Donetsk, Feb 23 - DAN. Donetsk People’s Republic Head Denis Pushilin extended his best wishes to DPR residents on the occasion of Defender of the Fatherland Day. The text of the holiday greetings was published on the head of state’s official website.
“It’s our servicemen’s holiday in the first place; February 23 is rightfully their day. In this difficult time, there is no more important task than ensuring security of the state and its residents. Your military service requires courage, self-sacrifice and utter devotion to the Motherland. The Donbass people are proud of their defenders,” he said.
Pushilin noted that February 23 is a national holiday for residents of the region, and that it personifies the continuity of military traditions. This day consolidates the warriors and homefront workers who serve in the interests of the Republic.
Defender of the Fatherland Day is marked across the post-Soviet space on February 23. It was established in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic as Red Army and Navy Day in 1922. The holiday was abolished in Ukraine.*jk