“35 Years Of Ukraine’s Independence: The Strength Of Being Yourself” — Special Broadcast On August 24 On FREEДOM Channel

23.08.2026, 13:04 uatv.ua

For Independence Day, all channels of the Ukrainian international broadcaster will feature themed programming. The FREEДOM channel team has prepared a special broadcast, “35 Years of Ukraine’s Independence: The Strength of Being Yourself,” about the path of Ukrainian statehood and its transformation since the restoration of independence, contemporary Ukraine and its place in the world, the development of the Defense Forces, international support, culture, and the people shaping the country’s future.

Throughout the day, hosts Natalia Sopit, Yuriy Kulinich, Kateryna Nesterenko, Oleh Borysov, Kateryna Vyshnevska, and Andriy Sinitsyn will be on air live. Special correspondents will cover ceremonial and commemorative events in various regions of the country. They will address FREEДOM viewers live from the streets of Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Odesa, and Kharkiv. Live segments from Brussels and the US are planned, along with a number of exclusive interviews.

FREEДOM viewers will also see the premiere of the documentary “Made in Ukraine” (adapted into Russian), a themed episode of the “Special Report” — “The Power of Freedom” project, about the resilience of Ukrainian society, resistance to the Russian aggressor, the Defense Forces’ combat experience, and Ukraine’s contribution to shaping new approaches to modern warfare.

The morning broadcast on August 24 will be opened by Natalia Sopit and Yuriy Kulinich, who will discuss the significance of the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Independence and Ukraine’s historical path. A separate feature, “Mosaic of History: Ukraine’s Path to Independence” by Iryna Yusupova, will be dedicated to the events of 1991 and Ukraine’s achievement of independence.

The FREEДOM team will be on air live throughout the day. Kateryna Nesterenko and Oleh Borysov will cover festive and commemorative events directly from the scene in Kyiv. Regional correspondents from Dnipro, Lviv, Odesa, and Kharkiv will also join the broadcast with live segments and special features.

A separate segment, “Europe: Defending Ukraine. Ukraine Shares Its Experience,” will be dedicated to international support for Ukraine, cooperation with partners, and Ukraine’s role in shaping the new architecture of European security. Together with experts, the discussion will cover how perceptions of Ukraine around the world have changed over 35 years, what support it needs today, and how to strengthen international pressure on Russia to end the war. Political scientist and international expert Dmytro Levus and military expert Oleksandr Musiienko will join the studio discussion. A live segment from Brussels is planned with FREEДOM’s special correspondent in Europe, Vitalii Syzov. Viewers will also see his conversation with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen about support for Ukraine and further cooperation with international partners.

A view of Ukraine from abroad will be presented by Italian public figure and volunteer Andrea Alesiani, for whom Ukraine has become a second home. In a conversation with host Kateryna Nesterenko, he will share his vision of Ukraine and Ukrainians, and talk about volunteer aid and how Ukraine is perceived abroad.

An important segment will be dedicated to the transformation of Ukraine’s Defense Forces over the years of independence — from the formation of an independent state’s army to a modern, technologically advanced Defense Force with unique combat experience and its own developments. This topic will be covered in a special feature by correspondent Mykyta Skoblikov. Particular attention will be paid to the development of Ukrainian defense technologies and the domestic defense industry. The broadcast will also present the successes of the Ukrainian military and the newest defense technologies, including developments by Ukrainian manufacturers of interceptor drones.

Another topic of the August 24 FREEДOM broadcast is Ukrainian culture and its presence in the world. In an exclusive interview with Natalia Sopit, director, playwright, and founder of the DAKH Center for Contemporary Art Vlad Troitskyi will talk about Ukrainian culture, cultural diplomacy, and how Ukraine speaks to the world today through the language of art. The topic of Ukraine’s spiritual independence, the transformation of religious life, and the church’s role in the formation and consolidation of Ukrainian statehood will be covered in Saken Aimurzayev‘s interview with theologian Cyril Hovorun.

Part of the broadcast will be dedicated to Ukraine’s historical path to independence, key stages of state formation, and debunking Russian myths and manipulations regarding Ukrainian history. Historian and Armed Forces of Ukraine General Staff spokesman Andriy Kovalov will join the broadcast.

A separate feature by journalist Viktoriia Chystiukhina, “Generation of the Independent: Stories of Ukraine’s Peers,” will focus on people born at the same time as the independent state, who grew up alongside it and today are working, creating, developing the country, and shaping its future.

In the themed “Special Report” episode with Maksym Urlapov, viewers will see how years of Russian aggression have strengthened Ukrainians’ aspiration for freedom and turned Ukraine into an important component of European security. The focus will be on the resilience of Ukrainian society, the Defense Forces’ combat experience, the development of domestic weapons and drone production, and Ukraine’s contribution to shaping new approaches to modern warfare.

In the evening broadcast, Kateryna Vyshnevska and Andriy Sinitsyn will cover the key events of Independence Day. The broadcast will feature Lithuanian Member of the European Parliament Petras Auštrevičius, British journalist Peter Dickinson, and special correspondent in the US Mykhailo Komadovskyi.

On August 24, all UATV international broadcasting channels will premiere the state enterprise “IBMPU”‘s own documentary “Made in Ukraine”, about modern Ukrainian inventions that have changed medicine, technology, and even the battlefield. Six stories introduce viewers to Ukrainian defense developments transforming ideas about modern warfare; unique wind-power technologies; 3D printing in medicine and bioengineering; voice synthesis and conversion technology used in Hollywood; and the development of Diia and the “state in a smartphone.” The premiere on the “Дім“ channel is at 19:40, on FREEДOM at 17:35, and on the UATV channels in English, Arabic, Spanish, German, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish, Hungarian, and French, and on The Gaze, at 20:00.

Viewers of the Ukrainian international broadcasting channel “Дім” will also see a themed “Ranok Vdoma” broadcast that day, premieres of documentary and feature films about people defending and building modern Ukraine, and projects and films about Ukrainian statehood, history, and culture. In the “Ранок Вдома” broadcast, hosts Daria Kudimova and Denys Minin will be joined by guests including Taras Topolia, Jamala, Oleh Skrypka, and historian Ihor Pankiv, with greetings from military personnel, athletes, and well-known Ukrainians, and conversations about Ukraine’s path to freedom, the price of independence, and the people defending it. The documentary “The Power of Music” will explore music therapy, which helps overcome psychological trauma, PTSD, and anxiety, and helps people find inner strength.

The documentary “Thunder Out Of A Clear Sky” covers the combat path and feats of attack and fighter aviation pilots, telling the story of Hero of Ukraine Rostyslav Lazarenko, call sign “Thunder,” and his comrades.

A feature film based on Ivan Karpenko-Kary’s play “The Master 2: On His Own Land,” will show a modern-day Terentiy Puzyr, who does not leave his native village during the Russian occupation and helps the resistance.

The broadcast will also include the themed programs “Real History”, “Popular History,” the feature film “Zakhar Berkut,” and the concerts “Music For Victory” and “Live Concert.”

On August 24, the Ukrainian international broadcasting channels in English, Arabic, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, Hungarian, and French — UATV.English, UATV Arabic, UATV Español, The Gaze, UATV Português, UATV Deutsch, UATV Türkçe, UATV po polsku, UATV Français, and UATV Magyarul — will prepare themed segments about Ukraine’s fight for freedom as part of their ongoing projects. The documentary “Made in Ukraine” and “Special Report: The Power of Ukraine” will be adapted for all platforms. The UATV channels will air short greeting videos to Ukrainians from native speakers of each language.

Also for Independence Day, the broadcasting team has prepared two series of themed videos. In one, Ukrainians of the independence generation on the streets of Ukrainian cities talk about what Ukraine’s independence means to them. The second is dedicated to the strength of Ukrainian cities and regions: broadcasting hosts talk about unity with Crimea, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kyiv, Lviv, and Donbas. The promo will air and be published on the digital platforms of the state enterprise “IBMPU” on August 24. All channels will feature special graphic design for Independence Day.

Photo: UKF, Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov via Instagram “Groma,” Facebook