Defender of the Fatherland Day ( Kazakh: Отан Қорғаушы күні, ''Otan Qorğauşy künı'') is a national holiday celebrated annually on May 7, commemorating the founding of the

Armed Forces of Kazakhstan The Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Қарулы Күштері, , russian: Вооружённые силы Республики Казахстан) is the unified armed forces of ...

. The event is marked by

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the la ...

s, fireworks and ceremonies all around the country. The holiday is perceived in society as "a men’s day" and is considered to be the Kazakh analogue to the

International Women’s Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

. On May 7, 1992, the President of Kazakhstan

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...

signed a decree on the establishment of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In October 2012, President Nazarbayev signed a further

decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...

giving the holiday a status as a national holiday and enshrining it into law. National celebrations are usually led by the

President of Kazakhstan The president of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Президенті, Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Prezidentı; russian: Президент Республики Казахстан, Prezident Respu ...

, the

Minister of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in s ...

and the

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

Commemorations

2005

A festive parade of troops on Defender of the Fatherland Day in 2005 was dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the end of the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), an ...

(known as the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

in the West). The parade was held at the square in front of the Otan Qorgaushylar Monument. 340 veterans with the Battle Banners of military units that served in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

marched in the column, as well as parade crews of 3,500 servicemen. The parade involved about 200 units of modern military equipment, 32 aircraft and helicopters. The report of the commander of the parade, First Deputy Minister of Defense Bulat Darbekov was received by defense minister Mukhtar Altynbaev.

2013

2013 celebrated the 21st anniversary of the founding of the Kazakh Armed Forces. It was held at the

Otar Military Base Otar Military Base is a military installation of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan located near Otar, in the Zhambyl District, Almaty Region, Kazakhstan. Description Military drills between Kazakhstan and its neighbors such as India, Kyrgyzstan, M ...

. Saule Aitpayeva was promoted to the rank of General, becoming first female general since Kazakhstan gained independence. The Kazakh defence ministry differentiated the parade from past ones by calling it a " Battle Parade" (Боевой парад), saying that Kazakh battle parades showcase the military through conducting ceremonial combat exercises during the ceremony. According to Roger McDermott, an analyst at the

Jamestown Foundation The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based conservative defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission today is to inform and educate policy makers about events and trends, wh ...

, the parade was unusual in that it went against the precedent for Kazakh military parades, saying that the “pomp and ceremony” of military parade conceal deep processes in the military and that the battle parade shows that the national authorities are trying modernize the military to the "high technologies and standards of the 21st century".

2014

2014 celebrated the 22nd anniversary of the founding of the Kazakh Armed Forces. The parade commander was Lieutenant General Murat Maikeyev, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the

Kazakh Ground Forces The Kazakh Ground Forces (, ; ) is the land service branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is one of the three uniformed military services, and is the most senior branch of the Kazakh military in order of precedence. The mai ...

. Reporting to President

was Kazakhstan's Defense Minister

Serik Akhmetov Serik Nyghmetuly Akhmetov ( kk, Серік Нығметұлы Ахметов, translit=Serık Nyğmetūly Ahmetov, ; born 25 June 1958) was a Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 2012 to 2014. He served as the Minister of Defense from April to Octobe ...

. 2,000 soldiers, 56 air units, and 250 defense vehicles took part in the parade.

2015

2015 celebrated the 23rd anniversary of the Kazakh Armed Forces and the

platinum jubilee A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary. The most recent monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the other C ...

(70th anniversary) of the

. Noting the timing of the parade with the anniversary, President Nazarbayev said that it "shows the continuity of military traditions between the World War II winners and the current generation of defenders of our land." Minister of Defence

Imangali Tasmagambetov Imangali Nurgaliuly Tasmagambetov ( kk, Иманғали Нұрғалиұлы Тасмағамбетов, ''İmаnğаli Nūrğаliūly Таsmаğаmbеtоv''; born 9 December 1956) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat, who is the current Secretary ...

accompanied President Nazarbayev in his inspection of the troops during the parade. An exact copy of the

Victory Banner The Soviet Banner of Victory (russian: Знамя Победы, translit=Znamya Pobedy) was the banner raised by the Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 1 May 1945, the day after Adolf Hitler committed suicide. It was r ...

, was delivered to Astana from the Museum of Great Patriotic War in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. It consisted of two parts – historic and contemporary, with the former being represented by troops depicting Kazakh field units of the

, including the 72nd Guards Rifle Division that was raised in Akmolinsk (now Astana) in 1942. The legendary

Katyusha rocket launcher The Katyusha ( rus, Катю́ша, p=kɐˈtʲuʂə, a=Ru-Катюша.ogg) is a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver explosives to a target area ...

was presented at the parade for the first time. Military pilots performed aerobatics singly and as part of aerobatic teams, and also built the number "70", which symbolizes the anniversary of the Great Victory.

2017

Celebrated the silver jubilee of the founding of the Kazakh military. The parade inspector was the

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

Colonel General

Saken Zhasuzakov Saken Adilkhanuly Zhasuzakov ( kk, Сәкен Әділханұлы Жасұзақов, ''Säken Ädılhanūly Jasūzaqov'', ; born 27 October 1957) was a Kazakh politician and Colonel General in the Kazakh Ground Forces. He was Minister of Defens ...

and the parade commander was the Commander in Chief of the

, Major General

Murat Bektanov Murat Käribaiūly Bektanov ( kk, Мұрат Кәрібайұлы Бектанов, translit=Mūrat Kärıbaiūly Bektanov) is a Kazakh military leader and was the Minister of Defence. He previously served as the Chief of the General Staff and Co ...

. More than 5,000 servicemen, around 300 units of military machinery and 70 military jets took part in the parade.

2018

Celebrated the 26th anniversary of the founding of the Kazakh Armed Forces. President Nazarbayev announced the creation of a new branch of the armed forces designed to combat cyber threats. It was the first parade at the Otar Military Base in 5 years. An exhibition of military equipment was unveiled at the base.

2020

The only major commemoration of the holiday to be cancelled in 2020 was the parade, due to honor the 75th anniversary of the Second World War. The cancellation was by order of President

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev ( kk, Қасым-Жомарт Кемелұлы Тоқаев, Qasym-Jomart Kemelūly Toqaev ; born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat who is currently serving as the President of Kazakhstan since 12 J ...

and was due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan The COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan is part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Kazakhst ...

. The State Philharmonic of Nur-Sultan announced on the eve of the holiday its intention to hold an online concert entitled ''Yel Yelinin Korgany'' (The stronghold of the people) in honor of the holiday.

Gallery

File:2А36 с тягачом-машиной управления огня.JPG, File:Бронеразведывательная машина SandCat.JPG, File:ТРК Точка на военном параде в Астане 7 мая 2015 года.JPG, File:Линкольн-Кабриолет (5).jpg, File:Бойцы НацГвардии Казахстана с ПП-19-01.jpg, File:ТОС-1А «Солнцепёк» на военном параде в Астане 7 мая 2015 года (2).JPG,

References

{{Kazakh Armed Forces

External links

Youtube: 2013 Defender of the Fatherland Day Parade

Youtube: 2014 Defender of the Fatherland Day Parade

Youtube: 2015 Defender of the Fatherland and Victory Day Parade

Youtube: 2017 Defender of the Fatherland Day Parade

Youtube: 2018 Defender of the Fatherland Day Parade

Youtube: Astana will host a military parade for the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan Armed Forces
Armed Forces days Military of Kazakhstan Public holidays in Kazakhstan 2012 establishments in Kazakhstan Men in Kazakhstan