It is celebrated in our country. This holiday was established in 2000 by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the 300th anniversary of the Russian Guard (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 2032 of 2000 “On the establishment of Russian Guard Day”).

The Russian Imperial Guard was established at the beginning of the reign of Peter the Great from the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments. In 1918 it was dissolved, and again created during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945).

By order of I. Stalin, the four rifle divisions that distinguished themselves near Smolensk in 1941 received the name Guards. In September of the same year, the concept of “guards unit” was introduced in the Red Army.

The title “Guards” was awarded to military units, ships, formations and associations of the Soviet Armed Forces that distinguished themselves in battles during the Great Patriotic War. The military formation received the Guards banner, and the personnel received the Guards rank and breastplate.

Guard modern Russia, included in the Armed Forces of Russia, are: the Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division, the Guards Motorized Rifle Taman Division, the Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Sevastopol Brigade, the 28th Red Banner Guards Missile Division, which is part of the 27th Missile Army, line formations of the Airborne Forces, Guards units and ships of the Navy, Guards parts Ground Forces and the Air Force.

In 2016, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, it was created federal Service troops national guard Russian Federation(FSVNG or Rosgvardia), the structure of which also included the troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, created at the same time on the basis of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The Russian Guard, along with the FSB, SVR, FSO, State Fiscal Service, FSTEC and the Special Objects Service under the President of Russia, belongs to the “forces and means of ensuring security,” that is, to the special services.

Happy Russian Guard Day
Congratulations to the guardsmen,
The elite of our army,
You are her honor and glory.

You dedicated yourself
Serving the Fatherland,
Ready for the Motherland
You give your lives.

We wish the guardsmen
We are the glory of battle,
Let the country sleep peacefully
Behind your back.

Rulers have always surrounded themselves with guards, and states have always had special elite troops. "Guard" is translated from Italian and Scandinavian as "protection". These are the most privileged trained and technically equipped troops. It is the basis of the army, but nowadays it is also an honorary title that must be earned. A holiday is dedicated to this part of the troops in Russia.

When is it celebrated?

On December 22, 2000, Russian President V. Putin ratified Decree No. 2032 “On the establishment of the Day of the Russian Guard,” deciding to celebrate it on September 2. The document was published in honor of the 300th anniversary of this privileged part of the troops. In 2020 it will be celebrated for the 20th time.

Who's celebrating

Russian Guard Day is celebrated by military personnel of divisions, brigades, units, ships and formations who have been awarded this honorary title.

history of the holiday

The first guard was created during the reign of Peter I. These were soldiers from 2 regiments: Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. The Emperor used them for his own protection and for conducting investigations in the field of legal proceedings and military contracts.

In 1918, army reform was carried out and the guards were disbanded. They were created again in 1941. September 1941 was marked by the introduction of the concept of “Guards Unit”. It was during the war years that heroes who particularly distinguished themselves in battle were awarded breastplates and guards ranks, and their formations were awarded the guards banner. At the end of the Second World War, more than 400 formations had them.

The collapse of the USSR led to the cessation of this glorious tradition, but in 2000, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 2032, it was restored. Later, on May 31, 2006, the current document was confirmed by new Decree No. 549 “On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” This day was marked as intended to develop traditions, increase the prestige of the army and as a sign of gratitude for solving defense problems and ensuring the security of the state.

The harbinger of the guard during the reign of Peter I were the amusing troops. The first guardsman is considered to be S. L. Bukhvostov, who in 1683 enlisted in these military units.

The soldier’s appearance served as a “pass ticket” to the Guards troops. The Izmailovsky Regiment took brunettes, the Preobrazhensky Regiment - fair-haired and tall, the Semenovsky Regiment - blondes, His Majesty's Cuirassier - red-haired on red horses, and Her Majesty's Cuirassier - blondes on Karak horses, the Pavlovsky - red-haired and snub-nosed, etc.

The translation of the Italian word "guard" literally means "defense". The first wars are historically considered to be the period when the guard appeared. During the time of ancient Sparta, athletes who won competitions were enrolled in the guard. The Greeks called the guards “sacred warriors”, the Romans called them “praetorians”. In Prussia, warriors gathered in a special corps called the “corps of immortals.”

Story

The Day of the Russian Guardsman or Guard was officially established on December 22, 2000. The corresponding document was signed then by Vladimir Putin. The establishment of the holiday had a worthy reason - the three hundredth anniversary of the Russian Guard. The first guards appeared during the reign of Peter the Great, and the guard had the status of “imperial”. Initially it included the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments. Warrior guards often became the personal guard of the reigning persons. A warrior’s appearance was a kind of “ticket” for enlisting in the guard. Thus, only fair-haired men were enrolled in the Preobrazhentsy, blonde men became Semyonovtsy, and only red-haired men became cuirassiers. But every guardsman always had to have impressive height, unconditional courage, and excellent health.

In 1918, the guard was officially disbanded. Only the period of the war of 1941-1945 became the impetus for its new formation. Any military unit, armed formation, or ship that particularly distinguished itself in combat operations of that time received the title “Guards.”

Today the Russian Guard is:

1. Kantemirovskaya division (tank).
2. Taman division (motorized rifle).
3. Sevastopol brigade (separate motorized rifle), other units of the Armed Forces.

Traditions

Bearing the title of “guardsman” has always been honorable, since the distinctive qualities of a soldier of a guards regiment are absolute honor, courage, a heightened sense of patriotism, and constant readiness to fulfill his combat duty. Currently, the traditions of celebrating Guard Day are gradually being restored. On September 2, every year in regiments, divisions, formations, and units that have the status of “guards,” festive formations are held, festive dinners are prepared, and especially distinguished soldiers receive well-deserved awards. All these events are aimed at emphasizing the special status of the “guardsman,” raising morale and strengthening the patriotism of Russian soldiers.

On Sunday, September 2, 2018, St. Petersburg will celebrate the Day of the Russian Guard. For the first time in Russia since 1917, a solemn military parade will take place on this day in honor of the 318th anniversary of the Day of the Russian Guard.

Let us remember that the Russian Imperial Guard was created by Peter I in 1700.

Celebrations will be held in St. Petersburg on this occasion. More than 30 ceremonial boxes of military personnel will show their skill in marching in formation and singing with their guards banners.

Russian Guard Day 2018 in St. Petersburg: full program of events

12.00 - midday shot from the Naryshkin bastion from a signal gun. The shot is fired by guests of honor, veterans, guardsmen, and active military personnel. The beginning of the solemn celebration on Palace Square

12.15 begins the performance of the Western Military District orchestra. Bringing the flags of Russia, St. Petersburg, historical Guards Banners (Semyonovsky, Preobrazhensky Regiment) to the march of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Anthem of the Russian Federation.

12.30 Report from the commander of the parade squad to the Governor of St. Petersburg on readiness to celebrate the Day of the Russian Guard.

12.45 Congratulations of the event participants by guests of honor and officials.

13.00 Presentation of Guards badges to excellent combat training students.

13.15 Passage of the parade squad for the ceremonial marches according to a stranger diagram. Review of the performance of drill songs in the units. Awarding the best performers. Concert program of the orchestra and song and dance ensemble of the Western Military District.

Demonstration performances of the garrison honor guard company. Removal of flags and banners.

Throughout the day: the work of interactive platforms - a review of modern equipment and weapons of the Western Military District, historical reconstruction groups introduce St. Petersburg residents to the history of the guard of all periods of its development.

14.30. end of the event.

Russian Guard Day 2018 in St. Petersburg: Due to the performance of the Leningrad group, the city center will be blocked

As reported in St. Petersburg State Unitary Enterprise “ Gorelektrotrans", trolleybuses will change routes on Sunday, September 2, 2018. On Nevsky Prospect, on September 2, from 10:45 to 12:00, trolleybus traffic along Nevsky Prospect from Vosstaniya Square to Palace Square is closed.

No. 1: from the terminal "Khasanskaya St." along the existing highway to Suvorovsky Ave., then along Suvorovsky Ave., Lafonskaya St., st. Bonch-Bruevich (return: along Tulskaya St., Suvorovsky Ave.) to the Tulskaya St. checkpoint;

No. 3: with suspension of movement;

No. 5: from the checkpoint “Ul. Marshal Tukhachevsky "on the street. Marshal Tukhachevsky, April St., Metallistov Ave., Yakornaya St., Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge, Tula St., Suvorovsky Ave., Nevsky Ave., Bakunin Ave., Mytninskaya St. (back: along Mytninskaya St., Poltavskaya St., Nevsky Prospect), 8th Sovetskaya St. to the checkpoint "Novgorodskaya street";

No. 7: from the terminal "Tallinskaya St." along the existing highway to Nevsky Prospect, then along Nevsky Prospect, Bakunin Ave., Mytninskaya St. (back: along Mytninskaya St., Poltavskaya St., Nevsky Prospect), 8th Sovetskaya St. to the checkpoint "Novgorodskaya street";

No. 8: with suspension of movement;

No. 10: from the terminal “Ul. Shipbuilders" along the existing route to the 1st line of V.O., then along the 1st line of V.O., Tuchkov Bridge, Dobrolyubova Ave., lane. Talalikhina, trans. Nesterova, Syezzhinskaya st. (return: along Bolshoi Ave. P.S.) to the checkpoint “Syezzhinskaya St.”;

No. 11: from the checkpoint “Ul. Shipbuilders" along the existing route to the 1st line of V.O., then along the 1st line of V.O., Tuchkov Bridge, Dobrolyubova Ave., lane. Talalikhina, per. Nesterova, Syezzhinskaya st. (return: along Bolshoi Ave. P.S.) to the checkpoint “Syezzhinskaya St.”;

No. 15: with suspension of movement;

No. 17: from the checkpoint “Ul. Kosciuszko" along the existing highway to Kazanskaya Street, then along Kazanskaya Street. to the final station "Kazansky Cathedral". In the opposite direction, movement is carried out along the existing highway.

No. 22: from the checkpoint "Khasanskaya St." along the existing highway to Suvorovsky Ave., then along Suvorovsky Ave., Lafonskaya St., st. Bonch-Bruevich (return: along Tulskaya St., Suvorovsky Ave.) to the Tulskaya St. checkpoint.

Trams follow:

No. 3: from the checkpoint “Pl. Repin" on Sadovaya street. to the checkpoint "Sennaya sq." (taking into account the closure of Sampsonievsky Bridge).

Banners and standards of the Russian Guard (18-19 centuries) In the 18th century, the guard in its entirety took part in the Northern (1700-1721) and Russian-Swedish (1741-1743) wars. Separate combined guard detachments took part in the Russian-Turkish (1735-1739 and 1787-1791), Russian-Swedish (1788-1790) wars. The Guard had great political influence and actively participated in palace coups of the 18th century. Guards regiments trained officer cadres for the entire army and were staffed almost exclusively by nobles, for whom military service was mandatory. From the mid-1730s, the rank and file of the guard began to be replenished with recruits from the tax-paying classes, and after the release of the manifesto on freedom for the nobility (1762), this method became the main one. (Military encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing House. Moscow. in 8 volumes, 2004. ISBN 5 203 01875 - 8) Banners and standards of the Russian Guard (18-19th century) Soldiers were selected for the guard in the first turn for skillful use of weapons, for a “quick mind”, courage and bravery in battle. Good physical data was also taken into account. As an elite part of the Russian army, the guard enjoyed great privileges. According to the Table of Ranks (1722), guard officers had seniority over army officers of 2 ranks. In 1813, in addition to the Old Guard, the Young Guard was established. This name was originally assigned to two grenadier and one cuirassier regiments for military distinction in Patriotic War 1812. The officers of these regiments were given one rank advantage over the army. This order existed until the end of the 19th century, when Alexander III reduced the privileges of the Guard: the seniority of officers of the Young Guard was abolished, and the Old Guard was reduced to 1st rank. The privilege of the guard, its difference from ordinary army units, was emphasized by the special status of service, a special uniform, and special insignia. Each guards regiment, each individual guards unit had its own uniform and its own sign, as well as stripes, pennants, standards and banners. The symbol of the Russian guard with early XIX century, the St. Andrew's Star served, on which the symbol “For Faith and Fidelity” was inscribed. In the 19th century, the guard participated in full force in all the wars that Russia waged with Napoleon. At the beginning of the 20th century, individual units of the guard took part in the Chinese campaign of 1900 and the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905. First world war(1914 1918) Guard troops successfully operated in the Battle of Galicia, the Warsaw-Ivangorod and Lodz operations, and participated in other operations. The soldiers of the guards units bore the hardships of war along with the entire army. In the history of the Russian Guard, there were examples of armed actions by its units against the ruling regime. The first of these occurred in 1825, when some units of the guard took part in the Decembrist uprising on Senate Square St. Petersburg. However, most of the guards did not support the uprising. During the February Revolution of 1917, soldiers of almost all reserve infantry units of the Petrograd garrison went over to the side of the rebels, which greatly contributed to its victory. In the October armed uprising of 1917 in Petrograd, soldiers of the Izmailovsky, Grenadier, Volynsky and other guards regiments took an active part. Over the more than two-century history of the Russian Guard, its organizational structure has changed several times while maintaining a steady trend towards growth in numbers, composition and combat capabilities. If in 1700 the guard had only 2 regiments (with a total number of 3 thousand people), then in 1812 there were 12 regiments, an artillery brigade and several other units (18 thousand people). In 1914, the guard already included 7 large formations (about 50 units, over 90 thousand people). The Guard ceased to exist along with the Russian army after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918. The birthday of the Soviet Guard is considered to be September 18, 1941, when, in accordance with the decision of the Supreme High Command Headquarters for mass heroism and courage of personnel, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, the 100th, 127th, 153rd and 161st rifle divisions were renamed respectively 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Guards Rifle Divisions. Subsequently, units, ships, formations and associations that distinguished themselves in battles and battles of the Great Patriotic War received the name Guards.