Ukrainian Independence

1991 was an exciting year in Ukraine. On August 24, after a failed Soviet coup, the Ukrainian parliament voted for independence. Ukrainians ratified independence in a December referendum and also elected their first president, Leonid Kravchuk. Click on a picture below for a slide show with captions. You can also read about the coup and independence in Chapter 5 of Picnic at the Iron Curtain.

Opposition politicians in Rukh were the first to push for independence

On the Morning of August 24, 1991 independence supporters gathered

In October Revolution Square (the maidan) and marched to Parliament

Rukh members had been up all night drafting and printing copies

Of a motion on independence for debate in Parliament (Verkhovna Rada)

The crowd outside Parliament listened to a broadcast over loudspeakers

Elated when the vote passed, people pushed to get closer to Parliament

The blue and yellow Ukrainian flag was still not Ukraine's official flag

But the crowd and opposition deputies insisted that this flag

Be taken into parliament after the vote - deputies applauded

You can see Leonid Kravchuk (centre) and Ivan Pliushch at the podium

Helping to drape the huge flag over the podium under the Lenin statue

The crowd immediately targeted the large red granite Lenin statue

In October Revolution Square (soon renamed Independence Square)

Covering the statue with graffiti

The next day city authorities decided to seal the Communist Party HQ

Before doors were sealed like this (these seals are from elsewhere)

I went inside with the crowd - one man took the Communist Party seal

Leonid Kravchuk, in the blue blazer, was preparing to run for president

City council was trying to figure out how to get rid of the Lenin statue

Without damaging infrastructure below

Kravchuk won the December 1 election and was later sworn into office

City authorities worked night and day removing figures at the base

After considering firing acid pellets to dissolve the granite Lenin

Authorities decided to dismantle the granite part with jackhammers

But first continued removing the metal figures from the base

The operation took months to complete

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