Reviving the Independence Notebook

The supermarket chain 'Silpo', in collaboration with the family of Levko Lukyanenko, has launched a new charity project called 'Independence Notebook'. This is a specially reproduced copy of a school notebook, in which 34 years ago the draft of the Act of Proclamation of Ukraine's independence was recorded, a document later approved by the Verkhovna Rada.

All profits from the sale of this limited edition will go towards helping released soldiers and their families through the NGO 'Azov.Support'.

This historical document, which laid the foundations of modern Ukraine, was created in an ordinary school notebook under extraordinary circumstances. In August 1991, during the attempted coup in Moscow, members of parliament were urgently recalled from vacation.

At this critical moment, dissident and freedom fighter Levko Lukyanenko, realizing the uniqueness of the situation, wrote the text of the Act of Proclamation of Independence in just an hour and a half. Without an official form, he used a simple student notebook for this purpose.

Western leaders once told Ukrainians that freedom is not the same as independence. This is true, but they did not point out that without independence, there can be no freedom.

“Levko was immensely happy when Ukrainians supported independence in the referendum. Ukraine's autonomy was his life's work. Since 2014, he visited the front several times, supporting our soldiers. On his birthday, which coincides with Independence Day, soldiers came to congratulate Levko. It is very important for me to preserve the memory of this man together with 'Silpo',

— said the dissident's wife, Nadia Lukyanenko.

“We are grateful to the Lukyanenko family for their cooperation. It is a great honor for us to create this project together. Imagine taking notes in such a notebook for language or literature classes, law or philosophy. Also, writing down your ideas, dreams, reflections, planning projects that will help Ukraine.

I believe that everything written in such a notebook should come to life. We recreated the cover design according to the original, which is kept in the Lukyanenko family, and the draft page of the act — from a page preserved in the National Museum of the History of Ukraine. We chose paper of the same color, thus creating the feeling of the original notebook,” — said Kateryna Ohurayeva, marketing director of the 'Silpo' supermarket chain.

You can purchase the 'Independence Notebook' in 'Silpo' supermarkets across the country, or order it online on the website or in the mobile app. Additionally, a virtual message from Levko Lukyanenko is available in the app, and on a special landing page of the project, you can learn more about the history of the Act's creation.

This project holds deep symbolism, as Levko Lukyanenko, who spent 27 years in Soviet camps, fought for Ukraine's freedom. The funds raised will help those who continue this struggle today — the released soldiers of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine 'Azov' and their families.