On Independence Day, which will be marked for the 35th time on 24 August 2026, fighters of the 'Artan' special unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine published a video on Telegram featuring personal stories. Particular emphasis is placed on the generation born in 1991 — the very year the country declared its independence. For these servicemen, the history of the state and their own biographies almost perfectly coincide day by day: they studied, fell in love, dreamed, and matured alongside Ukraine, and when the war began, they stood up to defend it. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the unit's official statement.
Independence daymates: growing up alongside the state
In the footage, the servicemen recall the key milestones of their lives — their school years, Maidan, the start of hostilities in 2014, and the occupation of their home cities. It is emphasised that for the generation of 1991, independence is not an abstract political concept but a concrete life experience: the right to live freely, to study, and to determine their own future. It is precisely this coincidence of their birth dates with the date of the declaration of independence that the authors of the video call the main theme of their congratulation.
Maidan and 2014: personal memories of the start of the war
One of the fighters recounted that he went to Maidan in his home city repeatedly with his father and believes that Ukrainians' awareness of themselves as a single nation and people began precisely in 2014 — with the Revolution of Dignity, after which the war followed. Another serviceman recalled how he left Donetsk shortly before the start of the Russian occupation: in his words, he left, and three days later tanks entered the city and the ATO began, which he learned about only from the news. 'It is very painful, because Donetsk still remains my home city,' the fighter admitted.
A childhood of fields versus the reality of air-raid alerts
A separate emotional accent in the video is placed on the contrast between the fighters' own childhood and the conditions in which today's Ukrainian children are growing up. One of the servicemen recalls how he used to run across the fields and wonders what modern children see — 'air-raid alerts, bombs?'. This fragment underscores that defending independence for the generation of 1991 is also an attempt to preserve for the next generation the right to an ordinary, safe childhood.
What independence means to a fighter
At the end of the video, the fighters formulate a personal definition of independence. In the words of one of them, it is the right to think, the right to a voice, and a child's confidence — a child who 'confidently walks to kindergarten, knowing what tomorrow will bring'. Thus, the Independence Day congratulation turns into a personal statement: freedom and sovereignty are not only state institutions but also the everyday safety of every person.
Context: the 'Artan' unit and the memory of the fallen
The 'Artan' special unit of the GUR of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine is described in open materials as a formation carrying out complex tasks in the enemy's rear; documentary films have previously been made about its servicemen, and Ukrposhta issued a postage stamp dedicated to the unit. In connection with Independence Day, RBC-Ukraine also recalls the story of 'Artan' fighter Dmytro Strunnikov, who before his service was a professional circus acrobat, became a volunteer in 2024 and, according to the publication, died in August 2025 while saving his comrades after a mortar strike. These materials form the overall context: the generation born in the year of independence today bears the main burden of defending the state.
