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THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY: Celebrating the 10th
The gala celebrations in Kyiv of the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence assumed many forms: public and private, official and unofficial, those for the elite, those to which one had to have an official invitation...
Our focus in this piece is the truly public celebrations, the ones we witnessed on the streets of Ukraine's capital city as we opted to be "z narodom" - with the people. The centerpiece of those celebrations was independent Ukraine's largest military parade ever - with over 4,000 military personnel and cadets marching and 300 military vehicles rumbling down the Khreschatyk, as well as a flyover of fighter jets, helicopters and the two largest cargo planes in the world. Yes, it was a military display that some might find reminiscent of Soviet times, but it was also a manifestation of pride in Ukraine and its potential in terms of its people and their talent.
To...