Ramina Shut, Director of the ‘Open Ukraine’ Foundation: Happy Independence Day, my brave Ukraine!

Ramina Shut, Director of the Arseniy Yatsenyuk ‘Open Ukraine’ Foundation, said in a statement marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence that her life is linked to several Ukrainian cities, each of which has borne the brunt of the war – from the occupied Donetsk region to Kyiv, which wakes up to the sound of explosions.

“I was born in Donetsk Oblast. The town has been under occupation since 2014. I spent early years of my childhood in Kupiansk, Kharkiv oblast – a city that has been through so much... I grew up in Sumy Oblast. Where the war is felt every single day/hour/minute .. And Kyiv has been my home for more than half of my life. I have watched my city wake up to explosions and somehow find the strength to live again,” she said.

Shut added that the years of war have worn Ukrainians down, yet she emphasised their resilience. “We have lost people we loved. We have lost homes, cities, years of our lives. But we are still here. Because there are things you cannot surrender. And there are people who make that possible – women and men who defend our freedom every single day, often paying the highest possible price,” she said.

That is precisely why, Ramina Shut emphasised, independence for her means, above all, the right to return home. “When I think about independence, I don’t think about a word in a history book. I think about the right to come home. The right to know that your home is still yours. To speak your language. To choose your own future. To remain Ukrainian. Independence means that one day, we will be able to return to every Ukrainian city, every Ukrainian home, every place we had to leave behind – and know that it is ours. I am proud to be Ukrainian. Happy Independence Day, my brave Ukraine!” – emphasised the Director of the ‘Open Ukraine’ Foundation.