March 26 is the Day of the National Guard of Ukraine

Since March 26, 2015, servicemen and civilian personnel of the National Guard of Ukraine have been celebrating their professional holiday. Seven key facts about this formation, which is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

1. 1. The National Guard has two birthdays. November 4 was established in 1993 to commemorate the second anniversary of the adoption of the Law of Ukraine On the National Guard. March 26 is a valid holiday, introduced in 2015 by the decree of President Petro Poroshenko, which was previously celebrated as the Day of Internal Troops.
   2. In the initial period of the Guard's history, it had a different name. The decree of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR dated August 30, 1991 provided for the creation of the Republican Guard. However, on November 4, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada decided to change the name to the National Guard. The idea of ​​subordinating the National Guard to the president arose at the very beginning of its existence. However, this was rejected because the presidential power had not yet been established. Thus, the Guard was subordinate to the Council, and the leadership was carried out by the commander. In 1995, Leonid Kuchma managed to change the legislation, which provided for the transfer of the National Guard of Ukraine under his direct leadership.
   3. 39-year-old Major Volodymyr Ignatiev became (posthumously) the first national guard hero to be awarded the highest (at that time) state award (Honorary Award of the President of Ukraine). On the night of July 15, 1992, Major Volodymyr Ignatiev, chief of communications of the Zaporizhia Regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine, showed heroism that cost him his life. Returning home from a business trip in the first-class carriage of the Odesa — Yasinuvata train, Ignatiev witnessed a terrorist act committed by a drunken passenger. A young man grabbed an F-1 grenade from a bag and threatened the passengers. Not having a weapon, Major Ignatiev did not hesitate to answer the call, pushed the terrorist into the vestibule and covered the grenade with his body. As a result of the explosion, he died instantly, protecting the passengers from mortal danger.
   4. The National Guard prevented the seizure of Crimea by Russian forces in May 1994. At that time, there was an intensified conflict on the peninsula, provoked by Moscow's incitement. Under the influence of Russian propaganda, local chauvinists opposed the authorities of Ukraine, and Russian troops were ready to intervene. At such a critical moment, National Guardsmen from the 7th Division, located near Sevastopol, decided to intervene. On May 22, 1994, they organized a demonstration in Simferopol, which shocked the Russian administration of Crimea and caused panic among the separatists. Thanks to the actions of the National Guard and the arrival of additional Ukrainian troops, the conflict was stopped, and Crimea remained part of Ukraine.
   5. National Guard Day could be celebrated on another date! This would have happened if President Viktor Yushchenko managed to restore the unit during his term. In January 2000, Leonid Kuchma disbanded the National Guard — a compromise move after his re-election, amid opposition fears that the president would have his own armed formation and could use it to establish a dictatorship. On January 10, 2008, Yushchenko proposed to revive NSU. According to the draft law submitted by the head of state to the Council, the National Guard of Ukraine was to be directly supervised by a commander who would be appointed and dismissed by the President of Ukraine. The president was also supposed to control the activities of the NSU. However, the draft law was not passed by the specialized committee on national security and defense. At that time, it was headed by the presidential aide Anatoly Hrytsenko. According to the committee's conclusion, there was no reason to create "another armed forces".
   6. The National Guard is the first armed unit of Ukraine that accepted volunteers into its ranks. This happened on March 14, 2014, the day after the restoration of the NGU on the base of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 500 fighters of the Maidan Self-Defense went to the training center in Novy Petrivtsy near Kyiv. On April 5, 2014, this first volunteer battalion of the National Guard was sworn in, and on April 15, it went on combat duty in the Sloviansk region, captured by Russian proxies. In the fall of 2014, the National Guard already had four volunteer battalions: 1st named after General Kulchytskyi, Donbas, Kruk and Azov.
   7. Recruiting has become one of the most common terms in the media, indicating the non-violent mobilization and involvement of specialists of various profiles in the Defense Forces. The National Guard has successfully used these methods. The recruitment campaign of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was called "Offensive Guard". Its purpose was to create assault brigades to liberate the occupied territories. According to the plan, the Armed Forces of Ukraine would advance to the front, and units of the Offensive Guard were to be responsible for clearing the liberated cities from the enemy. Recruitment of volunteers began on February 2, 2023, and more than 5,000 applications were submitted on the first day. Seven recruiting brigades were formed on the basis of the National Guard units: Azov, Bureviy, Kara-Dag, Rubizh, Spartan, Charter and Chervona Kalina.