April 19, 1920, marked a significant date for the Ukrainian army — on this day, the Ukrainian People’s Republic officially adopted the slogan ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ as a military greeting. However, for many decades after gaining independence, Ukrainian military personnel used other forms of greetings, such as ‘Wishing you health!’, and prior to that — the Soviet ‘I wish you health’. It was only in 2018 that the slogan ‘Glory to Ukraine! — Glory to the Heroes!’ became official and was first proclaimed at the Independence Day parade.
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The Origins of the Slogan: From Shevchenko to Independence
The phrase ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ first appeared in the poem by Taras Shevchenko ‘To Osnovyanenko’ back in 1839. These words later gained popularity among the members of the Cyril and Methodius Society, which operated in the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Thus, the roots of this slogan extend nearly two hundred years, rather than just a century as previously thought.
“There, people, is our glory, / Glory to Ukraine!”, the poem states.
In the early 20th century, the greeting received new life within the Revolutionary Ukrainian Party (RUP). It later spread among various patriotic groups fighting for Ukraine’s independence from 1917 to 1922, and was even used during the uprising in Sevastopol in 1917. On April 19, 1920, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian People’s Army, Mykhailo Omelianovych-Pavlenko, approved a new form of greeting, stipulating that in response to praise, a soldier should say ‘Glory to Ukraine’.
Subsequently, the response to this slogan changed: people said ‘Glory to the Cossacks!’, ‘Glory to the Heroes!’, ‘Glory to the Cossacks’, and other variations. The formulation ‘Glory to the Heroes!’ was finally solidified by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists in 1941. During the Soviet period, the greeting was preserved among dissidents and activists, and in the 1990s, it became a symbol of the revival of independent Ukraine. The full phrase ‘Glory to the Nation! Death to the Enemies!’ and ‘Ukraine above all!’ also emerged during this time, becoming part of the patriotic slogans of the Ukrainian resistance movement.
Official Recognition and Modern Use
On October 4, 2018, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved a law that officially defined ‘Glory to Ukraine — Glory to the Heroes’ as the official military greeting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the document, in formation, soldiers respond to ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ with ‘Glory to the Heroes!’, while outside of formation, the formula ‘Wishing you health!’ is maintained.
After the collapse of the USSR, most countries that gained independence abandoned Soviet military greetings. For example, in Georgia, the official slogan is ‘Gaumarjos!’ (‘Victory’), in Lithuania — ‘Sveika kareivis’ (‘Greetings, soldiers’), and in Poland — ‘Czołem żołnierze!’ (‘Hail, soldiers!’). In contrast, Russia and Belarus retained the old Soviet forms of greeting.
The significance of the slogan ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ became particularly symbolic during the modern Russian-Ukrainian war. In March 2023, footage circulated worldwide showing Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Matsiyevskyi, a sniper of the 163rd battalion of the 119th separate brigade of the Territorial Defense of Chernihiv region, proclaiming ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ before being shot by Russians.
Today, the slogan ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ is not only a form of military greeting but also a powerful symbol of resilience, dignity, and national unity of the Ukrainian people.