Day of Defenders and Defendresses of Ukraine celebrated today

On October 14, on the Orthodox feast of the Intercession of the Theotokos, Ukrainians celebrate the Day of Defenders and Defendresses of Ukraine and the Day of Ukrainian Cossacks.

The Day of Defenders and Defendresses of Ukraine is a public holiday celebrated on October 14. It was officially established on October 14, 2014, by a presidential decree entitled “The Day of Defender of Ukraine”. On July 12, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine renamed the holiday into the Day of Defenders and Defendresses of Ukraine.

The urgent need for this national holiday became acute after the start of Russia’s occupation of Crimea and armed hostilities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

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Already in the 20th century, the Cossack traditions of the struggle for independence of Ukraine were taken over by soldiers of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.