On July 16, 2025, the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Restoration of Independent Statehood of Ukraine: Historical and Legal Dimension" was held at the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine (to the Day of Ukrainian Statehood and the 35th anniversary of the proclamation of the Declaration on State Sovereignty of Ukraine).

The conference was organized by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, the Institute of History of Ukraine of the NAS of Ukraine, the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, the Association of People's Deputies of Ukraine, the "August 24" Association, Association of Ukrainian Lawyers, Ukrainian-Polish Club of Constitutionalists, International Association of Legal Historians.

The conference was attended by leading legal scholars of Ukraine, representatives of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, their branches, people's deputies of Ukraine of the 1st convocation, employees of the Office of the President of Ukraine, judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, representatives of scientific institutions, higher education institutions, doctoral and postgraduate students, representatives of civil society institutions.

The opening speech at the conference was delivered by the Director of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine Oleksandr Skrypnyuk.

During the official opening of the conference, Olexandr Skrypnyuk welcomed the forum participants and noted that the initiator of the event was the Association of People's Deputies of Ukraine "August 24" Union, which is the deputies of the 1st convocation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, who adopted the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine.

The conference participants received a welcoming speech from Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, which was read by the President of the Association of Ukrainian Lawyers, People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 1st and 3rd convocations Vasyl Kostytsky. The congratulatory letter, in particular, notes that the Declaration on State Sovereignty of Ukraine, adopted by the Parliament on July 16, 1990, testified to a qualitative change in the paradigm of state building in Ukraine, a transition from the Soviet basis of statehood to the creation of a full-fledged sovereign state on the principles of free self-determination, the rule of law, and ensuring a democratic system. This is a holiday for the entire Ukrainian people…

The conference participants were welcomed by Valeriy Smolii, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Academician-Secretary of the Department of History, Philosophy and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, Director of the Institute of History of Ukraine of the NAS of Ukraine, Academician of the NAS of Ukraine; Volodymyr Zhuravel, President of the NAPRN of Ukraine, Academician of the NAPRN of Ukraine, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor; Vitaly Melnychuk, People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 1st convocation, Vice-President of the Association of People's Deputies of Ukraine, Chairman of the Association of People's Deputies of Ukraine of the 1st convocation "August 24"; Sergiy Pyrozhkov, Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Olexandr Svyatotsky, Head of the Scientific Center of Ukrainian Statehood named after Prof. Volodymyr Kulchytskyi of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Law of Ukraine”, Doctor of Law, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

The Conference included a screening of the documentary film «Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine» by the People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 1st convocation Yaroslav Kendzor.

After the introductory and welcoming remarks, the main part of the conference began, at which leading scientists of our country gave reports dedicated to the problems of the methodology of historical and legal research on the development of Ukrainian independent statehood.

In general, the issues that became the subject of discussion at the conference were: Historical and philosophical and legal components of the thousand-year tradition of Ukrainian statehood; Historical and legal aspects of the restoration of independent statehood of Ukraine in 1917-1921; Issues of Ukrainian statehood in science and political and legal practice in 1922-1986; Historical, political and legal prerequisites for the restoration of independent statehood of Ukraine in 1987-1990; Proclamation of state sovereignty of Ukraine and legislative registration of independent statehood of Ukraine (July 16, 1990, August 24, 1991, June 28, 1996).

At the beginning of the first section, Oleksandr Skrypnyuk, Director of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, Vice-President of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, delivered a report: “Declaration on State Sovereignty of Ukraine: Modern Role and Significance.”

Also speaking at the conference were: Vice-President of the Association of People's Deputies of Ukraine, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine Vladimir Kryzhanivsky, with a report «The Belovezhskaya Pushcha Agreement on the Termination of the USSR and the Creation of the CIS. Prerequisites and Significance»; with the report «Ukrainian statehood against the background of the long Ukrainian century» head of the department of the Institute of History of Ukraine of the NAS of Ukraine, corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine, doctor of historical sciences, professor Larysa Yakubova; with the report «Ukrainian early modern state: how the exclusive Cossack project correlates with European trends» Head of the Sector of the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Viktor Horobets; with a report «Conscious Democracy» and the Development of the National Legal System: Lessons of Independence» Deputy Director of the V.M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor Nataliya Onishchenko; with the report "Beyond the Possible" People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 1st-4th, 6th convocations, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine (2000-2001) Ivan Zayets; with the report "The Idea of National Liberation and Restoration of Independent Statehood in Ukrainian Philosophy of Law" Professor of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, President of the Association of Ukrainian Lawyers, People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 1st and 3rd convocations, Doctor of Law, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Law and Humanities of Ukraine Vasyl Kostytsky; with a report «Revival of Independent Ukrainian Statehood at the End of the 20th Century: Paths and Stages» Head of the Department of History of World Ukrainians of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Volodymyr Serhiychuk; with a report «Confirmation of Ukrainian Statehood in the Acts of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine» Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor Viktor Horodovenko.

In the Second Section, moderated by Angelika Krusyan and Vasyl Kostytsky, the following speakers spoke: with a report «Restoration of the Independent Statehood of the Ukrainian SSR or the Proclamation of the State Sovereignty of Ukraine» Candidate of Economic Sciences Tetyana Yakheyeva; with the report «The Emergence of Ukrainian Statehood: Times of the Ancient World, Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages» People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 1st-3rd convocations, member of the National Union of Writers of Ukraine Dmytro Chobit; with the report «What is the state in the conditions of the archaic society of Ukraine» leading researcher of the Institute of History of Ukraine of the NAS of Ukraine, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Volodymyr Rychka; with the report «Discretionary powers of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and their assessment through the prism of the rule of law» Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the State Institution «V.K. Mamutov Institute of Economic and Legal Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine», Doctor of Law, Professor Ruslan Dzhabrailov; with a report «State Tablets of the Ukrainian People: History, Theory, Practice» People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 1st convocation, member of the Council of the Association "24 August" Volodymyr Shlemko; with a report "Threats and Challenges of Democracy in the Context of Information Warfare" Associate Professor of the Department of Audiovisual Media of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Journalism of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Doctor of Social Communications Ilya Khomenko; with a report «An Interesting Aspect of the Adoption of the Declaration on State Sovereignty of Ukraine» People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 1st convocation Oles Shevchenko.

Summing up, the conference participants emphasized that 35 years ago, on July 16, 1990, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a historic document - the Declaration on State Sovereignty of Ukraine, which became the foundation for the further proclamation of independence of our state. This act enshrined the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination, the principles of economic independence, citizenship, foreign and domestic policy. The Declaration became a point of no return to the totalitarian past and a guide to the establishment and development of Ukraine as a sovereign, independent, democratic, and legal state.