Like hygge and lagom, volia is a concept of life that can only be experienced but is challenging to translate into other languages. This unique Ukrainian idea hardly has equivalents in other languages, however, it can be described as a blend of the English words “strength,” “intension,” “will,” and “freedom.” Therefore, volia is a distinctly Ukrainian lifestyle that deserves to be introduced to the world.

This concept is made up of multiple meanings and manifests in various aspects of life. How exactly?

First and foremost, volia represents independence, the freedom of choice, and the right of every individual to independently determine their own future, goals, and convictions.

Over the centuries, various nations sought to subjugate Ukrainians, but as we see now, empires crumbled, while the Ukrainian spirit of resilience only grew stronger. The history of Ukrainian resistance stands as a vivid example of the expression of volia. Even during World War II, Ukrainians formed partisan units and underground organizations, fighting for their freedom and independence, choosing risk and death over a life of oppression.

Volia manifests through bravery and willingness to defend one’s rights and fight against injustice. Moreover, it involves the ability to uphold one’s convictions even in hard times. The mass protests during the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014 and acts of civil disobedience against the regime demonstrated the immense desire of Ukrainians to live in a just, democratic, and independent country.

Volia is the strength to fight for what is important and for what you love, even in the face of fear. Since February 24, 2022, many Ukrainians lined up at military enlistment offices, prepared Molotov cocktails in their neighbourhoods, evacuated children and animals from occupied cities, urged Russian soldiers to carry seeds in their pockets (so that seeds could sprout from the ground where occupiers would eventually rest), and confronted tanks barehanded.

Today, Ukrainian volia is composed of a puzzle of victories. First and foremost, it includes driving the Russian army out of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions, destroying the guided missile cruiser Moskva, and liberating Snake Island. It encompasses the successful actions of the air defence forces, protecting Ukraine from Russia’s massive missile and drone attacks, as well as the resistance against the occupiers’ advance in the east.

Volia is the ability to unite. When Ukrainians in just three days raised funds nationwide for Bayraktars, unmanned combat aerial vehicles, or organized aid for the Kherson region residents within a day after the explosion at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, they realized that all problems are shared, as well as solutions.

Nothing is impossible for volia-spirited Ukrainians. 

They can make jokes about air raids and nuclear threats, work during blackouts, prepare for Eurovision and sports competitions — and emerge victorious. They can preserve their cultural heritage through NFT creations, seek the world’s help through creative initiatives, and simultaneously offer help to others, as they did after the earthquake in Turkey.

Ukrainians continue to fight for volia, and the enemy does everything to take it away from them. However, they cannot grasp that volia knows no boundaries, it cannot be occupied or targeted by guided missiles. 

Volia is ingrained in the DNA of the Ukrainian nation, it is a value they have carried through millennia, and will pass on to future generations.