February 19 — Day of the State Coat of Arms of Ukraine

On this day in 1992,  Verkhovna Rada approved the Small Coat of Arms of Ukraine in the form of a golden trident on a blue shield. The Small Coat of Arms will become the main element of the future Great Coat of Arms of Ukraine.

The State Coat of Arms is one of the symbols of Ukraine, along with the State Flag and the State Anthem, approved in 1996 by Art. 20 of the Constitution of Ukraine, where it is defined as the “Sign of the Princely State of Volodymyr the Great”. The oldest sign of the past — the trident is found on coins from the time of Kyivan Rus. The trident was also the coat of arms of the Ukrainian People’s Republic of 1917–1921.

However, the Constitution of Ukraine provides for the Great State Coat of Arms. During the 30 years of independence, many contests were organized for the best sketch of such a coat of arms, but its final version has not yet been approved by the parliament.

Today, in the most difficult times of our history, when the war has been going on for two years, every state symbol, including the coat of arms, acquires even greater importance as a sign of a country that defends its freedom.