Each country wishing to preserve its sovereignty is obliged to take measures to protect state borders. The borders of Russia stretch for tens of thousands of kilometers; they pass by water, by land and by air. The frontiers of the Fatherland are guarded by border troops - the color and the elite of the army. Border Guard Day, celebrated annually in Russia, commands respect from every citizen of the country.
Defenders of state borders
The need for armed defense of the borders of Russia arose long ago - since the formation of a single ancient Russian state. If a country was attacked by an enemy, all the inhabitants of the state stood up to defend it. In peacetime, the borders were guarded by special formations, making sure that the enemy did not attack unexpectedly and did not catch the country by surprise.
The first border guards can be considered soldiers who carried out guard duty as part of special detachments.
Over time, the state borders of Russia were defined quite clearly. The borders were marked by outposts enclosed by earthen ramparts. Armed border guards were constantly stationed in such fortified places. Her duties included the protection of fortifications and regular detours of the border as part of guard units.
Warriors-border guards regularly performed their duty to the Motherland, daily keeping order in the border regions of the country. The border guard control center was located in the capital of the state and was called the Border Guard Office. This was the case until the beginning of the October Revolution, which took place in 1917, after which chaos and confusion reigned in the affairs of border protection for some time.
Day of the border guard in Russia
After the revolution, the young country of the Soviets gradually consolidated its position in the world arena. One of the factors that made it possible to preserve the integrity of the country in the conditions of the civil war and foreign intervention was the creation in Soviet Russia of a special service - the border guard department. It was organized on May 28, 1918. This date subsequently began to be celebrated as the Day of the Border Troops.
The following decades were extremely difficult for the Soviet state. The restoration of the destroyed economy in the border areas, the fight against the remnants of the White Guard formations, the repulse of provocations on the distant borders - all this fell on the shoulders of the border troops. The Great Patriotic War became a serious test for the border guards.
The state always remembered the defenders of its borders, but it was not customary to celebrate the professional holiday of the border troops in those difficult times.
Only in 1958, the government of the Soviet Union declared May 28 an official holiday - the Day of the Border Guard. Since that time, the country has managed to change its structure, but this holiday in order to revive and strengthen historical traditions has remained on the calendar.
Traditionally, the Day of the Border Guard is celebrated with parades, solemn meetings and rallies. In big cities on May 28, you can meet veterans of the border service, who actively participate in festivities. On this day, former and current border guards remember their friends and honor those who gave their lives protecting the borders of the Fatherland.
