and Turin, when the Ukrainians who won the Eurovision wrapped themselves in it, it triumphantly rose above the flags of other countries at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Sydney, Beijing, London and many others cities of the world.
"It also attended the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, when during the semi-final match between the USSR and GDR national football teams, Danylo Myhal, a representative of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, ran onto the field. Dressed in vyshyvanka and carrying a blue-yellow flag, he danced the hopak. He always dreamed of transferring this flag to Ukraine. Today it finally happened. And this legendary flag will be raised today at the opening of the Ukrainian football championship," said Volodymyr Zelensky.
The President also emphasized that the blue and yellow colours were on the armor and near the hearts of Ukrainian warriors when they liberated Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Mariupol and dozens of other cities in 2014, as well as the Kyiv region, Chernihiv region, Sumy region and our other occupied lands in 2022.
"It witnessed the birth of a world masterpiece and heard firsthand where the "Russian warship" should go. Now everyone is in their place: our flag has returned to Zmiinyi Island, and the "Moskva" cruiser has followed the given course," said the Head of State.
The President expressed belief that the blue-yellow flag will fly again where it should be by right.
"In all temporarily occupied cities and villages of Ukraine. Occupied - temporarily. Fly - forever. In Melitopol, above Peremohy Square. Where there can be no flag of those who lose the war. There will be blue and yellow. In Kherson, above Svobody Square. There can be no flag of those who do not know what freedom is. There will be blue and yellow," Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The President emphasized that the Ukrainian flag will again be on Azovsky Avenue in Berdyansk, on Zelena Alley in Skadovsk, over the NPP in Enerhodar and over the Kakhovska HPP, on the Adzhyholsky lighthouse and on Savur-Mohyla, on the shores of Siverskyi Donets, Kalmius, near the Oleshky sands.
"There cannot be a flag of those who hear these names for the first time. There will be blue and yellow. And in Crimea. In Yalta, in Kerch, Dzhankoy, Simferopol, on Ai-Petri. Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar flags. And no matter how someone tries to twist history, exactly these colours are historically associated with Crimea," the Head of State emphasized.
The blue-yellow flag will also be in Lutuhyne, over the Taras Shevchenko House of Culture, in Lysychansk, over the Volodymyr Sosiura Palace of Culture, because there cannot be another flag next to these names, Volodymyr Zelensky is convinced.
"Our flag will fly again in Milove, near the Bell of Memory and the memorial to the victors of Nazism. And it will be in Severodonetsk, next to the monument to the Cossacks. There should not be a flag of those who have nothing to do with either the first or the second. There will be blue and yellow. Our Ukrainian flag. Our amulet. Amulet of Ukraine. From land to the skies! Happy National Flag Day," the President summed up.
According to the Constitution, the national symbols of Ukraine are the National Flag, the National Coat of Arms, and the National Anthem of Ukraine. The National Flag is a flag made of two equal-sized horizontal stripes of blue and yellow colours.
