Russia celebrates the “Defender of the Motherland Day”

By Guido Lanfranchi.

On February 23rd, the Russian Federation and its armed forces celebrate the “Defender of the Motherland Day”, honouring all those who suffered and fell to defend their country. On February 21^st, the Russian Embassy in The Hague celebrated this anniversary with a reception for the diplomatic community of The Hague.

In February 1918, more than one hundred years ago, during the Russian Civil War, the Red Guard troops faced and defeated the troops of the Kaiser of Germany. This event, which set the stage for the creation of the Red Army, is recalled nowadays to celebrate the yearly “Defender of the Motherland Day”, a Russian national holiday dedicated to all the members of the armed forces who suffered in order to defend their country.

The Embassy of Russia in the Netherlands decided to celebrate this anniversary together with the diplomatic community of The Hague. The Russian Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin, and the Embassy’s Defence Attaché, Colonel Mikhail Klimuk, invited a number of guests including Ambassadors and diplomats accredited in The Hague, welcoming them at the entrance of the Embassy’s reception room.

After hearing the Russian and the Dutch national anthems, the guests had the possibility to listen to the speech of H.E. Mr. Shulgin. In his speech, the Ambassador paid tribute to all the men and women who served in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, and who paid with their health or lives for the security and the freedom of the country. Recalling the origin of the anniversary, Ambassador Shulgin praised the contribution of the Russian armed forces over the course of history, from their achievements in defeating Nazism during World War II, to their numerous peacekeeping and rescue mission operations over the last decades.

Coming to these days, “the armed forces are greatly contributing to the security of the country” by defending its interests both at home and abroad – the Ambassador said. He also noted that the armed forces are undertaking serious efforts to improve their organization and efficiency, constantly modernizing themselves in order to be able to serve the country appropriately in the present and in the future.

After the Ambassador’s speech, the guests enjoyed the drinks and the large buffet full of typical Russian food, kindly provided by the Embassy. While leaving the reception, the guests stopped by to thank Ambassador Shulgin and Colonel Klimuk for their great hospitality.