Vasyl Myrza

Vasyl Myrza,
accountant

“I hope the level of life in Ukraine will be higher in 25 years, and that people will get fair wages for their jobs.”

Pavlo Babiy

Pavlo Babiy,
retiree

“I dream that our country will be at the same level with our neighbors, Slovakia and Poland, for example. When 25 years ago Ukraine gained independence, we thought it would become rich and European right away. But it turned out to be a long and painful process.”

Elena Shablo

Elena Shablo,
teacher

“I would like to see Ukraine prosperous and independent, but the current pace of reforms makes me doubt this will be the case. I hope that we will be a powerful country with a strong economy and military, and that we will all be proud of it.”

Volodymyr Solobko

Volodymyr Solobko,
financier

“I see Ukraine as an independent country where people are united around the same goal. I hope we will revive the same spirit of unity that we had during the times of (semi-autonomous polity of Cossacks in the 16th–18th centuries) Zaporizhian Sich.”

Volodymyr Kucherenko

Volodymyr Kucherenko,
soldier

“I hope to see Ukraine united and without war. I believe that we can achieve that in 25 years from now.”

See the Independence Day photo gallery here