Defender of the Fatherland Day is celebrated on February 23 in Russia.
In the USSR it was named Soviet Army and Navy Day.February 23, due to tradition, became a state national holiday dedicated to all the generations of defenders of the Fatherland.Officially, as the name suggests, the holiday celebrates people who are serving or were serving in the Russian Armed Forces. But it has also more recently come to include the celebration of men as a whole.
The Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, congratulated servicemen and veterans, "Comrades, I congratulate you on the Day of Defender of the Fatherland! I wish you all good health, happiness, cheerfulness and optimism, success in the service."
The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, sent congratulations to defenders. "On this day we pay tribute to the courage and generosity of people who have chosen military labor as the business of their lives. They are the guardians of the interests of our great country, cherishing and multipling the glorious military traditions of our fathers and grandfathers. The concept of honor, courage, devotion and generosity are above all for them," he said.
The head of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, said that "today in Russia a qualitatively new, modern army is forming. Under these conditions it is important to keep fighting for traditions, raising the current generation of soldiers and officers as true professionals. The feats of many generations of warriors will always be remembered."
The head of the Republic of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, noted that "this day is a professional holiday of the military, who consider their military service as a matter of life. All those who faithfully serve their homeland are ready to defend the country's interests at any moment."
The holiday is celebrated with a festive artillery salute in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Novorossiysk, Tula, Sevastopol, Smolensk and Murmansk, as well as in the cities where the staffs of military districts, fleets, field armies and the Caspian Flotilla are deployed.
Vladimir Putin presented medals commemorating the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War to war veterans.
