Human Chain of Unity: Historic symbol of Ukraine's struggle for independence

Espreso tells about the remarkable event of the past.

Symbol of unity and solidarity

Human Chain of Unity, 1990, Photo: Centre for Research of Liberation Movement

This day marked a significant step towards Ukraine's independence. Thousands of people showed their desire for unity, and the "Human Chain" became one of the largest mass campaigns of its time in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as one of the first major events organized by the newly formed People's Movement of Ukraine. It also served as a powerful manifesto of the struggle.

On that cold January 21, people stepped out and held hands, uniting cities and villages with their living force. They traveled to places where hands were needed, becoming vital links in the chain of unity: from Lviv to Kyiv, and partly to Kharkiv. Approximately three million Ukrainians participated in this symbolic act to express their stance.

During one of the remembrance gatherings, Yaroslav Kendzor, a participant in the dissident movement in the Ukrainian SSR and a six-term Ukrainian MP, recalled how the events unforded in Lviv.

"The crowd with flags in the streets, alive, young, beautiful, with Viacheslav Chornovil, Levko Lukianenko, Oleksandr Honchar, and many other smiling people that day, the mood that prevailed – truly a celebration of the soul and hope, despite the fact that Soviet Ukraine still existed and the repressive Communist authorities had not been abolished," he shared.

The dissident also highlighted a moment he captured in his video chronicle on Saksahanskyi Street, when flags were being unfurled, and a young police officer was standing nearby.

"I approach him and ask, 'How will the Soviet police celebrate today? Do you think you'll join the processes of national revival?' And the police officer said, 'We will definitely help the Ukrainian state to recover,'" Yaroslav Kendzor recalled.

“Between Lviv and Kyiv” and beyond

Human Chain of Unity, 1990, Photo: Territory of Terror

The official name of the chain was "between Lviv and Kyiv," but in reality, the main section began in Stryi, a town in the Lviv region. From there, two more chains of human unity extended: one towards Ivano-Frankivsk and the other to Transcarpathia. At that time, it was very important for participants to include Ivano-Frankivsk in the action, as the city was the capital of the West Ukrainian People's Republic in 1919.

There was also a chain in Kharkiv. Active Ukrainians from the city gathered near the Shevchenko monument and lined up along several streets. In addition, many Kharkiv and Donetsk residents traveled to participate in the action in Kyiv, Lviv, and other locations where the chain stretched and where live hands were needed.

Old photographs show posters with manifestos proclaiming that "Kharkiv and Donetsk have always been Ukrainian," reminders that "our strength is in unity," city names and directions, smiling and confident people, hundreds of flags, and even more blue-and-yellow ribbons.

These were 700 kilometers of testimony to unity. People stood for over an hour, warming themselves in the cold with hearts full of hope. After the action in Lviv, Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and several other cities, rallies and prayer services took place.