Independence Day.  For a Brit, "Independence Day" tends to conjure up menacing images of over-sized spacecraft eradicating New York; and that film is, indeed, on Ukrainian TV tonight.  But for Ukraine it marks the birth of the modern Ukrainian state when the Ukrainian parliament adopted the Act of Declaration of Independence on 24 August 1991.  This time last year, 24 August fell shortly after the Russian invasion of Georgia, and was marked in Kyiv by a massive display of military hardware trundling along Kreschatik, the main street in the centre of the city.  This year, the parade comprises only marching men, and an impressive fly-past including the only existing An 225 "Mriya" (Dream) cargo plane, the largest aircraft in the world.  There is also a stationary display of military vehicles including the new "Oplot" (Bulwark) tank, which the public (and photographers) promptly climb all over.  Evening newscasts show a delightful range of ways in which Ukrainians have celebrated Independence Day, including the unfurling of the world's largest flag in Kyiv; a mass polka in Lviv; and a varenyky-eating contest (Ukrainian dumplings stuffed with, in this case, cherries - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vareniki).  At 10 p.m. the festivities are rounded off with a "Salute", a display with a single massive firework every minute or so.  From a hill I can see four different sets of explosions going off around the city with split-second timing.  The fireworks have been organised by the army.  If the Ukrainian armed forces can fight with anything like the precision with which they organised tonight's show, no-one should ever even consider invading the country.