РНБОУ National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine

Greetings of NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov on the occasion of the Day of intercession of the Holy Virgin and the Day of Defender of Ukraine

I congratulate you on the holiday!

Today is a double holiday - the Day of intercession of the Holy Virgin and the Day of Defender of Ukraine. It's not a coincidence that these holidays coincide, because the Holy Mother of God was the patroness of the Cossacks and exactly this day is considered to be the date of foundation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. It is important to know and remember that, because namely the historical memory and spiritual traditions are those fundamentals, on which we will build our army and our democratic European country.

I congratulate all defenders of Ukraine, especially volunteers, who could not stand aside and by the call of their own conscience stood up at the breach for the Motherland in the most difficult times of our history. Thanks to your courage, strength of spirit and self-sacrifice, Ukraine stood its ground and stopped the aggressor.

On this holiday we think back of those heroes, who today are no longer with us. Thanks to their immortal feat, the new generation of Ukrainian patriots will grow up in a free country and on their example will learn to love the Motherland. And their names will be inscribed to the glorious history of victories of Ukraine.

The profession of the military, the profession of defender of the Motherland becomes one of the most required and prestigious in Ukraine. No wonder that today the credibility of the military servicemen in society - one of the greatest for all time of existence of an independent Ukraine. Courage, dignity and boldness - these are the features that distinguish you, the true defenders of Ukraine, among all the others.

Congratulations! May God bless you and Ukraine.