Today, in a small coastal city of Pula, Croatia’s largest Ukrainian flag – stretching 35 meters – found its way to the city’s old-town square, marking 35 years since Ukraine declared its independence in 1991. Three years have passed since Ukrainians displaced by the war first gathered to mark their country’s independence. The Cultural and Artistic Society of Ukrainians in Istria, Vatra, has organized the annual celebration ever since.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. This year’s event marks the fourth consecutive commemoration in Pula, led by Olesia Rusinova. The celebration of that same identity now stands in sharp juxtaposition with the country well into its fifth year of defending itself against Russia’s aggression. For Ukrainians in exile, the public commemoration reflects a deeper, private reality; though they now live in Croatia, they remain tied to Ukraine by an invisible thread, its tension palpable in their work, memories and everyday lives – further shaping what remains of their sense of home. Olesia, an Odesa-born professional artist and performer, and Valeriia Pohrebniak Bednaić, a Kyiv-born ceramic and art teacher with a master’s degree in fine arts, spoke with Kyiv Post about displacement, identity and the effort – at times a struggle – to keep Ukraine visible and alive abroad. 35-meter Ukrainian flag in Pula’s old town square. (Photo courtesy of Olena Rusinova)