June 22 in Ukraine is the Day of Mourning and Commemoration of War Victims, World Swimming Day, Positive Media Day, World Rainforest Day and World Volkswagen Beetle Day are celebrated around the world. This day absorbed a whole series of episodes that became turning points not only for individual states, but also for world history. From political alliances to tragedies, from scientific breakthroughs to cultural upheavals, June 22 is a mirror of human memory and responsibility.
Day of mourning and commemoration of war victims in Ukraine
For Ukraine, June 22 is the day of the beginning of great destruction, a new wave of terror, executions, forced deportations and huge human sacrifices. It was on this day in 1941 that Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, starting the bloody phase of the Second World War on the territory of Ukraine.
Ukrainian cities became the first targets of enemy bombing. Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Lutsk, Odesa, as well as dozens of settlements were attacked already in the first hours of the war. The hostilities covered the entire territory of the republic, destroying not only the army, but also the civilian population. According to the estimates of the Institute of National Remembrance, the losses of Ukraine in that war reached more than 8 million people — that is almost 20% of the population. These figures include those who died in combat, civilians who died during shelling and occupation, victims of the Holocaust, ostarbeiters deported to concentration camps, and exterminated in the rear by the Soviet punitive system.
In the conditions of a full-scale war, which Russia started in February 2022, June 22 takes on an even more tragic sound. The past resonates with the present: again rockets, occupation, mass burials and missing persons. That is why the Day of Mourning is not only a memory of the past, but also an acknowledgment of pain that does not stop.
Facts about the war
The first bombing of Kyiv on June 22, 1941 took place at 4:00 in the morning, it was carried out by more than 200 German planes. Among the first targets were not military facilities, but a railway station, a bus station, and residential areas.
Ukraine is the only republic of the USSR, on the territory of which all key forms of war took place from 1941 to 1944: front line, rear, partisan struggle, occupation, ghetto, concentration camps, forced deportation, punitive operations, insurgent movements.
Losses of Ukrainians during the Second World War are estimated at 8-10 million people. About 3-4 million Ukrainian soldiers died as part of various armies, and about 5 million more civilians became victims of the war.
More than 2.5 million Ukrainians were forcibly taken to work in Germany as ostarbeiters. This is the largest figure among all Soviet republics.
In 1943, the Germans created a “legion of miners” from the local population in Donbas, who were promised higher wages. This fact was actively concealed by Soviet propaganda after the war.
After the liberation of the territory of Ukraine in 1944–45, more than 400,000 people were sent to NKVD infiltration camps, even if they did not fight in another army. Some of them were sentenced to the Gulag or deprived of their rights.
In 1941, most of the mobilized Ukrainians did not have weapons in the first days of the war. They were thrown into battle without training, without maps and often without officers. This was one of the reasons for the catastrophic losses of the Red Army in the first months.
In Ukraine, there were more than 250 places of mass extermination of Jews during the Holocaust. The most famous of them is Babyn Yar in Kyiv, where in September 1941 more than 33,000 people were shot in just two days.
More than 40% of all battles of the Second World War on the Soviet front took place on the territory of Ukraine. This makes it actually the main battlefield of that war, although the official Soviet history did not recognize this.
In many Ukrainian villages, there are still no accurate lists of those who died in the war, because the data of the Soviet military commissars were incomplete, and the losses were often not recorded officially, especially among those mobilized in 1941.
Only in 2000, the Day of Mourning was officially introduced in Ukraine on June 22 — after decades of silence and lack of special commemoration of Ukrainian war victims.
World bathing day
This event calls for rethinking the usual act of immersion in water as something much more than just a hygienic procedure. The purpose of the holiday is to draw attention to the universal significance of bathing as a cultural, religious, meditative and social phenomenon.
Initiated in 2018 by the German organization Therme Group, World Bathing Day was an attempt to return people to the idea of water as a spiritual space, where not only the body is cleansed, but also the soul is healed. Participants of this day – people from different continents – unite in bathing to feel part of a global ritual of unity, gratitude and peace.
Bathing in a river, tank, bath, ocean, in the shower or even in a home bath becomes an act of symbolic union. In many cultures, water is not just an element, but a sacred substance that connects people to their history, community, and their own bodies. Since ancient times, in various parts of the world, bathing has been a part of purification rituals, preparation for a new stage of life, a manifestation of love for oneself and the world.
The day is also a reminder of the global challenges related to access to clean water. Not every person on the planet has the opportunity to enjoy bathing not as a luxury, but as a basic right. The holiday raises issues of water justice, sustainable use of resources and respect for ecosystems.
Interesting facts
The idea to create World Bathing Day came from the Therme Group team after researching ancient baths, particularly Roman baths, as a space of social integration. In the Roman Empire, public baths were not only a place of washing, but also of political and intellectual life.
In Southeast Asia, bathing in rivers is still considered part of the daily ritual of communing with nature. In Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia, local communities even have a ban on loud conversations during the morning bath – it is believed that the water absorbs emotions.
In Japan, the practice of bathing in onsen (hot springs) has a whole philosophy: water is perceived as a living substance, and the bathing process is an act of dissolving individuality in nature. In many onsen, it is forbidden to bring phones or talk – so as not to disturb the “stillness of the water”.
In Finland, the bath is considered not just a cultural phenomenon, but almost a religious action. In a country with more than 3 million saunas for 5.5 million inhabitants, bathing is considered a way to heal the psyche. The sauna is called the “Finnish pharmacy”.
In Ethiopia, there is a ritual of mass bathing on Epiphany (Timket holiday), when thousands of people immerse themselves in the water, considering it holy. Participants believe that bathing on this day washes away the sins of the whole year.
In Turkey, the hammam tradition is based not only on physical cleansing, but also on communication. Once upon a time, men negotiated political affairs in steam rooms, and women negotiated weddings and social relationships.
In South America, particularly in Brazil, there are tribes that still practice “water initiations”, where bathing under a waterfall symbolizes a transition to a new age, a change in status or receiving the blessing of spirits.
In many countries, bathing itself is used as an anti-depressant practice. Thus, in Germany and Austria, therapists prescribe “water therapy” — from immersion in thermal springs to walks along bodies of water as part of psychotherapy.
Day of positive media
This initiative appeared as a response to the information imbalance and growing emotional pressure from the flow of negative news. This is not a call to ignore reality or embellish reality, but an attempt to change the point of view: to show that there is a place for light, compassion, mutual aid, development, courage and goodness in the news.
In a day when reader fatigue with disasters, wars, crimes and betrayals is becoming chronic, positive media offers a different perspective: to focus on stories that inspire or teach something. The Day of Positive Media is an opportunity to think about the responsibility of journalism in the era of post-truth and emotional polarization, as well as a call to create a balanced information ecosystem, where the news does not just state a fact, but gives a chance for hope. In the context of wartime, this is especially important: good stories do not diminish the meaning of pain, but help to survive it.
Positive media does not mean “sweet” texts, it is professionally made materials that highlight real examples of crisis overcoming, innovation, interpersonal solidarity, a gesture of respect for those who do not want the word “news” to be associated only with disasters.
Interesting facts
The idea of the Day of Positive Media was born in the USA in 2013 as an initiative of several independent newsrooms that protested against the dominance of “clickbait content” and news based on fear. It was awarded for the first time on June 22, 2014.
In France, there is a separate Association of Journalism of solutions (Journalisme de solutions), which since 2016 has been training reporters not only to cover the problem, but also to show effective ways to overcome it. This is part of the “constructive news” approach.
The Danish media Constructive Institute conducts an independent assessment of the media regarding the balance between destructive and constructive coverage of events. According to the institute, only 2% of news stories in the world usually contain a constructive ending.
In 2020, the University of Oxford included “decision journalism” in the list of separate research areas in the field of media ethics. Positive news stories have been found to promote higher trust in the media than traditional coverage.
In Greece, after the massive fires in 2021, the most read news was not news about tragedies, but rather those materials that described the joint efforts of volunteers, farmers, teachers and doctors to overcome the consequences of the disaster.
In Kenya, local radio stations have “positive hours” during which it is forbidden to read news about crimes or political scandals. Listeners themselves share stories of good deeds they have seen or participated in.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the BBC created a special ‘Positive News’ section – and it had a record number of views in the morning hours. People looked for news not to be informed, but to reduce anxiety.
In many countries, in particular in Canada, Australia, Ireland, the media create separate “joy editorials”, where editors select news that causes hope, pride or inspiration. These selections have a stable audience.
In Ukraine, positive news has become more popular after 2022, especially among the audience that consumes military reports. Stories about animal rescue, child evacuation, volunteering and rebuilding often resonate more than political news.
World Rainforest Day
This initiative was launched in 2017 by the Rainforest Partnership. This is not just an ecological date, but a powerful informational reason to draw attention to one of the most valuable and at the same time the most vulnerable biomes on the planet. Tropical forests cover less than 7% of the Earth’s surface, but support more than 50% of all living species. They are home to millions of people who depend on their resources, regulate the climate, conserve soils, clean air and water, and sequester carbon—that is, curb global warming. Without them, humanity will not just lose an aesthetic or biological treasure—it will lose a key component of its survival.
Every year, the threat of destruction of these forests only increases. According to the Global Forest Monitoring System, every second humanity loses an area of rainforest equivalent to one football field. These are not just statistics – these are inevitable changes in the atmosphere, the destruction of species, the degradation of entire cultures of the indigenous population.
World Rainforest Day is designed to intensify efforts: from environmental education and forest protection at the local level to international climate policy. This day is an opportunity to rethink the role of consumption, the impact of the food industry (in particular, the cultivation of soy, palm oil, beef), as well as the corruption schemes behind illegal deforestation.
For Ukraine, which has its own problems with deforestation, in particular in the Carpathians, this date is also a reason to look more broadly: ecology is not a matter of geography, but of solidarity. The tropical forests of Brazil or Indonesia are also our climate, our oxygen, our air temperature. Today’s world is so interdependent that any devastation has consequences far beyond the scene.
Interesting facts
About 70% of cancer drugs are based on substances found in tropical forests. However, only 1% of tropical plants have been studied for medicinal properties.
One hectare of tropical forest can contain up to 900 species of trees. For comparison, fewer than 50 species grow in the whole of Britain.
The Amazon produces up to 20% of the world’s oxygen, but its degradation could turn it from a “carbon trap” to a “carbon source” — and this is already starting to happen in some regions.
Some tropical trees communicate with each other through mycorrhizal networks, transmitting signals about threats or even “feeding” young trees growing in the shade.
Many peoples living in tropical forests do not have a written language – their ecosystem is not only physical, but also cultural: every felling is also the destruction of mythology, folklore, rituals.
Tropical forests participate in the formation of precipitation not only in themselves, but also at a distance of thousands of kilometers. For example, moisture evaporated in the Amazon affects rainfall in the central United States.
In Brazil, there are “floating forest schools” for children who live in regions without constant access to land. These schools are also a way of ecological education of the new generation.
There are more than 200 languages recorded in the rainforests that are not spoken anywhere else in the world. Their disappearance is not only a cultural, but also a linguistic loss for all of humanity.
In 2019, an unexplored rainforest was discovered in Papua New Guinea that harbored several new animal species, including a translucent-skinned frog.
World Volkswagen Beetle Day
On June 22, car enthusiasts around the world celebrate World Volkswagen Beetle Day, a day to honor the iconic car that went far beyond the vehicle and became a symbol of the era, style, protest and global recognition. Volkswagen Beetle is one of the few mass-produced cars that won the world’s love not for its technical characteristics, but for its character.
The holiday arose as an initiative of fan communities and museums of auto culture, which sought to honor the legend that survived dictatorships, globalization, oil crises, cinema and fashion. It was on June 22, 1934 that an agreement was signed between the German government and Ferdinand Porsche on the creation of a “people’s car” – accessible to everyone. And although the initial history of the model is closely related to the Nazi regime, the car itself later separated from the ideology, turning into a symbol of peace, simplicity and freedom.
The beetle became an icon of the sixties, a personification of youth culture, pacifism, anarchism, hippie style. He appeared in movies, art, songs, advertising revolutions. It was chosen as the first car, as a traveling home, as a manifesto against the pathos of expensive cars. And that is why June 22 is not only about technology, it is about the spirit.
Interesting facts
The Beetle became the first car in the world to surpass 20 million units sold. As of 2003, more than 21.5 million Beetles had been produced, a record that stood for decades.
In the original instructions for the Beetle of the first series, it was written that the driver can repair the car on his own. The kit included a set of tools, and the engine could be removed in just half an hour.
In 1972, the Beetle overtook the iconic Ford T in terms of sales, becoming the most popular car in history. And he did it without significant changes in the design.
In Brazil, the Beetle was produced until 1996, and in Mexico – until 2003. It was the Mexican plant in Puebla that was the last to produce the classic air-cooled model.
There is still a taxi service in Nigeria that uses only old Beetles. They have their fans, and even the “Beetle Lagos” museum.
The largest official meeting of Volkswagen Beetle owners took place in Hanover, Germany in 2005 — more than 21,000 participants from 32 countries.
In the 1960s, the Beetle became a symbol of counterculture in the United States. He appeared in anti-war protests, among human rights movements, on Grateful Dead posters. In some American cities, it was even used as a wedding car for same-sex couples during Prohibition.
The design of the Beetle is determined not only by aesthetics, but also by functionality: the rounded shape allowed snow to fall from the body, and air cooling ensured reliability even in hot conditions.
In the 1970s, the Beetle was advertised with the slogan “Think small” – it became one of the most successful advertising messages of the 20th century and completely changed the idea of how car campaigns should look.
Historical events on this day
860 – Kyiv princes Askold and Dir made an unsuccessful naval attack on Tsargorod. As a result, the Byzantine emperor Michael III concluded an agreement with them on “peace and love” and paid a large ransom. This treaty witnessed the first attempts of Russia to establish diplomatic relations with Byzantium.
1633 – In the Dominican monastery of St. Minerva in Rome, Galileo Galilei renounced his beliefs regarding heliocentrism. This was the culmination of a trial against a scientist who supported the teachings of Copernicus. The abdication ceremony took place in the same place where Giordano Bruno was previously sentenced to death.
1634 – The artist Rembrandt married Saskia van Eilenburch, a woman who became not only his wife, but also the inspiration for many of his paintings.
1668 – Tsarist troops began a seven-year siege of the Solovetsky Monastery. The monks refused to accept the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, which led to armed confrontation.
1671 – The Ottoman Empire officially declared war on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which became part of the great geopolitical tension between the Muslim and Christian worlds in Central-Eastern Europe.
1675 – The English King Charles II signed a decree on the establishment of the Greenwich Observatory – the future reference point of the zero meridian.
1826 – In the Russian Empire, the so-called “cast iron statute” was introduced, which significantly strengthened censorship. He effectively blocked the free circulation of ideas and became a symbol of reaction after the Decembrist uprising.
1889 – The German Empire became the first country in Europe to introduce state pensions based on old age. This social initiative was initiated by Chancellor Bismarck.
1910 – Europe’s first air passenger line between Friedrichshafen and Dusseldorf was opened. The “Germany” airship was cruising, symbolizing a new era of transport.
1915 – Austro-German troops led by August von Mackensen recaptured Lviv from Russia after 293 days of occupation. It was an important stage in the Eastern European theater of the First World War.
1923 – The USSR made a decision to liquidate 127 guralen. This was part of the fight against illegal alcohol production and an attempt to centralize the industry.
1933 – Communist leader of the Ukrainian SSR Pavlo Postyshev announced mass arrests among the Ukrainian intelligentsia. This became a prologue to the “great terror” and the attack on national culture.
1940 – In Compiègne, France signed the capitulation to Nazi Germany. Symbolically, it took place in the same carriage where in 1918 Germany admitted defeat in the First World War.
1941 – In Lviv, the Soviet authorities began shooting prisoners suspected of ties to the OUN. According to various estimates, from 2,358 to 2,752 people died in Lviv alone.
1944 – German aviation carried out a massive raid on the American air base in Poltava. As a result, 47 aircraft were destroyed.
1960 – There was an official break in relations between the Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of China. This was a consequence of the aggravation of ideological and political contradictions between Moscow and Beijing.
1973 – Both German states — GDR and FRG — were admitted to the United Nations. This was an important step towards the gradual normalization of relations between them.
1981 – Mark David Chapman pleaded guilty to the murder of John Lennon, which shocked the entire music world.
1984 – In Kyiv, Soviet athlete Tamara Bykova set a world record in high jump – 2 meters 5 centimeters.
1994 – The President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, signed an order on the return of religious property to religious communities. This was a step towards correcting the religious repressions of the Soviet period.
1994 – In Helsinki, Ukraine, together with 40 countries, signed the Declaration on Environment and Health Protection. This document defined the priorities of environmental policy in the region.
2002 – An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 occurred in Western Iran. 261 people died, hundreds of people were left homeless.
