Three decades ago, Ukraine gained its independence, and a nation that had to endure almost 70 years of Soviet subjugation could finally see a future in which democracy and freedom would thrive. But Ukraine’s story after 1991 was to be anything but a fairy tale: two revolutions, economic havoc and endless political crises. And Russia, the always troublesome larger neighbor that could never quite accept the fact that Ukraine wanted to chart its own path, invaded and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 and fueled a separatist war in the country’s east that killed about 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.
Despite these hardships, in fits and starts, Ukraine slowly became more European — vibrant, democratic, tolerant. The younger generation born post-independence is unfamiliar with authoritarian regimes and unbound by Soviet nostalgia. This generation knows no other political system than democracy, imperfect as it may be, and no other homeland other than a sovereign Ukraine. It’s a generation that never imagined a full-scale war in Western Europe could ever happen.
This illusion was shattered this week as millions of Ukrainians woke up to sirens and explosions as Russian missiles hit critical targets across the country.
Times Opinion would like to hear what it was like for this generation of Ukrainians to grow up in an independent Ukraine and how the Russian invasion has affected you, your family and your country. Share your story using the form below. Or, if you’d prefer to send us a video message, please upload it to the appropriate field below, or email it to us at opinioncomments@nytimes.com. We may use a selection of these submissions in a future article.
Ukrainians born in 1991 or later, tell us about your experience.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com.
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Opinion | Young Ukrainians, We Want to Hear From You - The New York Times
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