The Russian Embassy hosted a festive reception on the occasion of the Russian national holiday of Fatherland Defenders Day, hosted by Ambassador H. E. Alexander Botsan – Kharchenko.
The reception was also attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. He said it was a great honor for Russia to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on May 9. The Ambassador said the celebration of Fatherland Defenders’ Day commemorates an event that is crucial in Russian history and is “a symbol of the Russian military, heroic tradition, patriotism and unity of the military and the people.”
Fatherland Defenders’ Day, February 23, is one of Russia’s biggest holidays, and has been celebrated under this name since 1993 in memory of the first mass recruitment to the Red Army in Petersburg and Moscow – February 23, 1918, as well as to the first combat action against the German occupation army. Fatherland Defenders’ Day is celebrated in Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on February 23, in memory of the Red Army’s first fighting against the German occupier in 1918, in World War I.