Defender of the Fatherland Day

Let me tell you briefly. The Revolution destroyed the Russian Empire. However, the First World War was still ongoing. German troops broke through the front line and were advancing towards Petrograd. The old Imperial Army had effectively disintegrated. Soldiers, weary of the war, were heading home. There was almost no one left to defend the capital.

The Bolsheviks raised the alarm. On February 22nd, Lenin issued an emergency decree: “The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!” and an urgent mobilization began.

Rifles were handed out on the streets. Workers, peasants, and sailors signed up as volunteers. A decree to establish the new “Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army” had been signed back in January, but now its formation proceeded at an accelerated pace.

In those days, battles raged near Pskov and Narva. Hastily assembled volunteer detachments held back the Kaiser’s advancing troops. Although the German offensive could not be stopped in a single day, these battles became a symbol of resistance.

On February 23rd, mass volunteer enrollment into the Red Army took place in Petrograd and Moscow. This day was later chosen to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Red Army.

The date became a symbol. Initially, the holiday was called “Red Army Day,” and later “Soviet Army and Navy Day.” Today, in the CIS countries, it is known as “Defender of the Fatherland Day.”

From frozen volunteers with rifles to modern drone operators, the name has changed, but the essence remains the same. It is the day for those who are ready to take up arms and go to war