Ukraine’s president has taken part in celebrations to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the short-lived Western Ukrainian People’s Republic. Viktor Yushchenko attended the ceremonies in the city of Lvov.

He laid flowers on the monument dedicated to Western Ukrainian revolutionaries and participated in the parades which took place around the city.

Yushchenko also acclaimed and encouraged the activity of the newly-established museum of the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic, deeming it representative of modern Ukrainian values and the spirit of statehood.

As Yushchenko’s press service pointed out, the president considers the history of the movement to be the demonstration of the immortal Ukrainian national ideal.

“It is the flagship manifestation of our common spirit, our national might and military confidence,” Yushchenko said.

According to the Ukrainian president, the formation of the movement gave a push towards the national unity required for the formation of the Ukrainian state in 1919. It required, according to him, progressive democratic and Europe-oriented ideals which should dominate foreign policy today.

During his speech marking its 90th anniversary, the president emphasised the benefits of nationalism.

“If we stand united, if we do not step on politically secular paths, we will be able to achieve those values, which are the essence of our national ideal, the values of the Ukrainian spirit. The values of European civilisation, of fair and confident living. The values, which were proclaimed in Lvov 90 years ago – independence, statehood, community and spirituality,” Yushchenko said.

The Western Ukrainian People’s Republic

The state’s brief existence began in late 1918 and ended in early 1919. After a popular uprising in October 1918, the republic declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The main instigators of the revolt were Polish residents of Lvov, who later received support from the Polish government itself.

On the 22nd of January 1919, the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic joined the wider Ukrainian coalition, leading to the formation of the Ukrainian state. The republic’s union with the wider movement was, nevertheless, merely symbolic – it preserved its own Ukrainian Galician Army and government structure.

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