Russia's Shoigu Congratulates Military Servicemen With Defender Of Fatherland Day

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd February, 2021) Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has congratulated veterans and current servicemen with Defender of the Fatherland Day, celebrated in Russia on February 23.

"On this day, we honor all those who served and serve, who fought for the freedom and independence of the Motherland, we bow our heads to the memory of those who did not return from the battlefields. Veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the generation of winners who saved the country and the world from Nazism deserve special words of gratitude and respect," Shoigu said in a congratulatory note.

The defense minister added that Russian military servicemen continue to improve their professional training, mastering modern technology, solving important tasks to strengthen the country's defense and protect its national interests.

Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Ryzhikov have congratulated Russians with Defender of the Fatherland Day via a video address released by Russian space agency Roscosmos.

The Defender of the Fatherland Day, previously known as the Soviet Army and Navy Day, was introduced in 1922 and commemorates the establishment of the Red Army in 1918. The Soviet Union tended to regard the date of February 23, 1918, as a day commemorating the first Soviet victory over German troops near the Russian cities of Pskov and Narva.

Nowadays, the holiday is primarily a day to honor war veterans and those who serve in the military. Over the years, "the defender" has come to represent more than a soldier, and the holiday is now also widely considered to be a day celebrating manhood in Russia. On February 23, Russian women usually give small presents to their male relatives, friends, husbands and co-workers.

The holiday is also observed in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.