The ceremony of hoisting the National Flag of Ukraine was held in central squares of Mariupol, Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Severodonetsk and other towns of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the morning of August 23 – Day of National Flag of Ukraine.
Militaries, city officials, representatives of Donetsk Region Military and Civil Administration took part in the ceremony. There were about 1 thousand people gathered in the square.
In Slovyansk , there were about 100 people who came to celebrate.
In Slovyansk and in Kramatorsk, there were concerts for residents after hoisting the Flag.
The ceremony of raising the State Flag of Ukraine was held in Severodonetsk, Luhansk region, too.
The people who took part in the ceremony sang the Ukrainian anthem and there was a minute of silence to commemorate those who had given their lives for the independence of Ukraine.
There was a motor rally of 85 vehicles with Ukrainian flags in Kramatorsk. There was a minute of silence, and people put flowers to the monument to Ukrainian servicemen perished in the ATO zone.
The State Flag was raised in Druzhkovka too. There was a concert for locals. Druzhkovka had been occupied by illegal “DPR” organization.
Frontline Avdiivka also celebrated Day of National Flag despite the fact that it is shelled by militants from occupied Makiivka, Donetsk, and Yasinuvata every day.
A monument to servicemen perished for the independence of Ukraine at the town Glory Memorial was unveiled in Starobelsk, Luhansk region, on Ukrainian Independence Day, on August 24.
In Kramatorsk, there was an exhibition of applied arts and a fair of state and private agricultural businesses. There was a concert of musical ethno-groups for locals. Besides, a monument to Cossack Mazay was unveiled in Kramatorsk on August 24.
There was a peace march along the streets of Kramatorsk to mark Independence Day. About 1 thousand people participated in it. The people had national flags in their hands and chanted patriotic slogans.
In Mariupol, volunteers and residents arranged a motor rally to mark Independence Day. About 50 cars came to the central square. The participants went along the central streets and visited the settlement of Sartana where 3 civilians had perished when it had been shelled by militants. The rally participants sang the Anthem of Ukraine and commemorated the people perished in the tragedy with a minute of silence.
There was “March of Patriots” to mark Day of Independence of Ukraine in Krasnoarmiysk.
There was a rally “Day of Ukrainian Dependence” in occupied Donetsk.
As separatists inform, several thousand people took part in the picket. However, according to the information obtained by “News of Donbas”, not more than 300 people participated in the event. It was arranged in front to the monument to Shevchenko and lasted for not more than 20 minutes.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko congratulated Ukrainians on Independence Day and said that the “DPR” formation is a myth. He compared it with a mythical country of “Mordor”.
“We were, we are, and ]\we will be. Let these words be recalled in the distant future when the 100th anniversary of Independence is celebrated. And “Novorossia” is just a myth, a Mordor from Tolkien’s famous book”, said Poroshenko.