Ukraine commemorates Liberation Day on October 28 every year, an occasion that holds profound significance in the nation's history. This pivotal date, in 1944, marks the moment when Ukraine cast off the shackles of Nazi oppression, liberating itself from the dark shadow of Adolf Hitler's fascist regime, which had wreaked havoc on Ukrainian soil during World War II.

The Struggle for Liberation
In the early days, the forces in Ukraine found themselves outmatched by the might of Nazi Germany. However, the turning point came after the Battle of Stalingrad, a pivotal moment during World War II that inflicted a significant setback on Hitler's ambitions. This critical battle saw Nazi Germany and its allies engage in a protracted and ultimately unsuccessful campaign against the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia.

By December 1942, Ukrainian settlements in the East Donbas region witnessed the first glimmers of liberation from Nazi occupation. The true dawn of Ukraine's emancipation emerged during the Battle of Kursk, which raged from July 5 to August 23 in 1943. On August 23, the courageous Steppe Front troops successfully liberated Kharkiv.

The historic Battle of the Dnieper unfolded between September and October 1943 as the German forces sought to establish an impregnable strategic defense line along the Dnipro riverbank. The crowning achievement of this battle was the liberation of Kyiv, a moment that would be etched into the annals of history.

The Culmination of the Liberation Effort
Between January 1943 and October 1944, the four Ukrainian fronts executed a series of daring offensive operations. Notable among them were the campaigns in Donbas, Voronezh-Kharkiv, Korsun-Shevchenko, Lviv-Sandomyr, and Chernihiv-Poltava.

The final chapter of Ukraine's liberation was written during the Dnieper-Carpathian offensive. On October 27, 1944, the city of Uzhhorod, located in Western Ukraine, regained its freedom. A day later, on October 28, the Soviet troops reached the borders of the nation, completing Ukraine's liberation from Nazi tyranny.

The Human Toll of Liberation
Reports from that tumultuous period indicate that approximately three million Soviet soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice during the wars for liberation. Over two million Ukrainians were forcibly taken to Germany to serve as laborers during the occupation. Tragically, more than 700 towns and 28,000 villages bore the scars of destruction, with some reduced to rubble. Approximately 10 million people were left without a place to call home, a testament to the profound and enduring impact of this period on the nation and its people.

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