Aug. 24 (UPI) — Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day on Thursday as Russia’s 17-month invasion of the country continues.
In Kyiv, residents paraded destroyed Russian tanks along the capital’s main street in a show of the country’s resistance to Moscow’s attack. Others displayed other captured or damaged Russian military hardware on Khreshchatyk Street, the main boulevard that runs through Maidan Square to the Dnipro River.
The Kyiv Post said that included in the “silent parade” display were 10 Russian tanks, 15 self-propelled artillery pieces, three anti-aircraft missile systems, six armored personnel carriers, three armored cars, two rocket artillery pieces, four infantry fighting vehicles, three light-tracked personnel carriers, and an R-77 air-to-air missile.
President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in a mostly quiet observance in Kyiv on Thursday. Officials said about 20,000 participated in the celebrations but nothing official was announced for fears it would be disrupted by a missile or other military attack by the Kremlin.
Ukraine’s parliament declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 followed by a ballot initiative that was supported by 92% of the Ukrainian voters the following month.
As Ukrainians held muted observances of its independence, Russia continued its military assault with attacks on Kherson and Dnipro on Thursday. Kyiv said one person was killed and 16 wounded in the violence.
Earlier on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine had nothing to do with the presumed death of Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose airplane crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday.
“We had nothing to do with it,” Zelensky said of Prigozhin, who fell out of favor with Russian President Vladimir Putin after leading a short-lived coup against the Russian military in June. “Everybody realizes who has something to do with it.”
The mercenary group has been instrumental in its supporting role — and sometimes lead role — in attacking Ukrainian forces during Russia’s ongoing invasion.
