Aug 23

Aug 23 Ukrainian Independence Day

Chicago, Demonstrations, Parades, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

“I, I can remember (I remember)
Standing by the wall (By the wall)
And the guns shot above our heads (Over our heads)
And we kissed as though nothing could fall (Nothing could fall)

And the shame was on the other side
Oh, we can beat them forever and ever
Then we can be heroes, just for one day

We can be heroes
We can be heroes
We can be heroes, just for on”

— David Bowie, Heroes (1977)

Lately, every day is Ukrainian Independence Day as Ukrainians continue to fight off Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to subjugate the Ukrainian population and annex Ukrainian sovereign territory. Officially, Ukrainians celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day on August 24, which is the day Ukraine declared itself independent of the Soviet Union in 1991. Ukrainians have no interest joining Mad Vlad’s reconstituted Soviet Union, which is why they have been valiantly fighting a war with Russia since Putin launched February 24, 2022 invasion. Since February 2022, Russian forces have suffered and estimated 1,400,000 casualties at the hands of the Ukrainians

Chicago’s Ukrainian community, one of the largest in the United States, has been celebrating Independence Day 2026 since Friday. Today, the community held its annual Independence Day march. In past years, the march was held in Chicago’s downtown area, but this year, community leaders decided to celebrate in Ukrainian Village, which meant the march began at the intersection of Ashland and Chicago Avenue, and then headed west along Chicago Avenue until it reached the Ukrainian Community Center, which is directly across the street from another Chicago landmark, Fatso’s Last Stand, which is known for its delicious hot dogs.

Estimating the turnout for the march is difficult because it extended over nine or ten blocks. While there were a couple of floats, the march was largely comprised of community groups marching behind small banners. Young children and teenagers were well represented. The camera loves those young faces. Veterans also took part, including several veterans from Ukraine’s current effort to repel the Russians. In total, I put the number of marchers at somewhere around 1,000 participants.

While the Russian invasion of the Ukraine is always on everyone’s mind, the marchers took refuge in a sunny afternoon in late August—not too many of those left in the year. Put simply, today was the perfect day for a walk with family and friends. Today’s rally had a festive ambiance. People were enjoying themselves.

When the marchers arrived at the intersection of Oakley and Chicago. they turned south, passing Saints Volodymyr & Olha Catholic Church. Behind the church, the organizers had erected a large white tent, where there was going to be some sort of performance. But the organizers left a large patch of grass uncovered, which permitted everyone to mingle as they enjoyed drinks and light snakes, including potato pancakes.

After spending much of my weekend with the Ukrainian community, I decided to head home before the performances began. I know one group of women performed traditional dances because I ran into them on the street, where I witnessed a demonstration of what they had to offer. Undoubtedly, they and other parties well into the evening.

Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]