Today, on February 23rd, The Defender of the Fatherland Day is celebrated in Russia. Russian Defense Minister, General of the Army Sergey Shoigu congratulated the Russian servicemen and veterans with the holiday.
According to the head of the Ministry of Defense, this holiday is rightfully considered to be national one. It unites all those who have dedicated their lives to serving the Motherland, for whom its defense is a matter of honor. He noted that the great feats and victories of Russian soldiers are of a particular pride. He added that it is important to preserve and enhance the traditions of previous generations and honor their accomplishments.
"Today, the personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation selflessly perform military duty, master modern weapons and equipment, make a significant contribution to ensuring the independence and security of the state, protecting its national interests," the greeting published on the defense department website reads.
In honor of the Defender of the Fatherland Day, the Minister of Defense issued an order to conduct the artillery salutes of 30 single volleys in Moscow, in the hero-cities of Volgograd, Kerch, Murmansk, Novorossiysk, St. Petersburg, Sevastopol, Smolensk, Tula, and also in the cities where the headquarters of military districts, fleets, field armies and the Caspian flotilla are stationed.
February 23rd was annually celebrated in the Soviet Union as a national holiday - the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy. After the collapse of the USSR, the holiday continues to be celebrated in a number of the CIS countries. However, there was no official document establishing the feast on February 23rd. The Soviet historiography linked the commemoration of the military to this date with the events of 1918, when, on January 28th, the Council of People's Commissars adopted the Decree on the organization of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and on February 11th - the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF).
Throughout the USSR, the official characteristics of the holiday changed several times. After the collapse of the Union, according to the law of 1995, it became known as the Day of Victory of the Red Army over the Kaiser troops of Germany (1918) - the Day of the Fatherland Defenders. Since 2006, February 23rd is officially Defender of the Fatherland Day.
