On December 1, 1991, the All-Ukrainian referendum on the independence of Ukraine was held. The referendum ballot contained the Act of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on August 24, 1991, and the question: “Do you confirm the Act of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine?” 2 answer options were offered: “Yes, I confirm” or “No, I do not confirm.”

The necessity of holding a referendum lay in the fact that, despite the decision of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on August 24, 1991, the union center headed by M. Gorbachev was in no hurry to recognize the independence of Ukraine, claiming that this was the decision of only a group of deputies, and not of the entire Ukrainian people. The international community held the same opinion. Even the leaders of the USA and Great Britain, D. Bush and M. Thatcher, while in Kyiv on the eve of these events, urged Ukrainians to remain in the renewed Soviet Union headed by Mikhail Gorbachev.

However, on December 1, the Ukrainian people had their decisive word, placing all the dots above the “i”.

90.32% of the referendum participants expressed their desire to live in an independent state. In total, 84.18% of the population of Ukraine took part in the vote. The referendum was held in all administrative regions of Ukraine: 24 regions, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Kyiv and Sevastopol. And in all regions, the idea of independence received the support of the majority of citizens.

It was the All-Ukrainian referendum that gave the Act of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine adopted by the Verkhovna Rada the legal force that allowed us to finally assert: a new independent state – Ukraine – has appeared on the political map of the world.

After December 1, the rapid recognition of the independent Ukrainian state by the international community begins.

The very next day, on December 2, 1991, Canada and Poland recognized the independence of Ukraine, on December 4 – Latvia and Lithuania, and by the end of January 1992. this list included 91 states. On December 8, 1991, the Bialowieza Agreement established the termination of the existence of the USSR.

Simultaneously with the referendum, on December 1, the first presidential elections in the history of independent Ukraine were held, during which Leonid Kravchuk was elected head of state.