Events dedicated to the Day of Defenders and Defenders were held in Ukraine.

This is the first time the holiday is celebrated under this name - earlier it was called “Day of the Defender of Ukraine”.

The decree establishing this holiday was signed by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on October 14, 2014, and on July 14, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada changed its name in order to ensure gender equality in highlighting the role of military personnel of both sexes.

The corresponding decision was supported by 317 out of 450 MPs.

Simultaneously with the Day of Defenders and Defenders in Ukraine, the Day of the Cossacks and the Day of the Creation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army are celebrated.

Speaking about the significance of the Day of Defenders and Defenders on his Facebook page, the head of the Ukrainian President's office Andriy Yermak said about the need to honor the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and employees of other law enforcement agencies for the fact that they defend the "European civilizational choice" and "state independence."

As Ukrainian political scientist Alexander Semchenko explained in an interview with RT, the new holiday that appeared after the "Maidan" under Vladimir Zelensky did not change its nationalist content, but was only "slightly modified" for the increasingly popular ideas of "gender equality."

“In essence, nothing has changed.

October 14 is the date of the formation of the UPA, the combat wing of the OUN.

A quite understandable parallel with the Ukrainian Armed Forces is being drawn.

On this day, the whole country should honor the "defenders".

This is the paradigm in which Ukrainians live.

In short, we need to give praise to the collaborators, ATOs (ATO participants -

RT

) and shout "Glory to Ukraine" more often, ”Semchenko said.

"Day of thugs and sadists"

This year, on October 14, representatives of radical organizations held a procession in the center of Kiev.

In the "National Corps" it was called the "March of the Nation", and in the "Right Sector" ** - the "March of Glory of the UPA".

According to Ukrainian media reports, the event was attended by from five to ten thousand people, while eyewitnesses say that there were no more than two or three thousand.

According to local journalists, supporters of the All-Ukrainian Association "Svoboda" (the nationalist party of Ukraine. -

RT

)

were widely represented at the action

.

Nationalists laid flowers at the memorial on the Alley of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred, which is part of Institutskaya Street.

Also, "svobodovtsy" advocated the adoption of a law on the fight against "collaborators" - residents of the Crimea and the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR, who allegedly work with "occupation regimes".

In addition, the deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, a member of "Svoboda" Oksana Savchuk said that a draft resolution on the celebration of the anniversary of the creation of the "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" at the state level was registered in the parliament.

The politician expressed hope that this initiative will be approved by her colleagues in November.

  • Radicals on the streets of Kiev on October 14

  • © Legion Media

In addition to Svoboda, National Corps and Right Sector, representatives of Azov, Democratic Ax and other ultra-right organizations of Ukraine, as well as supporters of the Belarusian opposition joined the radicals' march. 

According to the publication "STRANA.ua", the demonstrators shouted slogans in support of the "veterans" of the ATO, made anti-Semitic and anti-Russian statements.

In addition, at the "March of the Nation" there were posters in Russian with offensive content.

Oleksandr Semchenko believes that honoring Ukrainian collaborators on the streets of the hero city of Kiev is a manifestation of "transcendental cynicism" and historical unconsciousness.

“From a reasonable point of view, it is very difficult to comment on the procession that took place in the center of Kiev.

This is not the Day of the Defender of Ukraine, this is the day of the UPA, the day of thugs and sadists, whom we must remember as “heroes”.

Only people who are not quite sane can celebrate October 14, ”Semchenko said.

It is worth noting that before the start of the radicals' march, the US Embassy in Kiev recommended that Americans take precautions and stay away from the columns of ultra-right demonstrators.

However, the action of the nationalists went without incident.

The radicals did not organize a rally on Bankova Street, where the office of the President of Ukraine is located.

They expressed their attitude towards the head of state by burning an effigy on Khreshchatyk, which symbolized Vladimir Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader himself on the Day of Defenders and Defenders in the morning took part in the "commemoration ceremony for those who died for Ukraine", which took place on Mikhailovskaya Square in Kiev.

Together with him, Andrei Yermak, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Alexei Danilov, newly elected Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, Defense Minister Andrei Taran and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny attended the event.

After a minute of silence and the performance of the national anthem, Zelensky examined the exposition of weapons and military equipment.

The President of Ukraine was shown reconnaissance and control equipment, missile systems "Neptune" and "Stugna", robotic platforms Agema, UAVs Scorpio-2, ST-35 "Thunder" and Skyfist.

Then Zelensky went on a working trip to the Zaporozhye region.

There, on the island of Khortytsya, he attended the oath-taking ceremony by cadets of military lyceums, including Lugansk, which was evacuated after the outbreak of hostilities in 2014.

  • President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky

  • © www.president.gov.ua

The President of Ukraine has promised that the military lyceum will return to "Ukrainian Lugansk".

He also said that Kiev will certainly restore control over Crimea and the entire territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

True, Zelensky did not specify when and in what way the territories would be returned.

“We understand: this is not a dream.

It is our life.

This is our Ukrainian history.

This is our challenge.

And we have to overcome it.

To finally say: peace has come.

Donbass and Crimea - Ukraine again.

And all this certainly does not seem to us.

All this is reality, ”Zelensky said.

In the evening of the same day, the Ukrainian leader arrived in Donbass to visit the forward positions of the Joint Forces Operation (JF) troops, Mariupol and inspect facilities that are being built as part of the President's Big Construction program.

"Duty phrases"

Former Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov spoke out very radically on the issue of the “return” of Crimea and Donbass on the Day of Defenders and Defenders.

On his Facebook page, Avakov spoke in favor of Kiev having "a well-developed scenario for the liberation of the territories seized by the aggressor using all modern forms of weapons and strategies."

The ex-Interior Minister expressed skepticism about the diplomatic way of resolving the conflict in Donbass, saying that the "hybrid war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine" has been going on for more than 2,700 days.

According to him, the security of Ukraine is "not peace on the terms of an occupier."

The ex-minister called on the authorities to form a "single strategy" for Crimea and Donbass and an "effective architecture of state security" through cooperation primarily with the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Oleksandr Semchenko believes that the Ukrainian authorities are trying to "inspire" the military and the radicalized part of society with the help of constant statements about their intention to regain control over the lost territories in the southeast of the country.

“These are the usual phrases that are always pronounced.

They have become the rule of "good form" at almost all public events, although in reality, as I think, no one believes in them.

I don’t know who it can “cheer up” at all.

Moreover, none of the former and current leadership of Ukraine names any terms or specific ways to return the territories, ”the political scientist emphasized.

A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Zharikhin, Deputy Director of the Institute of CIS Countries.

In a commentary to RT, he expressed the hope that despite the cardinal changes in recent years, “reasonable people” remained in the Ukrainian army, who realize the ephemerality of the loud political statements of the post-Maidan leadership.

“You can declare anything, but I am sure that even in the face of this merciless propaganda, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and ordinary people understand that Crimea will remain Russian and that it is completely pointless to continue the war in Donbass,” Zharikhin said.

According to the expert, by imposing the celebration of October 14 on the Ukrainians, the authorities are trying to force the country's residents to abandon their own historical victories and traditions.

In addition, Kiev is constantly trying to present the civil conflict in Donbass as a military-political confrontation with Moscow, the expert added.

  • Nationalists rally on October 14 in the center of Kiev

  • © Legion Media

“On October 14, only collaborators and“ veterans ”of the ATO are honored.

They should be considered the alleged defenders of Ukraine.

Violent nationalism is manifested, hatred of Russia is provoked.

All this is a real crime against the Ukrainian people, the fate of which neither Zelensky nor his henchmen are interested in, ”Zharikhin summed up.

* The organization of Ukrainian nationalists - the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (OUN-UPA) is a Ukrainian organization recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of Russia (decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 11/17/2014).

** "Right Sector" is a Ukrainian association of radical nationalist organizations, recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of Russia (decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 11/17/2014).