Declaration of Independence of Ukraine
Ukrainian secession from the USSR
The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR (Verkhovna Rada) on 24 August 1991.
The Act reestablished Ukraine's state independence from the Soviet Union. The declaration was affirmed by a majority of Ukrainians in all regions of Ukraine by an independence referendum on 1 December, followed by international recognition starting on the following day. Ukrainian independence led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union by 26 December 1991.
Adoption
The Act was adopted in the aftermath of the coup attempt in the Soviet Union on 19 August, when hardline Communist leaders attempted to restore central Communist party control over the USSR. The text was largely composed during the night of 23 August–24 August mainly by Levko Lukianenko, Serhiy Holovatyi, Mykhailo Horyn, Ivan Zayets and Vyacheslav Chornovil.
During a tense 11-hour extraordinary session on Saturday 24 August 1991, the Supreme Soviet or Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of the Ukrainian SSR, debated whether and how to declare the independence of Ukraine and other related urgent matters. First, a preliminary vote was held at 17:57 o'clock, mostly at the urging of the communist majority in the Rada, who demanded that any declaration of independence would be confirmed by a popular referendum; otherwise, they claimed, the Declaration might not represent "the will of the people". Thus, the compromise proposal to hold a vote to adopt the Act of Declaration of Independence together with holding a confirmatory referendum if the Act would be approved, passed with 321 votes in favor, 2 votes against, and 6 abstentions (out of 360 attendants). This indicated that the communists would almost certainly support the Act; the Rada spontaneously burst into cheering, applause and a standing ovation when the results were announced. When the enthusiasm had calmed down, Kravchuk proceeded to hold the vote on the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine itself, which was overwhelmingly approved at 18:00 o'clock with 346 votes in favour, 1 against, 3 abstentions, and 12 deputies who did not vote (out of 362 attendants).
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