Khreshchatyk Victory Parade: Ukraine Reclaims May 9

Address to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy

On May 9, 1920, the joint forces of the Army of the Ukrainian Narodna Republic and the Polish Army liberated Kyiv from the Russian Bolshevik occupation forces. It was on this day that the Victory Parade of the Ukrainian Army took place on Khreshchatyk.

This event became a symbol of Ukraine’s struggle against the Russian Bolshevik invasion and a reminder that more than a hundred years ago, Ukrainians fought for their own statehood and Ukraine’s independence.

In modern Ukraine, May 9 remains a day of complex historical debates, as for decades, thanks to Russian propaganda, it was associated exclusively with the Soviet and Russian historical narrative. The occupying country still uses the theme of “victory” and military parades on May 9 as a tool of propaganda, justification of aggression, and the cult of war.

At the same time, Ukrainian history has its own, independent, and much deeper meaning for this date. On May 9, 1920, Kyiv held the Ukrainian Victory Parade on Khreshchatyk — a parade of troops who fought against the Russian occupation for Ukraine’s independence.

It is important that the historical significance of this event be recognized at the state level. On December 3, 2019, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the resolution “On the Celebration of Memorable Dates and Anniversaries in 2020,” which provided for a solemn state-level celebration commemorating “100 years since the liberation of Kyiv from the Bolsheviks by Ukrainian-Polish troops.”

By officially recognizing this historical event, the Verkhovna Rada emphasized its historical significance as an important page in Ukraine’s struggle against the Bolshevik Russian occupation.

I ask that you commemorate May 9 at the state level as the Day of the Liberation of Kyiv from the Bolshevik Russian invasion and the Day of the Victory of the Ukrainian Army. Ukraine has the indisputable right to its own historical memory, its own symbols of victory, and its own vision of this date—free from Soviet myths and Russian imperial narratives.

The Ukrainian military parade on May 9 should be especially symbolic, as a continuation of the tradition of the May 9, 1920, military parade. The military parade on May 9 will be a worthy tribute to the struggle for Ukraine’s independence and the memory of all those who died in the fight against Russian aggression in different historical eras.

Such a step would be an act of historical justice and a reminder that Kyiv has already seen the Ukrainian victory parade over the Russian occupation—and will definitely see it again.

As you know, on May 8 and 9, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation and the Day of Victory over Nazism in World War II. These memorable days symbolize not the triumph of the victors over the vanquished but are a reminder of the terrible catastrophe that became possible as a result of the coming to power and the conspiracy of two totalitarian regimes—Nazism and communism.

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