March 02, 2026

Children Celebrate the Defender of the Fatherland Day


Children Celebrate the Defender of the Fatherland Day
Children participate in a flashmob to celebrate the Defender of the Fatherland Day.  Russian state media.

February 23 is a major state holiday in Russia: Defender of the Fatherland Day. The celebration focuses on the Russian military and was originally created to commemorate the Red Army’s founding. Today, Defender of the Fatherland Day celebrates both active and retired members of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as those who served in the Soviet military.

This year, several key celebrations included children in the festivities. The Victory Museum in Moscow staged a large patriotic flash mob to support soldiers participating in the Special Military Operation, namely Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

​Over 2,000 schoolchildren and university students formed the group’s core. They sang a militaristic children’s song, “We are United! Invincible!,” as they marched in place in the museum’s grand memorial hall.

​The Victory Museum’s collection focuses on the Second World War, but has expanded its exhibits to include objects from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Visitors can find captured vehicles, which are intended to “create a complete picture of countries’ participation,” meaning those allied with Ukraine. The new exhibit also includes stories of the “heroic deeds,” the story of “Operation Z”, and a section on “faith,” with military priests’ belongings and trophy items taken from Ukrainian churches.

​If visiting the Victory Museum and a flash mob were not enough to rally children into the holiday’s spirit, there was also a special concert of children’s marching bands in Moscow. An assortment of traditional songs was recorded to be sent to lift morale and thank those currently deployed in the war.

​Another group, the Young Army, participated in a large televised concert at the Russian Army Theater. The youth organization, funded by the Russian government, prides itself on training future soldiers. Their performance wrapped up a program that prominently featured the famous Alexandrov Ensemble, which performed classic folk performances, and even a North Korean military song as an expression of friendship.

​Thus, while more somber wreath-laying ceremonies and official addresses were conducted to mark the holiday, it was the youngest and most naive patriots who took center stage.

You Might Also Like

2026: Year of Unity
  • February 08, 2026

2026: Year of Unity

Putin has declared 2026 to be the "Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia."
Party Like It's 1945
  • December 21, 2025

Party Like It's 1945

Moscow's Museum of Victory has created a temporary exhibition highlighting how the Russians of the Second World War celebrated New Year.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955