July 15 in the Ukrainian calendar is marked by two significant holidays – the Day of Ukrainian Statehood and the Day of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus – Ukraine. These dates embody the connection between the past and the present, ideas of identity and national self-awareness. The first focuses on the continuity of the state tradition from the princely era to modern independent Ukraine. The second reminds us of the civilizational choice that over a thousand years ago determined the spiritual and cultural vector of the development of the Ukrainian people.
In the context of recent history, these holidays acquire special importance, because they become a source of internal strength, a marker of historical subjectivity, and a response to attempts to deny Ukraine’s right to its own path.
The history of holidays and their political context
The idea of the Day of Ukrainian Statehood appeared as a continuation of the public demand for the formulation of Ukrainian historical subjectivity back in 2018, when the three presidents Kravchuk, Kuchma and Yushchenko addressed the parliament with a proposal to establish this national holiday. As a result, the decree on the creation of Statehood Day was signed on August 24, 2021, and the first official celebration took place in July 2022 under martial law, which only emphasized its relevance. And already in 2023, the Verkhovna Rada supported the transfer of the date from July 28 to July 15, thereby synchronizing it with the New Julian calendar of the OCU and separating it from Moscow’s religious and historical interpretations. The essence of the holiday is not to symbolically emphasize the “next date”, but to try to organize and legitimize historical continuity: from the princely rule of Volodymyr the Great to independent Ukraine of the 21st century.
July 15 combines two key meanings — political and spiritual. This is the date when Ukrainians commemorate Volodymyr the Great, the prince who introduced Christianity as the state religion in 988. But it is not only about religion as faith, but also the moment when the territory known as Rus ceased to be a federation of tribes and became a European state with international connections, a written culture, law, education and diplomacy. It was from this that the persistence of Ukrainian statehood began, which enemy propagandists try to push out of memory every time when it is necessary to justify that Ukraine “did not exist”.
Rus has always been located in Kyiv, not in Suzdal. So the formula “from Russia to Ukraine” is supported by facts. The documents of the Central Rada clearly stated: UNR is not a new formation, but a direct continuation of Russia. This approach had an academic justification, in particular in the works of Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, who proposed the concept of Ukrainian history as a holistic process at the beginning of the 20th century.
Postponing the celebration from July 28 to July 15 in 2024 distances the Ukrainian historical tradition from Russian interpretations and gives a signal that the historical heritage of Russia is not common, but national and Ukrainian. In the conditions of war, when state institutions are forced to function in a crisis mode, the symbolic framework of July 15 helps to keep the focus not only on defense, but also on meaningful affirmation of the state in education, culture, foreign policy and information security.
It is also important not to confuse Statehood Day and Independence Day. Of course, both holidays are important to understanding our national origins, but each speaks to a different story. So, August 24 was the moment when Ukraine legally left the empire’s control. This is a political point of no return. The declaration of independence in 1991 turned into a resounding “enough” addressed to the Soviet past. This is the day when Ukraine officially became a subject of international law, and not someone’s “region”.
The date of July 15 carries a completely different message that we did not start from scratch, and Ukrainian statehood did not fall from the sky in 1991. Even before the Constitution, the Verkhovna Rada and diplomatic missions in the world, there were other forms of the Ukrainian state, such as Kyiv Rus, the Hetmanship, the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UNR). Therefore, Statehood Day does not mark the acquired sovereignty, but points to the fact that Ukrainians are a historical nation. If Independence Day is a symbol of victory in the modern struggle, then Statehood Day confirms that this struggle has a thousand-year history.
The history of the baptism of Kyivan Rus is a fundamental change that transformed the ethno-political entity into a full-fledged state. The adoption of Christianity from Byzantium determined the geopolitical orientation, provided tools for the creation of a single administrative space and new social norms. Christianity became a factor of internal integration: thanks to the introduction of writing, school, church structure and law, Russia received institutional foundations, comparable to other European states. The “Church Statute of Volodymyr” is considered the first normative act in our legal tradition, and the construction of stone temples is perceived as the beginning of architectural urbanization. Through the Christian religion, Rus entered the circle of recognized players in European politics, which was also confirmed by Volodymyr’s marriage to the Byzantine princess Anna. Although Christian communities existed before 988, Volodymyr’s decision itself became a turning point. Not only as an act of spiritual choice, but as a balanced state strategy that combined political interest and cultural perspective.
Historical facts you should know
Both holidays are not just an attempt to “rewrite the past”, as political opponents of Ukraine often try to present it. Territorially, politically, and culturally, Russia existed on the lands of modern Ukraine, centered in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Halycha, and Volodymyr. History does not forgive falsifications, and how it has been interpreted in different eras is another battlefield for identity. The territory of modern Ukraine — Kyiv, Volyn, Halychyna — appeared in European documents as the heart of Russia during the Middle Ages. The name “Rusyns” was applied specifically to the inhabitants of these lands. Instead, the Muscovite Principality began to identify itself with Russia only in the 15th century, when the need arose to legitimize political claims. Only under Peter I in the 18th century did the name “Russia” appear as a result of a centralized imperial project that tried to annex Kyiv’s heritage to itself.
Ukrainian state-makers well understood where real roots grow from. The Central Council and the Constitution of the Ukrainian People’s Republic clearly stated that Ukraine is not a new state, but a continuation of the tradition of Kyivan Rus. But the Soviet authorities could not allow Ukraine to have such a deep and independent genealogical code. In 1929, the Bolsheviks defeated Ukrainian scientific institutions that recognized Kyivan Rus as a Ukrainian state. Historians who promoted this idea were repressed, persecuted or physically destroyed. The destruction of Hrushevsky’s historical school is one of the most painful and significant losses.
The church was also an instrument of influence. Until the end of the 17th century, the Kyiv Metropolitanate remained under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Only in 1686, under the influence of political pressure and in exchange for benefits, it was handed over to the Moscow Patriarchate. This transition took place without proper church approval, so the Ecumenical Patriarchate still does not recognize it as canonical. Thus, the Orthodox identity of Kyiv was formed independently of Moscow.
The formal baptism of the population of Kyiv took place in 988 in the Pochayna River, a tributary of the Dnieper, which is mentioned in the “Tale of Timeless Years”. Today, this river is almost completely destroyed by construction, its remains have been preserved in the form of a technical channel on Obolon. Pochayna was not just a place of a symbolic rite — it was in its waters that the introduction of a new religious and cultural system began.
It should be noted that Christianity appeared in Kyiv in the 9th century, when there were Christian communities, and Princess Olga, Volodymyr’s grandmother, was baptized in Constantinople around 955. Thus, the official baptism of Volodymyr was the final act of a long process that already had a deep foundation. After his baptism, Prince Volodymyr entered into a dynastic marriage with Anna, the sister of Byzantine Emperor Basil II. Such a union was extremely rare for Byzantium, which usually did not marry its princesses to foreigners. This marriage was evidence of the recognition of Russia as a full partner in international relations.
Along with the new religion came writing and legal traditions. The “Church Statute of Volodymyr” was implemented, which regulated the relationship between the spiritual and secular authorities, established the norms of marriage, criminal liability, charity, and the church court. It was the first regulatory document of this type on the territory of Ukraine, reflecting the formation of a structured statehood.
The construction of the first stone church – Desyatynnaya – also dates back to the time of Volodymyr. Prior to that, sacred buildings in Russia were mostly made of wood. The tithing church in Kyiv became not only a religious center, but also a symbol of the transition from the pagan era to a Christian state with a European architectural tradition. Its construction was the beginning of a new era in the history of Russia.
The spread of Christianity gave impetus to the development of education and culture. Translation of liturgical texts began, schools were opened at churches, and already in the 11th century, the first chronicles, teachings and lives of saints appeared. These processes contributed to the creation of a single cultural space within the state, which in turn strengthened its political unity.
During the reign of Volodymyr the Great, a state mint was started on the territory of Kyivan Rus. The first minted coins – “gold coins” and “silver coins” – were produced in Kyiv. They depicted a trident, which served as a sign of state sovereignty. In 1918, when the Ukrainian People’s Republic declared independence, a trident was approved as its coat of arms. The document indicated that it came from the coins of Prince Volodymyr. This decision made political sense: the new state tried to consolidate its connection with the ancient Kyivan tradition, emphasizing the continuity of political and cultural sovereignty. In this way, the UNR asserted its roots not in the Russian imperial space, but in the independent center of Kyiv.
So, July 15 marks a key change in the way Ukrainian history is interpreted. The combination of the Day of Statehood and the Day of Baptism of Russia-Ukraine provides grounds to talk about a holistic political and cultural process in which the Kyiv state became the source of Ukrainian subjectivity. The conditions of war only increase the value of historical arguments used to confirm the right to one’s own political and cultural line. It is this aspect that makes both holidays functional in the modern identity system.
