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Wednesday, 23.02.2011
A day off - for retreating Defenders of the Fatherland
Moscow. Again, on the 23rd February, Russians are celebrating the 'Defenders of the Fatherland' day with a day off work. It is known as 'Men's day' and seems to mark the birth of the Red Army in 1918. In fact, it is the day of a shameful defeat.
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February 23rd has been celebrated as 'Day of the Red Army and Navy' since 1922. Joseph Stalin reasoned that on the 23rd February 1918, at Pskov and Narva, it has been possible to stop the advance of the German 'Reichswehr' onto the revolutinonary Petrograd.
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In fact, units of the young Red Army had been defending the area around Pskov for a day but then simply fled on the 24th February.
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The defense of Narva was indeed organised by Dybenko, the Naval Commisar, but all units fled after short fight on March 4th. Dybenko himself fled up to Samara on the Volga river, first to get away from the Germans and then because of shame.
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Pawel Dybenko was court martialed and saved from being shot only through his wife, Alexandrea Kolontai's intervention.
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The Russian Duma acknowledged this historical truth by removing from the mission statement of the public holiday the phrase 'Day of victory of the Red Army over the troops of German Emperor in 1918'.
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Nevertheless, the Duma retained 23rd February as a public holiday even as it has no historical foundation whatsoever.
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The only major event in the recent Russian-Sovjet history on February 23rd is the beginning of deportation of Chechens and Ingushetians from Caucasus to Kazakhstan.
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In reality the day of deportation of course is not celebrated on the 23rd February but widely ignored.
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So what is celebrated on the 23rd February in Russia is a myth - and the deeply rooted tradition to get completely drunk on Men's Day. Historical niceties would only be in the way.
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Many Russians are still keeping up this tradition without fail but the number of real traditionalists are getting less.
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