Liberty on the Frontlines

Even a most perfunctory look at the history of warfare will tell you that throughout the course of civilization, from primitive man in the Bronze Age to the end of the twentieth century, and now in our twenty-first century, armed conflict has been the primary preoccupation of humankind. Man is the most belligerent animal, building empires on bones and justifying violence with banners, borders, and beliefs.

The struggle for liberty often begins in revolt. In the early twentieth century, Ukrainians seized the moment of the Russian Revolution to assert their right to self-determination. The Fourth Universal of the Ukrainian Central Rada, proclaimed in 1918, declared the creation of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and asserted autonomy in the face of external domination. Citizens mobilized to defend this fledgling state against competing armies, including Bolshevik forces and White Army units, much like American colonists took up arms against British authority in 1776. Both revolutions arose from populations unwilling to accept governance that denied them representation or violated their inherent rights. In Ukraine, just as in the American colonies, ordinary people bore the brunt of the struggle: civilians faced violence, families were uprooted, and communities had to organize militias to defend the principles of freedom. The courage demonstrated by Ukrainians then parallels the colonists’ willingness to risk life, fortune, and honor to secure liberty.

Revolt, however, is only the first stage; securing rights requires codifying principles into law. Following centuries of oppression under Tsarist and later Soviet regimes, Ukraine’s 1991 Act of Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, formalized sovereignty, asserting that “the territory of Ukraine is indivisible and inviolable” and that only the Constitution and laws of Ukraine are valid on its territory. This formal declaration resonates with the United States Declaration of Independence, which articulated that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed” and exist to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In both cases, documents written amid tumultuous circumstances transformed revolutionary fervor into a framework for governance and civil society. The Ukrainian Declaration emphasized continuity with historical national identity and international law, just as the American Declaration drew on Enlightenment philosophy to justify self-government.

The legitimacy of these constitutions was confirmed through public endorsement. Ukraine’s nationwide referendum of December 1, 1991, saw 92.3 percent of voters approve independence, demonstrating popular consent akin to the American colonies’ self-assertion against British taxation without representation. Both examples underscore that the authority of a government rests on the people’s willingness to recognize and support it. Moreover, both revolutions had to navigate internal divisions, competing claims, and threats of coercion, highlighting that liberty is always contested and contingent on civic commitment.

Today, Ukraine confronts the most immediate test of its sovereignty and democratic institutions. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the country has endured a humanitarian and political crisis that challenges its very existence. More than 4.5 million Ukrainians, predominantly women, children, and the elderly, have fled their homes, creating a refugee crisis of historic proportions. When Russia invaded Ukraine, it didn’t just take territory. Ukrainian children were abducted under the guise of “rescue.” More than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia since the beginning of the war. Russian authorities relocated children from occupied territories to Russia. Many of these children’s identities are concealed, making reunification with their families nearly impossible. This Russian-sponsored trafficking violates international laws, including the Geneva Conventions. The International Criminal Court determined that the deportation of Ukrainian children constitutes a war crime. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Maria Belova, Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation, for the illegal relocation of Ukrainian children. “Torture takes place in complete isolation from the outside world, with the victims entirely at the mercy of their captors for survival. This is not a series of isolated incidents—it is a systematic policy that violates every tenet of international law,” according to Amnesty International. Their report is based on interviews with 104 people in Ukraine between January and November 2024. These include five former Ukrainian POWs, family members of 38 POWs, family members of 23 Ukrainians “missing in special circumstances,” 28 formerly detained civilians and their families, and 10 Russian POWs currently detained in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly framed the war as a defense of freedom, asserting that Ukraine’s struggle today continues a historical quest for sovereignty and self-government. Analysts note that Ukraine’s resistance is, in essence, a battle against imposed ideology, seeking to replace democratic governance with authoritarian control. Citizens are defending not only their land but the principles that make self-government meaningful: accountable institutions, civil society, and the rights of individuals. This mirrors the American Revolution, in which colonists fought to secure representative government and the protection of fundamental rights against an external authority.

The parallels between the American Revolution and Ukraine’s current struggle are striking. Both faced militarily superior adversaries, coercive tactics, and threats to civilian life. Both revolutions mobilized ordinary citizens in extraordinary ways, transforming abstract ideals into collective action. And both demonstrate that legitimate political authority must rest on the consent of the governed and respect the inherent dignity of individuals. Moreover, Ukraine’s fight carries a broader geopolitical and moral significance: it affirms the principle that nations have the right to self-determination, reinforcing the global experiment in liberty that began with Philadelphia and now finds resonance in Kyiv.

Ukrainian independence is therefore not merely a historical milestone but an ongoing experiment
in ordered liberty. Its repeated declarations of sovereignty, civic uprisings, democratic reforms, and
steadfast resistance to authoritarian aggression illustrate the practical application of the principles
articulated in the United States Declaration of Independence: that governments derive their authority from the people and exist to secure fundamental rights. Across centuries and continents, from the American colonies to modern Ukraine, the struggle to protect self-determination, uphold human dignity, and defend democratic governance demonstrates that liberty is never guaranteed: it must be actively defended.

Leah Mordehai, a student at San Francisco University High School, authored this article as part of VOC’s Student Essay Contest.