What holiday is celebrated on August 21: why this day is important for Ukraine

August 21 is a day full of historical and cultural events. For Ukraine, however, it has a special significance due to an important international holiday.

After Russia launched an open aggression against the Ukrainian state and people, the holidays dedicated to the fight against terrorism have acquired a special context. Read more about this in the OBOZ.UA article.

International Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the Victims of Terrorism

The International Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the Victims of Terrorism is celebrated annually on August 21. This day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2017 to commemorate the victims of terrorist attacks, emphasize the importance of combating terrorism and express support for victims of such acts.

Significance for Ukraine

The commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance and Remembrance of the Victims of Terrorism is particularly important in the context of the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Russia in 2022, where Russian military actions and terrorist acts claimed numerous lives and caused great suffering to Ukrainians.

Russia has persecuted and continues to persecute civilians in the occupied territories, regularly commits terrorist acts and supports illegal terrorist groups, etc.

The most illustrative example of this was the downing of Malaysian Boeing MH17. All the passengers and crew of the plane - 298 people - died. Despite the fact that there is all the evidence that Russia was responsible for the tragedy, it has never admitted its guilt.

After its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia intensified its use of terror as a method of warfare. Torture, murder of prisoners and civilians, rape, forced displacement of the local population, violation of the laws of war, completely destroyed cities, attacks on civilian objects, etc. In view of all this, Ukraine constantly emphasizes the need to internationally recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Holidays on August 21, 2024

• World Avatar Day;
• Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino Day in the Philippines;
• Independence Day of Latvia;
• Youth Day in Morocco;
• Patron Saint of the Archons Day in Spain;
• Social Workers' Day in Mexico;
• Hawaii State Day in the United States;
• National Day of Women Footballers in Argentina;
• National Radiologist Day in the United States;
• National Sweet Tea Day and Spumoni Day in the United States;
• National Day of Chilean Trap;
• Speech Language Pathology Week in Australia.

Historical events celebrated on August 21

2013: in the Syrian civil war, the troops of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against the opposition in the suburbs of Damascus. This tragedy, which claimed the lives of between 350 and 1700 people, became one of the most high-profile events of the conflict.

1996: the Order of Courage, an award of the President of Ukraine, was established in Ukraine.

1996: the first trading in hryvnia under futures contracts took place on the Kyiv Universal Exchange.

1968: the Warsaw Pact troops entered Czechoslovakia to suppress the Prague Spring.

1944: an international conference was held in Washington, D.C., which became the basis for the creation of the Charter of the United Nations, one of the key international organizations of the modern world.

1937: the USSR and China signed a Non-Aggression Pact. It was of great importance for regional stability and reflected the strategic interests of both countries amid international tensions.

1932: the first international film festival was held in Venice.

1924: Soviet polar pilot Boris Chukhnovsky was the first in the world to explore the ice in the Novaya Zemlya, Barents and Kara Seas.

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