Bradford's Ukrainian community along with the mayor and members of council gathered in the downtown core Wednesday afternoon for the 10th annual flag-raising ceremony in honour of Ukrainian Independence Day.
It was a solemn event again this year, amid the backdrop of the country's invasion by Russia and the ongoing war.
"Today we praise the courageous individuals and families who have made the difficult decision to leave their lives behind, leaving their country because of the war," Bradford Mayor James Leduc said.
"We honour and commemorate the lives of Ukraine's fallen heroes."
Since the Russian invasion, an estimated 20,000 civilians have been injured and over 9,000 killed including over 500 children, the mayor said.
"Today, we remember the resilience of the Ukrainian community and the beauty of their culture, strength and spirit. As we raise this flag, let it serve as a beacon of hope, a symbol of unity, and a reminder that freedom is a precious gift that we must cherish and protect, not only here in Bradford or Ukraine but across all borders," Mayor Leduc said.
The event on Wednesday celebrated the 32nd anniversary of Ukrainian Independence. Ukraine became a sovereign republic in 1991, when the country’s parliament adopted the Act of Declaration of Independence, on Aug. 24 – after decades as a State within the Soviet Union. In 1992, the parliament reinstated the Verkhovna Rada, the blue and gold flag of Ukraine.
Unfortunately on Feb. 24, 2022, Ukrainians woke up to a new reality, a new war as Russia invaded the Ukraine.
Back in the Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in a ceremony on the occasion of the Day of the National Flag, which precedes Independence Day.
Speaking near a giant Ukrainian flag covered with words of soldiers from the front, he said that “the time will come when our entire free and peaceful Ukraine will be able to see this special flag".