As Poland Celebrates Independence, What Holds Ukraine Together?

As Poland marks 108 years since the restoration of its independence, it is time for Ukrainians to confront a hard question about our own future. For over a century, Poland survived without an independent state because a distinct national identity refused to die, sustained by culture, memory and institutions such as the Catholic Church. Its survival raises an uncomfortable question for a shrinking Ukraine: What binds us together beyond our fierce resistance to Russia?JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Our relationship with Poland is undeniably complicated, marked by historical grievances that still flare up in politics. Yet we must never erase the solidarity shown after February 2022. Poland opened its borders, and families opened their homes. At the end of September 2026, it still hosted roughly 859,000 people under temporary protection after fleeing Ukraine. Political friction exists, but that human solidarity was real. The question goes far beyond the war. How do we understand one another across differences that existed long before the full-scale invasion? Is it language that unites us? Ukrainian is the bedrock of our culture and statehood. Yet many Ukrainians still speak Russian without feeling any affection for Russia. Among them are patriots who have fought and died for this country. Our regions carry different imperial histories and family memories. Too often, we have treated those differences as reasons to question one another’s belonging. We have not always been good at understanding one another, even while sharing a country. Other Topics of Interest ‘Trump and His Envoys Are Working for Putin, Not the US,’ Top Democrats Warn Top Democrats slam Kushner and Witkoff for treating Ukraine’s fight for survival “like a real estate deal,” warning that it threatens global stability. Is it religion? Catholicism became a powerful anchor of Polish identity, although Poland was never exclusively Catholic. Ukraine’s spiritual landscape includes Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim communities, alongside people with no religious affiliation. So is it simply our hatred of Russia? The invasion has forged a powerful unity. But hatred of an aggressor cannot be the permanent foundation of a nation. “We are not Russia” must be matched by an answer to a harder question: Who are we? This reckoning becomes more urgent when we look at our demographic decline. In the first half of 2026, Ukraine registered 73,292 births and 259,853 deaths. That is roughly 3.5 deaths for every birth, with registered deaths exceeding births by more than 186,000. Births fell approximately 16 percent compared with the same period in 2025. These registration figures cannot capture the complete wartime picture, but the imbalance is stark. Millions have also left, and we cannot assume everyone will return. Ukraine is shrinking demographically while fighting for its survival. Defending our state means confronting who will live in it, rebuild it and carry it forward. Patriotism alone cannot fill empty homes. People need safety, livelihoods, a future for their children and the confidence that they belong without constantly having to prove they are the right kind of Ukrainian. Perhaps our strongest bond is freedom: the right to choose our own lives and leaders, and the refusal to be ruled from somewhere else. That conviction must also leave room for differences among ourselves. Wars eventually end, and the raw intensity of fighting a common enemy fades. Poland preserved its identity through more than a century without independence. Ukraine has proved it knows how to fight for its state. Now we must decide what that state stands for, and give people lasting reasons to stay, return and carry Ukraine into the next hundred years. The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.