{"id":1329397,"date":"2025-12-06T09:14:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T07:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/ukraine-celebrates-armed-forces-day-double-meaning-of-december-6\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T09:14:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T07:14:10","slug":"ukraine-celebrates-armed-forces-day-double-meaning-of-december-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/ukraine-celebrates-armed-forces-day-double-meaning-of-december-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine celebrates Armed Forces Day: double meaning of December 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

On December 6, Ukrainians celebrate one of the most important national holidays – Armed Forces Day. The army is based on centuries-old history and glorious traditions. Every day, thousands of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine defend the country on the front lines, guarding its borders on land, in the water and in the air.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the conditions of a full-scale war, this day is not only an award and a tribute to professional military personnel, but also a holiday for the entire country, every volunteer, every family whose members defend our state from the enemy, as well as everyone who helps the Armed Forces of Ukraine, donates to the army, volunteers, and treats the wounded.<\/p>\n

Double meaning December 6<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Armed Forces Day of Ukraine, celebrated on December 6, has deeper historical roots than the adoption of the relevant law in 1991. This date also symbolizes the beginning of the First Winter Campaign of the UNR Army in 1919, which adds historical significance to the holiday. At the same time, it is important to distinguish this professional holiday of the military from the Day of Defenders, which honors all those involved in the defense of the state.<\/p>\n

Armed Forces Day is a professional holiday for military personnel who are involved in the Ukrainian army. Defenders Day has a different meaning. It is about the people who defend Ukraine both now and throughout Ukrainian history.<\/p>\n

The adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of the laws “On the Armed Forces of Ukraine” and “On the Defense of Ukraine” on December 6, 1991 became the starting point for the development of a modern army. At the same time, the text of the military oath was read in the parliament. However, it was the First Winter Campaign of the UNR Army, which began on December 6, 1919, that is one of the glorious pages of Ukrainian military history, demonstrating the indomitability of spirit in the struggle for statehood.<\/p>\n

Unlike the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Day of Defenders, which has been celebrated on October 1 since 2023, is a holiday for a wider range of people. On this day, congratulations are received not only by military personnel, but also by medics, volunteers, law enforcement officers, and everyone who contributes to the defense of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\t

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photo from open sources<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n

Historical heritage: from the Sich Riflemen and the UPA to the modern Armed Forces<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The modern Armed Forces of Ukraine continue the military traditions laid down at the beginning of the last century. The formation of the national army dates back to the times of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, who fought for the independence of the state. This continuity of generations is reflected in the modern symbols and slogans of the Ukrainian army.<\/p>\n

The Ukrainian army honors the names of heroes of past eras, from Rus’ warriors and Cossacks to Sich riflemen, soldiers of the UNR army, UPA, and soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition during World War II.<\/p>\n

The first Ukrainian armed formation of the modern era is considered to be the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen Legion, created in 1914. Despite participating in the Austrian army, they had national symbols and the Ukrainian language as the official language. Later, in 1917, to protect the young Ukrainian People’s Republic, their own army was formed, which opposed the Bolshevik troops.<\/p>\n

During World War II, the soldiers of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought to restore statehood against both totalitarian regimes \u2014 Nazi and Communist. Elements of continuity, such as the “mazepinka” headdress and the official greeting “Glory to Ukraine! – Glory to the Heroes!”, today emphasize the unity of the national struggle through the centuries.<\/p>\n\t

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photo collage ArmyInform<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n

From decline to one of the most combat-ready in Europe: how the Ukrainian army was revived<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Having inherited a significant military potential from the USSR, the Ukrainian army experienced a period of decline during the first decades of independence. However, since 2014, in response to Russian aggression, the process of its radical revival has begun. Thanks to reforms and combat experience, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have become one of the most powerful armies on the continent.<\/p>\n

“The Ukrainian army, with almost ten years of experience in the modern Russian-Ukrainian war, is today considered one of the most combat-ready in Europe.”<\/p>\n

After 1991, the army’s development slowed down, and under the guise of reform, weapons and personnel were reduced. The situation changed radically in 2014, when the urgent need to protect sovereignty arose. The army’s reconstruction took place at an accelerated pace, in particular thanks to large-scale support from volunteer organizations.<\/p>\n

Today, the modernization of the army continues, covering the management system, material support and ideological training of personnel in accordance with NATO standards. The restoration of Ukrainian military traditions and patriotic education have formed high morale and a sense of personal responsibility among servicemen, which has won the highest level of trust in society.<\/p>\n

Also follow \u201cPryamim\u201d<\/strong> on Facebook<\/a> , Twitter<\/a> , Telegram<\/a> , and Instagram<\/a> .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On December 6, Ukrainians celebrate one of the most important national holidays – Armed Forces Day. The army is based on centuries-old history and glorious traditions. Every day, thousands of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine defend the country on the front lines, guarding its borders on land, in the water and in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":1329323,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76872,76878,76871],"class_list":["post-1329397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-feed","category-society","category-news-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1329397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1329323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1329397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1329397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}