The Armed Forces of Ukraine! Undoubtedly, this is the most popular and most used abbreviation of this difficult year in Ukraine and one of those in the whole world. The army is a standard of devotion and victorious struggle for independence and humanity. Therefore, all associations of the ONOVA League join in congratulating and honoring the defenders of Ukraine on this day.
The Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a state holiday of courage, heroism and courage. Since 1991, it has been customary to celebrate it on December 6, the day of the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On the Armed Forces of Ukraine". The primary concept of defense and construction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, approved by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, defines that the Armed Forces of Ukraine consist of three types: Ground Forces (Ground Defense Forces), Air Force and Air Defense Forces (Air Defense Forces), Naval Forces .
A bit of history. Why exactly December 6?
When talking about the Armed Forces, it is worth remembering not only the creation of the newest army of Ukraine, approved in 1991, but also delving deeper into the history of Ukraine.
December 6, 1919 — the beginning of one of the glorious pages of the Ukrainian army — the time of the first winter campaign of the Active Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. The active military actions of the Bolsheviks against our country, the occupation of a large part of Ukraine by Moscow troops at the beginning of the 20th century exacerbated the need to create a strong and combat-capable army capable of defending Ukraine, its lands and sovereignty against the northern aggressor. The Ukrainian army was formed on national principles and old traditions, the privates were called Cossacks, and the commanders were called sub-chiefs and foremen. Separate military ranks, different from foreign ones, were introduced, such as royovy, chetovy, bunchuzhny, horunzhy, centurion. The official name was "Army and Fleet of the Ukrainian People's Republic" or "Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic".
Times are different - the enemy is the same. However, even now we have a worthy change of defenders who fight for Ukraine and stand for Ukrainians, for almost 9 years now.
The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies in its 2021 edition of The Military Balance noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had 246,000 servicemen, of which 159,000 were in the Ground Forces, 15,000 in the Navy, 52,000 in the Air Force, 20,000 in the Airborne Forces, and an unknown number in the Forces Special operations. In July 2021, the number of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was increased by 11,000 servicemen. And from February 1, 2022, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed a decree on strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities and increasing the number of the Armed Forces by 100,000 soldiers.
We are grateful for the dedication and sacrifice of our defenders, we hold the rear and support the front.
On the main page of the ONOVA portal, there is a direct link to the United 24 fundraising platform, a global initiative of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi to raise funds to support the state. Collected donations are distributed in three directions: defense and demining, humanitarian and medical aid, reconstruction of Ukraine.
All funds go to the accounts of the National Bank of Ukraine and are assigned to the relevant ministries: the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Infrastructure. Reports on the platform are updated daily.
Join us and continue to work for the benefit of a successful and safe future of Ukraine.