Special projects, documentaries and stories that will not leave you indifferent: what will be shown on the air of the United News telethon on Independence Day

The national telethon ‘United News’ is preparing a special event to mark the Independence Day of Ukraine. On 24 August, the teams of 1+1 Marathon and Rada TV channels will be working for the viewers, showing a lot of exclusive materials, news items, as well as a special project with the hosts of all the marathon broadcasters called ‘United. Independent’. Read more about the programme of the ‘United News’ below. 

The festive broadcast will start on 24 August at 7:00 a.m. with ‘Marathon Morning’. 

‘The core of the entire slot will be a meeting in Vytachiv (a small village in Kyiv region - ed.), where we will set the Independence Day table and say that we need to form not only a tradition, but also decide on dishes and create new taste symbols,’ says the team of “Ranok Marathon”. 

The main dish of the festive table, which will be served by Valentyna Khamayko, Oleksandr Popov, 1+1 Breakfast hosts Yegor Gordeyev and Nelya Shovkoplyas, and TSN host Svyatoslav Hrynchuk, will be the Independence Pie. This is the name given to a public initiative designed to recreate or create a gastronomic tradition for every Ukrainian family to make a pie for this iconic holiday and encourage others to do so year after year. The location was chosen not by chance, as a year ago, on 24 August 2023, the first tree was planted in Vytachiv as part of the Grove of Children's Dreams project, which aims to honour the memory of every child whose life was cut short by war. Special correspondents will also visit the town of Makariv, where 300 paradise apple trees are already growing, and the organisers of the initiative will plant trees of remembrance live on air. 

Also, the host of TSN. Week’ host Alla Mazur will also conduct a live interview with Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. In addition, hosts Solomiya Vitvitska, Natalia Moseychuk, Marichka Padalko, Lyudmyla Barbir, Ruslan Senichkin, Yevhen Plinsky, Maksym Suhenko and Ruslan Sharipov will be broadcasting from different cities and locations.

In Vinnytsia, Natalia Moseychuk will tell the heartbreaking story of two teachers - a teacher and a teacher. Both of them decided to defend Ukraine in the Armed Forces. In Kyiv, Marichka Padalko will meet our Olympians.

The hosts of ‘Breakfast with 1+1’ Ruslan Senichkin and Lyudmyla Barbir will be broadcasting from Kyiv railway station, where they will talk to passengers leaving or arriving in the capital.

From the TSN studio, the hostess Natalia Ostrovska will tell about the key news of Independence Day.

Traditionally, the audience will enjoy musical performances. In particular, the opening act of the year will be MUR, the authors of Ukraine's first historical album-musical about writers. Also, a touching performance by this year's Eurovision stars, who won bronze for Ukraine - Jerry Heil and Alyona Alyona.

At 15:00, the thematic edition of the United News titled ‘The Power of the Nation’ will be picked up by Rada TV channel. 

‘Despite the full-scale war in which the Ukrainian people are confronting the aggressor - the Russian Federation - Ukraine is strong, and our main strength is our people. The military, doctors, scientists, athletes, businessmen, cultural figures - we will tell stories and show those whom the nation is proud of,’ the TV channel comments. 

Rada plans to set up an on-site studio on Maidan Nezalezhnosti. Hosts Nazar Dovgyi and Anna Homonay will talk to Ukrainian heroes on air. These are the military, doctors, athletes - all those who are bringing Ukraine's victory closer and working in various fields to keep Ukraine on the world's agenda. On another platform, where Vadym Kolodiychuk, Tetiana Honcharova and Maksym Zborovskyi will work, the audience will see those who work in the rear - businessmen, teachers, scientists, artists. We also expect exclusive interviews with distinguished foreign guests and Ukrainian officials.

In our traditional Saturday evening news bulletin with Svitlana Usenko, we will showcase heroes whose stories have left no one indifferent. These are ordinary people who overcome the difficulties that life, war and personal losses throw at them every day. They do not give up, they seek the strength to live on and bring our victory closer.  They are the strength of the nation! We follow the fate of each hero not only during the preparation of the programme, but throughout the entire project.  So this time, we will show how our heroes' lives have changed during this time. 

And in the evening, we will premiere the documentary The Western Direction. This project is an attempt to explore the long-standing aspirations of Ukrainians to move westwards, towards a united Europe.

‘We have always wanted prosperity and justice, so we flew under the wing of a united Europe. We have always sought security - that's why we have been and are joining NATO. The full-scale war has exacerbated these movements - and accelerated them. It also added a third aspiration - a just and lasting peace,’ the project creators add.

Watch the United News telethon on 24 August.