In Belarus it is celebrated on February 23. Belarus celebrates the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland and the centenary of the armed forces. Games and competitions for Defender of the Fatherland Day
After we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in November 2017, many government bodies and departments are also celebrating the centenary anniversary of their formation.
On February 23, 2018, Belarus celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Armed Forces. This is a holiday of heroism and courage, of those who are always in defense of our Fatherland. In a word, this is a holiday for real men.
On the eve of the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, in an exclusive interview with the editors of the Leader-Press newspaper and website, the military commissar of the Soligorsk and Lyubansky districts of the Minsk region Nikolai Shepelevich spoke about the results of 2017 in the work of the military registration and enlistment office, today's pressing issues and how Soligorsk will celebrate the anniversary date.
Nikolai Nikolaevich says that in 2017, an important event took place at the military registration and enlistment office of the Soligorsk and Lyuban districts. A commission of the Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus worked here, and the personnel of the military commissariat passed this commission with a “good” rating. For such a high assessment of their work and for their responsible attitude towards passing the commission, the personnel of the military commissariat of the Soligorsk and Lyuban districts were also noted by the leadership of the regional military commissariat.
As for the work to date, on February 6, the planned registration of young men who will turn 16 in 2018 to the military registration and enlistment office was completed. Despite the fact that the planned registration of 667 people has already been completed, this event will last throughout the year.
On February 12, 2018, the next call for February-May 2018 began. Conscripts who turn 18 this year will arrive at the military registration and enlistment office to undergo a medical examination. After which the military commissariat will be visited by representatives of military units to select young people by type of troops. The conscripts will be interviewed, their personal affairs and moral and business qualities will be studied. First of all, conscripts will be selected for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, then for the internal troops, then for the Armed Forces of Special Operations, etc.
- A man must be able to defend his homeland and serve in the army,- says Nikolai Nikolaevich. - During the period of service, the young man will mature and decide in his future life.
Nikolai Nikolaevich, using his personal example, says that in 1993, after the 8th grade, he entered the Minsk Suvorov Military School. After three years of study, in 1996, he entered the Military Academy of the Republic of Belarus at the artillery department. Then N.N. Shepelevich was sent to serve in the 5th Army Corps in Bobruisk, where he served in various positions. Since 2011, Nikolai Nikolaevich came to Soligorsk to serve in the military commissariat, and by order of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, from February 22, 2017, he was appointed to the post of military commissar of Soligorsk and Lyuban districts. And he doesn’t regret his life choice at all, but, on the contrary, is proud.
- From time immemorial, the Armed Forces have been the defense of the state, without which it cannot be done. It is necessary to have your own army, which will defend your state at any moment,- says Nikolai Nikolaevich. - And this year, on February 23, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. In honor of this significant date, the anniversary medal “100 years of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus” was issued. By Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated September 27, 2017 No. 356, medals will be awarded to military personnel who serve in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus who have achieved high results in their careers, as well as veterans of the Armed Forces and the Great Patriotic War.
On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, Military Commissioner of Soligorsk and Lyuban districts Nikolai Shepelevich congratulates all our veterans of military service and the Great Patriotic War, who went through a difficult path and did not spare their lives defending their Motherland. The main thing is that their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren remember that they live in a peaceful land thanks to their immortal feat.
In the photo: military commissar of Soligorsk and Lyuban districts Nikolai Shepelevich
It is believed that this holiday was started in 1918 as the Birthday of the Red Army to commemorate the victory over the German conquerors near Narva and Pskov.
It was established as an official holiday in the RSFSR on January 27, 1922. The Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR published a resolution on the fourth anniversary of the Red Army, which stated: “In accordance with the resolution of the IX All-Russian Congress of Soviets on the Red Army, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee draws the attention of the executive committees to the upcoming anniversary of the creation of the Red Army (February 23)”, - report open Internet sources.
Initially, the holiday was called Red Army and Navy Day. From 1946 to 1993 it was called the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy.
In modern independent Belarus, February 23 is considered a national holiday and is not a day off. In our country it is called the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus.
After the collapse of the USSR, the holiday also continues to be celebrated unofficially in a number of other CIS countries: Russia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
What does this date mean for Belarus?
On this day in 1918, our country was under German occupation. Journalist Vladimir Bogdanov, who researches the history of the First World War, several years ago in an interview with Salidarnasts, expressed his indignation at the tradition of celebrating February 23 in independent Belarus: “I believe that February 23 is one of the most ridiculous and even, I would say, shameful holidays for Belarus. Of course, there should be Defenders of the Fatherland Day. But not February 23rd! We need to face the facts. Of course, the date of February 23 is connected with the history of Belarus. But how?
On December 4, 1917, in the town of Soly near Smorgon, the Germans and Bolsheviks concluded a truce on the Eastern Front. It came into force on December 15 and was valid for two months. At the end of the period, the pedantic Germans rose from the trenches and began to attack. But no one met them. On February 21, 1918 they occupied Minsk.
On February 23, the Germans sent a telegram to Lenin demanding that he accept their terms within 48 hours.
The Bolsheviks did not wait that long, and already on the morning of February 24, Lenin telegraphed to Berlin: “The Council of People's Commissars decided on the peace terms proposed by the German government, to accept and send a delegation to Brest-Litovsk”. On March 3, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed, according to which Belarus was given to the Germans.
They left Minsk only in December 1918, when Germany capitulated to Western countries.
By the way, there is a version that the holiday of February 23 was invented by the Bolsheviks so that people would not celebrate the February bourgeois-democratic revolution, which began on February 23, 1917 and during which the monarchy was actually abolished.
A different opinion about the situation with the date February 23 in the same interview with Salidarnasts in 2013 was expressed by the head of the information department of the Ministry of Defense, Colonel Vladimir Makarov: “February 23 is associated with the creation and action of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, which saved humanity from fascism. It is symbolic that in our country, with the election of Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko as President in 1994, a powerful impetus was given to revive the meaning of this victory, which brought salvation to humanity. This greatest feat, as well as the liberation of Minsk on July 11, 1920 and the liberation of Minsk on July 3, 1944, are associated with the Red Army.
The decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was signed on January 15, 1918. But the date February 23 is a sacred date, a sacred symbol. Therefore, we take it as a reference".
Mikhail Strelets, professor, doctor of historical sciences, believes that in February we should celebrate the anniversary of the February Revolution, and not the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland.
– This date is purely artificial for Russian, and even more so for Belarusian history. On February 23, 1918, no one defeated the Germans near Narva and Pskov. This is a myth of Soviet historiography. The myth has been completely debunked. On February 23, 1918, the Germans controlled our domestic Belarusian territory to the west of the line Minsk - Postavy - Baranovichi - Pinsk. No one cleared the Belarusian land from the Germans that day. The question arises: what is the significance of the date February 23?
We just need to thank our dear women for coming up with a holiday for us men. But there is no need to falsify history. This is harmful, dangerous and short-sighted.
Regarding the fact that the Bolsheviks came up with February 23 so that people would not celebrate the February Revolution, I do not have such information. But I believe that the time has come when it is necessary to celebrate the Day of the February Revolution at the state level throughout the entire post-Soviet space. Just like a holiday of democracy, a holiday of democracy. For the democracy that the February Revolution gave, even in modern Russia, by and large, does not exist. This is an epoch-making event. And it would be right if it were celebrated this year on the 100th anniversary of the February Revolution. This is a fundamental event. But there is no need to celebrate February Revolution Day on February 23 either. The apogee of this revolution was the abdication of the king on February 28, but another thing is that the key events that were directly adjacent to this revolution began on February 23. Of course, these six days from February 23 to 28 radically changed the face of Russia. And this is very important in the sense that it was a people's movement, a people's choice without the influence of political parties. They will only score points later, but during the February Revolution their role was very weak, almost unnoticeable.
Historically, the Day of the Belarusian Army should be celebrated on September 8, because on this day in 1514 the outstanding victory of Konstantin Ostrozhsky near Orsha was won. But another thing is that there are political considerations here. He defeated the army of the Moscow prince, which was three times larger than the Belarusian army. And, of course, some here want to point out the difficulties in Russian-Belarusian relations if this date is celebrated. But they are celebrating the victory at Stalingrad, but where are the difficulties in Russian-German relations?
History is history, so it must be approached objectively and without unnecessary emotions that are not necessary.
We are from February 23
We are in a hurry to congratulate you for good reason!
And on the day of defender of the country
We wish you not to know war!
We also wish from the bottom of our hearts -
Live beautifully, long and brightly!
And the ladies always like it
Even in old age!
Twenty third of February…
Let the whole earth be covered with snow,
But we have the beginning ready:
On the main holiday of all men
We wish you well,
A bunch of gold and silver,
Lots of happiness and success,
Only solvable problems
Don't lose face in your work -
Be a man to the end!
There's still a week until spring
The city is covered in snow,
But you really
Dry, clear and warm:
All the worries and misfortunes
They left without angering you;
Be healthy, lucky, happy!
Happy twenty-third of February!
Defender of the Fatherland Day is a holiday celebrated on February 23 in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Transnistria. It was established in the USSR in 1922 as the Day of the Red Army and Navy. From 1949 to 1993 it was called “Day of the Soviet Army and Navy.” After the collapse of the USSR, the holiday also continues to be celebrated in a number of CIS countries.
The tradition of celebrating February 23rd goes back to 1918. After the victory of the Bolshevik armed uprising in Petrograd in November 1917, the young Soviet government had to fight external enemies - the First World War continued. In order to protect the Soviet state from Kaiser Germany, the new government decided to organize regular armed forces. On January 28, 1918, the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V.I. Lenin signed a decree “On the organization of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army,” and on February 11, a decree “On the organization of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet.” Workers who voluntarily expressed a desire to serve in the ranks of the armed defenders of the Fatherland were accepted into the army and navy.
On February 18, 1918, Austro-German and Turkish troops, treacherously violating the truce concluded on December 15, 1917, invaded Soviet Russia and began to occupy Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states. On February 21, Minsk was captured. On this day, the Soviet government addressed the people with the appeal “The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!”
Thus, the date of February 23 coincides with the beginning of the mass mobilization of volunteers into the Red Army. Subsequently, a version was spread about the first “victory” of the Red Army, allegedly won on February 23 over the Germans near Pskov and Narva, although most historians say that in 1918 there was not a single notable victory over the Germans, and the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty was signed on March 3 entirely on German terms.
In 1922, this date was officially declared Red Army Day, and since 1923, the celebration of February 23 was legalized by the Order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and began to be celebrated nationwide.
After the Great Patriotic War, the holiday was renamed the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, most former Soviet republics retained the tradition of celebrating February 23, renaming it Defenders of the Fatherland Day. In the Republic of Belarus on this day, ceremonial meetings are held, honoring veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the Armed Forces, internationalist soldiers and combatants, as well as festive events and concerts. The head of state traditionally takes part in laying a wreath at the monument on Victory Square in Minsk.
Today, most citizens consider February 23 - Defender of the Fatherland Day - as the day of real men. On this day, everyone who is related to military service is officially congratulated, and not officially - the entire male population of the country is honored and congratulated. This is a men's holiday when men rightfully accept gifts, congratulations and gratitude!
There are several versions of the origin of the holiday and the rationale for the date of its celebration.
According to one version, in connection with the resumption of hostilities by German and Austro-Hungarian troops, the Council of People's Commissars on January 28, 1918 published a Decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. The idea of celebrating the anniversary of the creation of the Red Army arose in 1919 and was scheduled for February 23. But, as historical documents testify, they were unable to prepare for the celebration in time. The official celebration took place only in 1922. On this day, a military parade led by Trotsky took place on Red Square, which laid the tradition of the annual national celebration.
According to another version, in order to justify the date of the holiday, Stalin in 1938 proposed to interpret the battle of Pskov and Narva on February 23, 1918 as decisive resistance by the Red Army, despite the fact that the true course of historical events was completely different. February 23 was declared the birthday of the Red Army and named “Victory Day of the Red Army over the Kaiser’s troops in Germany in 1918.”
In fact, on February 23, 1918, the Red Army did not win, but lost its first battles to the Kaiser’s troops in Germany. In 1938, Stalin, in his “Short Course on the History of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks),” outlined a different version of the origin of the date of the holiday, which was absolutely unrelated to the decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of January 15 (28), 1918.
The “Short Course...” stated that in 1918, near Narva and Pskov, “the German occupiers were given a decisive rebuff. Their advance to Petrograd was stopped. The day of repulse to the troops of German imperialism—February 23—became the birthday of the young Red Army.”
As historical documents indicate, this was partly true. The fighting near Pskov began on February 23, 1918. Then the Red Army soldiers thwarted the Germans’ attempt to capture Pskov on the move. Only in the evening of February 24, under the cover of large-caliber guns, the Germans broke through the defenses of our troops. A week before, on February 18, 1918, Austro-German and Turkish troops, violating the truce that was concluded on December 2 (15), 1917, invaded Soviet Russia and began occupying Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states. On February 21, 1918, German troops captured Minsk. On February 23, the Germans sent a telegram to Lenin (issued an ultimatum) demanding that he accept their conditions within 48 hours. The Bolsheviks did not wait so long and on the morning of February 24, Lenin telegraphed to Berlin: “The Council of People's Commissars decided on the peace conditions proposed by the German government, to accept and send a delegation to Brest-Litovsk.” On March 3, the Brest Peace Treaty was signed, according to which Belarus was given to the Germans. The Germans left Minsk only in December 1918, when Germany capitulated to Western countries. Thus, on February 23, 1918, Belarus was under German occupation. Therefore, February 23 is, rather, a kind of sacred symbol for Belarus, which is associated with the creation and action of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, which saved humanity from fascism. On this day we pay tribute to everyone who gave their lives for their Motherland and who, with their unparalleled heroism, defended the right of the Belarusian people to freedom and the opportunity to be masters of their native land.
In 1923, an order was issued according to which the holiday on February 23 began to be called “Day of the Red Army and Navy.” The holiday in the USSR was highly revered and respected, although it was not a day off.
In 1946, this holiday was renamed “Day of the Soviet Army and Navy.” In Soviet times, only military personnel and everyone who worked in a military organization had the right to have a day off on February 23.
Currently, the holiday is celebrated as “Day of Defenders of the Fatherland and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus.” This day is rightfully considered a national holiday in our republic, a day of remembrance of the courage and heroism of all generations of defenders of the Fatherland who defended the independence of their native land.
We congratulate you today:
Men, defenders, heroes and soldiers.
We will never wish you war,
Loss, bitterness, sadness and loss.
May many of you not fight
And some don't even know how to shoot
We love you even without medals.
It's not important for men to fight.
And let it be like a reward for you
In all ages and times:
Those women who are next to you
And loyal, reliable friends!
Peaceful sky, personal happiness,
True friends and a brilliant career!
February 23 is the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. This year the country is also celebrating the centenary of the Armed Forces of Belarus.
It is generally accepted that the tradition of celebrating February 23rd dates back to 1918. In order to protect the Soviet state from Kaiser Germany, the Soviet government decided to organize regular armed forces. On January 28, 1918, the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V.I. Lenin signed a decree “On the organization of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army,” and on February 11, a decree “On the organization of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet.” On February 18, 1918, Austro-German troops, violating the truce concluded on December 15, 1917, invaded Soviet Russia and began to occupy Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states. On February 21, Minsk was captured. On this day, the Soviet government addressed the people with the appeal “The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!”
Thus, the date of February 23 coincides with the beginning of the mass mobilization of volunteers into the Red Army.
In 1922, this date was officially declared Red Army Day, and since 1923, the celebration of February 23 was legalized by the Order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and began to be celebrated nationwide.
After the Great Patriotic War, the holiday was renamed the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy. And in 2005, the holiday celebrated in the Republic of Belarus on February 23rd received the name Defender of the Fatherland Day.
Although the Day of Defenders of the Fatherland is today perceived as the Day of real men, defenders in the broadest sense of the word, it is worth remembering that, first of all, those who defended our Motherland in different years deserve congratulations, fulfilled their international duty with valor and honor, and those who now protects the peaceful sleep of Belarusians.
On the eve of Defenders of the Fatherland Day, notaries of the Minsk Regional Notary District met with military personnel of the military unit of Borisov, congratulated them on the upcoming holiday, answered questions about certification of powers of attorney and wills, and also laid flowers at the monument to signalmen who died in battles for the Motherland.
The Minsk Regional Notary Chamber joins in the congratulations addressed to all those who, at the cost of their lives, served and are serving the cause of peace, security and stability of our state and wishes strength of spirit, courage, perseverance, health, warmth and comfort in their families.
