Defender of the Fatherland Day
The Defender of the Fatherland Day ("День защитника Отечествa" or "Den zashchitnika Otechestva") is celebrated on 23 February and is dedicated to veterans and service personnel of the Russian Armed Forces, though it is often colloquially known as Men's Day (День Мужчин, "Den' Muzhchin") and commonly treated as a celebration of all men. The holiday was established in 1918 as it is connected to the decree published that day by the Council of People's Commissars that formalized the official raising of the Red Army.