Russia Slams Ukraine’s Independence Day as 'Macabre Dance'

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Moscow denounces Ukraine’s 1991 independence as a façade, blames Zelensky for “eradicating all things Russian”

By TRH Global Affairs Desk

NEW DELHI, August 22, 2025 — Moscow has once again sought to delegitimize Ukraine’s sovereignty ahead of its Independence Day celebrations on August 24, framing Kyiv’s 1991 declaration of independence not as a moment of national liberation but as what it calls a “macabre dance on the bones of Ukrainians.”

In a sharply worded statement, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova argued that Ukraine’s independence was hollow from inception, claiming its true foundation lies in the 1990 Declaration of State Sovereignty that guaranteed neutrality, non-alignment, and a nuclear-free status. According to her, Kyiv has since “betrayed its own roots” by pursuing what Moscow brands a “neo-Nazi” policy of suppressing Russian identity and dismantling the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The MFA statement singled out President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 2024 law banning the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church as evidence of Kyiv’s alleged genocide against its own people. “Independence cannot be celebrated while millions of believers are stripped of their faith,” Zakharova said.

Moscow also painted Ukraine as a reckless aggressor, citing alleged UAV strikes on Russian civilians, including the death of a child, and accusing Kyiv of attempted attacks on strategic infrastructure—from the Desnogorsk nuclear facility in Smolensk to the Druzhba oil pipeline supplying Hungary. The statement further claimed that the FSB foiled a Ukrainian plot to blow up the Crimean Bridge using explosives smuggled through Europe, and that joint Russian security operations had dismantled NATO-backed efforts to develop long-range “Sapsan” missile systems inside Ukraine.

On the diplomatic front, the MFA lashed out at European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who alongside Zelensky announced fresh sanctions during their August 17 press conference in Brussels. “Euro-bureaucrats are bankrupting their own people in the name of punishing Russia,” Zakharova asserted, warning that a 19th package of EU sanctions in September would deepen Europe’s economic woes.

The statement reflects Moscow’s dual narrative: positioning itself as both victim of Western-backed Ukrainian “terrorism” and guardian of what it calls Ukraine’s “authentic sovereignty,” rooted in neutrality and cultural affinity with Russia. As the US and Russia continue cautious discussions on ending the conflict, Moscow is suggesting that Kyiv’s current trajectory makes “true independence” impossible until it abandons Western alignment.