May 28 Is Border Guard Day

May 28 is Border Guard Day in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. On this day in 1918, Border Protection Service was established in the RSFSR, which a year later was renamed to Border Guard. The border guards are considered to be the oldest kind of troops. Border-guarding warriors are mentioned even in the Tale of Bygone Years.

The holiday was established in the Republic of Belarus in 1995 by the decree of the President to commemorate the historic services of the defenders of the state borders. In the independent Kyrgyzstan, Border Guard Day was established in 1999. Russia has officially celebrated the professional holiday of border guards since 1994, Tajikistan – since its independence in 1991.

“The border is the place where a country’s national security begins and is ensured. Today we congratulate all active border guards and veterans of the Border Guard on their professional holiday!” – said Aleksandr Markevich, a member of the Standing Commission on National Security of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus.

The May 28 ceremonies in the CSTO Member States include laying wreaths at the memorials: in Minsk, at the Victory Monument; in Bishkek, at the Border Guard Soldier Monument in the Alley of Glory; in Moscow, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; in Dushanbe, at the Eternal Flame in the Victory Park.

As you may recall, Armenia celebrates the Border Guard Day on April 26; Kazakhstan, on August 18.