The Russia Day holiday marks the country's 1990 declaration of sovereignty, more than a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sharply criticized US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's greetings on Russia Day, which triggered a negative response in Ukraine. He said the day symbolizes Russia's independence,

He called Rubio’s move a gesture of support for the aggressor state. Read also: U.S. greets Russia on holiday for first time since full-scale invasion “Marco Rubio today congratulated the Russian people who elected and support the greatest criminal of the world,