Gothenburg Celebrates 35 Years of Ukraine’s Independence

On Sunday, 23 August, the HUG team joined the event marking 35 years of Ukraine's independence in Gothenburg, organized by Gothenburg Stands With Ukraine, the local Ukrainian community, Plast Ukrainian Scouts, and Ukrainian School Vinochok.

At Gustav Adolfs Square, the contrast was hard to miss. Ukrainian flags filled the space, music played, and families gathered to celebrate. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, people woke to air raid sirens — families waiting for news from the front, another night bringing drones and missiles over Ukrainian cities.

HUG co-founder Kateryna Aleksandrova spoke about this contrast, and why independence matters so deeply when it is still being defended every day:

"Independence lives in a child who keeps going to school despite air raid sirens. In a business that opens in the morning after a night of attacks. In a doctor who keeps working when the power goes out. Ukraine is not a country waiting for the war to end before it starts living again. Ukraine lives now."

During the event, we were honoured to present the HUG for Heroes photo exhibition, sharing the stories of Ukrainian veterans and their lives after the front.

The exhibition offers a glimpse into the people behind the word “veteran” - their experiences, challenges, strength and the new realities they are building around themselves. It is also part of our effort to bring Ukrainian veterans’ voices into Swedish society and create more space for their stories to be seen and understood.

Having the opportunity to display the exhibition at such a meaningful public event in Gothenburg was especially important to us. Independence is not an abstract idea for the people portrayed in these photographs. It is something they have defended, and something they continue to carry with them into the next chapter of their lives.  

The HUG for Heroes exhibition is available to be shown at other events, organisations, schools, workplaces and public spaces. If you would like to host the exhibition or explore an opportunity to bring these stories to your community, we would be happy to hear from you.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and showed their support for Ukraine. We HUG you! 💙💛