Ukraine celebrates Marine Corps Day
In Ukraine, Marine Corps Day is celebrated on May 23—a professional holiday for the Ukrainian Navy. It is an opportunity to reflect on the unit’s history, its combat record, and its role in modern warfare. On this day, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi also extended his congratulations to the marines.
Marine Corps Day in Ukraine is celebrated annually on May 23 as a professional holiday for servicemen of the Ukrainian Navy, who carry out combat missions on the front lines every day and remain one of the key components of the Defense Forces.
The holiday has a complex history: it was established in 2014, when it was celebrated on November 16 and was linked to the events surrounding the formation of the Marine Corps back in 1992, when the first Marine Corps oath-taking ceremony took place. The date was later changed, and in 2018, May 23 was officially established by Presidential Decree No. 145/2018 “On the Day of the Ukrainian Marine Corps,” making it a nationwide day to honor the military personnel of this branch.
The choice of date is also linked to a symbolic historical context—the 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian Revolution and the first attempts at Ukrainian statehood in the 20th century, when, as early as 1918, Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi signed a decree on the formation of a Marine Corps brigade.
On this day, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrskyi publicly congratulated the marines, emphasizing their role in the country’s modern defense.
“Today, the Marine Corps is one of the most combat-ready components of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. You are worthily continuing the glorious traditions of the Ukrainian Army’s Marine Corps from the time of the First Liberation Struggles—from which today’s date is counted—and of the modern Armed Forces of Ukraine. You are adding to them with new victories and feats,” Syrskyi noted.
He emphasized that the Marine Corps remains a symbol of resilience and loyalty to the oath, as it is these units that often hold the toughest sections of the front line. “Where the fighting is fiercest, it is the marines who become a wall to stop the enemy. Your heroism in the fiercest battles is forever etched in the history of modern Ukraine. And today, marines are carrying out combat missions on many critical sections of the front in the Russian-Ukrainian war,” the Commander-in-Chief added.
He also thanked the military for their service, resilience, and contribution to the defense of the state, making special mention of veterans and those who gave their lives for Ukraine, emphasizing that their feat remains a part of the country’s modern history.
