The supermarket chain «Silpo» has launched a new charity project in collaboration with the family of Levko Lukyanenko, named «Notebook of Independence». This is a replica of the school notebook in which, 34 years ago in August 1991, a draft of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was written, later adopted by the Verkhovna Rada.
All proceeds from the sales of this limited edition will be directed to support military personnel released from captivity and their families through the NGO «Azov.Support».
This historical document, which laid the groundwork for modern Ukraine, was born in an ordinary school notebook during extraordinary circumstances. In August 1991, amid an attempted coup in Moscow, deputies were urgently recalled from their summer breaks.
At that moment, dissident Levko Lukyanenko, realizing the uniqueness of the situation, wrote the text of the Declaration of Independence in just one and a half hours. Lacking an official form, he used a simple student notebook for this purpose.
Western leaders once told Ukrainians that freedom is not the same as independence. This is true. However, they did not mention that without independence, there can be no freedom.
«Levko was immensely happy when Ukrainians supported independence in the referendum. Ukraine's autonomy was his life's work. Since 2014, he visited the front several times, supporting our soldiers. On his birthday, which coincides with Independence Day, military personnel would come to congratulate Levko. It is very valuable for me to preserve the memory of this man together with «Silpo»,» said the dissident's wife, Nadia Lukyanenko.
«We are grateful to Levko Lukyanenko's family for their cooperation. It is a great honor for us to create this project together. Imagine taking notes in a language or literature class in such a notebook. And also writing down your ideas, dreams, reflections, planning projects that will help Ukraine.
I believe that everything written in such a notebook should come to life. We recreated the cover design based on the original, which is kept in the Lukyanenko family, and the draft page was replicated from a page stored in the National Museum of History of Ukraine. The paper for the notebook was selected to match the same color, so we did everything to give the feeling of the original notebook», said Kateryna Ohuryayeva, the marketing director of the «Silpo» supermarket chain.
The «Notebook of Independence» is available for purchase in «Silpo» supermarkets across the country, as well as online on the website or through the mobile app. Additionally, a virtual address from Levko Lukyanenko is available in the app, and a special landing page provides more details about the history of the Act's creation.
This project carries deep symbolism, as Levko Lukyanenko, who spent 27 years in Soviet camps, fought for Ukraine's freedom. The funds collected will help those who continue this fight today - the released military personnel of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine «Azov» and their families.
