Ukraine’s national flag, emblem and anthem have a long history and national status but have yet to become true national symbols

20 years is a significant stretch of time on the verge of the 20th and 21st centuries, packed with events

Independence by instinct

Ukraine failed to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the collapse of the USSR. This can be blamed on the unreadiness of the counter-elite and shortsightedness of the political establishment

When empires crack, states emerge on their ruins, the emergence of which no one counted on

Lost opportunities

In its first years of independence, Ukrainian politics took the steps necessary for the creation of Ukraine as an independent country but never resolved the fundamental problems of its development

Bagging the country

The late 1990s brought a system of governance to Ukraine that sent the country tumbling into poverty

The assassination of Vadym Hetman removed all barriers to the chaotic disbursement of the banking and financial sector in Ukraine and opened the way for the tycoon-controlled economy

The first steps

The failed test

The inability of the oligarch regime to withstand systemic pressure from abroad virtually led to the loss of sovereignty. It was only the response of society that saved the country

Throughout all 20 years of the new history of Ukraine, schemes have been used for energy resource supplies, to the detriment of the country, but which made specific people much richer

The wasted trust

The opposition failed to fulfill the task of society and eliminate the oligarch and lumpen system in the early 2000s. There is still hope for the emergence of a new counter-elite

Only a force that relies on the middle class and a right-centrist ideology can pull Ukraine out of the oligarchs' vicious circle

The new elite must show the way to eliminating the oligarch-controlled model and discovering Ukraine’s potential