Ukraine celebrates Independence Day, with a new level of meaning as it fights back against Russia

Russian tanks and military systems are exhibited in Kyiv on Aug. 22, 2022. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

I stood on Kyiv’s main boulevard, Khreshchatyk, one year ago, on Aug. 24, 2021, celebrating along with thousands of Ukrainians who were watching the Independence Day parade.

The parade featured newly obtained weapons such as the lightweight missile systems known as Javelins. There were flyovers by Ukraine’s air forces, including the largest plane in the world at the time, known as the “Dream.”