On the anniversary of the Battle of Kruty (29 January), Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has stated that Ukraine was, is and will be free and independent. Source: Zaluzhnyi on Telegram Quote from Zaluzhnyi: "On 29 January 1918, the Ukrainian People's Republic army fulfilled its combat duty on the field near Kruty - it stopped the Russian invaders marching towards Kyiv.