Happy Unity Day, Dear Compatriots!

Today's dated marks two historical events on an uneasy way of establishing Ukrainian nationhood at once. On January 22. 1918 the IV Universal  of Ukrainian People’s Republic proclaiming its independence was issued, and a year later, on January 22, 1919, the Act of Unity of Ukrainian People’s Republic and Western Ukrainian People’s Republicwas proclaimed.

This date was celebrated as an official holiday since 1999, however, in 2011 Mr.Yanukovich, then President of Ukraine, tried to deprive us of this symbol of national unity, having cancelled the official ceremonies on this occasion. The symbol of Unity was a stick in gizzards of politicians, who tried to torn the country apart as early as in 2004.

In 2014 the bandits encroached upon another sympols of unity, making abbreviations to mark the land they occupied alike UPR and WUPR — now DPR and LPR sound more familiar to many people. And today, in 2015, they took one more symbol of resistance to occupants, razing the famous Donetsk Airport to the ground.

Enemies of Ukrainian nationhood who dream to torn our country to pieces and then take it over, peace by peace, just don’t understand, that the Ukrainians have unity and will to resist in their blood. That we have been through an uneasy historical lessons of good neighbourship, so the attempts to colonize us and make us someone’s slaves are doomed. For we shall, one by one, return our symbols by the grace of God, as we returned official status for today’s very special date, and the will to do everything possible for defending our Homeland is something that we always have, regardless the external circumstances.

Today our unity is basic in our self-preservation and keeping our common home safe. So let’s stay united!

All-Ukrainian Association of Social Organisations “Alraid”