Independence is defended by citizens every day

Ukraine is marking 35 years of independence this year, a milestone that resonates particularly as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary.

While separated by centuries of distinct historical paths, both anniversaries are united by a fundamental idea: the power of citizens to shape their own destiny. America articulated this in 1776, asserting that governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed. Ukraine affirmed it through a national vote in 1991, with over 90 percent of voters choosing independence across all regions, including Crimea.

However, every declaration of independence marks merely a beginning. The more challenging work lies in building robust institutions that protect rights and withstand pressure, and in continually convincing future generations that self-governance is a worthwhile endeavor. Currently, Ukraine's armed forces are defending the nation's independence on the battlefield, while its citizens sustain it daily by strengthening institutions, demanding accountability, and exercising their democratic freedoms even amidst wartime.

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people are citizens with the power to shape their own future, not subjects to be ruled by someone else's will.

This defense has come at an immense cost to Ukrainian service members, families, and communities. During a recent visit, the National Endowment for Democracy's (NED) Board witnessed firsthand how Ukrainians are living their independence during the war. In Bucha, the story of Yulia exemplified this resilience. After escaping Russian occupation, she returned to find her home looted and her community traumatized. Instead of succumbing to victimhood, Yulia joined a volunteer air defense unit, patrols the night sky, and founded an initiative to preserve the memory of a local artist who perished during the occupation.

Yulia's refusal to let aggression define her, choosing instead to act and protect her community, echoes a conviction shared across Ukrainian and American history: freedom endures when citizens actively defend it. Throughout the NED's trip, this instinct to act was evident among many partners, whether connecting communities near the front lines, demanding accountability, or advancing reforms. This engaged society, the NED concluded, is one of Ukraine's greatest assets, bringing strength to the state itself, a civic capacity that did not emerge overnight and cannot be taken for granted.

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freedom endures when citizens are willing to defend it.