A rally in Kyiv in 1917 was shown on the Internet: photos of Petliura and Hrushevskyi

In the history of Ukraine, 1917 was a very important year. At the time of the collapse of the Russian Empire, the state declared its desire to gain independence, and the events left a vivid mark, in particular, in photo archives.

This photo was published by the Telegram channel "Kyiv Historical." It was taken on St. Sophia Square in November 1917.

The October Revolution had just taken place in Petrograd and the Provisional Government had been overthrown. The Ukrainian elite could not but take advantage of this moment. Therefore, on November 20, all concerned citizens came to St. Sophia Square and during this rally, the Third Universal of the Ukrainian Central Rada was proclaimed.

This document proclaimed the Ukrainian People's Republic without severing federal ties with Russia, with leadership being transferred to the Central Rada and the General Secretariat. The photograph shows Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, who headed the Central Rada, as well as political figures Volodymyr Vynnychenko and Symon Petliura.

The document proclaimed that day did not make Ukraine independent. This happened later, on January 22, 1918, when the Fourth Universal came into force. However, the document laid the foundations for the separation of the Ukrainian state and defined certain contours of it, such as state ownership and control over production, the creation of independent courts, the abolition of the death penalty, and the introduction of autonomy for national minorities.

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