Ukraine marks Territorial Defense Day

According to Ukrinform, the holiday was established by a presidential decree on September 30, 2020.

According to the decree, the day is observed "in view of the importance of territorial defense in ensuring Ukraine's defense capability and territorial integrity, the role of the components of the security and defense sector and other entities involved in carrying out territorial defense tasks, as well as with the aim of further developing modern military traditions."

Territorial Defense Day is observed annually on the first Sunday of October.

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi congratulated Territorial Defense Forces personnel on Territorial Defense Day.

"You are the people who, in the first days of the full-scale war, stood in lines at Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers to defend the country. You hardened yourselves in the fire and became a line of defense that had not existed on enemy maps before – a line of spirit and conscience. You resolutely faced the enemy and gave it a worthy rebuff. Near Kyiv and Chernihiv, in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, and on dozens of other axes," the commander-in-chief said.

According to him, "the Territorial Defense Forces have come a long way from volunteer units to effective combat brigades." "Today, you are a full-fledged, experienced part of the Ukrainian military that has mastered unmanned systems and innovative solutions and proves its capabilities on the battlefield every day."

"I bow my head before the fallen servicemen of the Territorial Defense Forces. Eternal honor and glory to the Heroes. Territorial defense warriors prove that the strength of an army is measured not only by iron, but also by the character of those who wield it," Drapatyi said.