Ukrainization of 'historical-political calendar' to continue - Poroshenko

Celebration of Ukrainian Paratrooper Day on November 21 instead of August 2, the traditional, Soviet date, and the renaming of this armed service are all part of the Ukrainization of the historical-political calendar, President Petro Poroshenko said.

"I have decided to change the name of the Highly Mobile Airborne Troops, to depart from the Soviet-Russian abbreviation VDV, because the Russian VDV has been involved in the occupation of Ukraine's Donbas since the summer of 2014. And the Crimean 'little green men,' it is them as well. I hereby decree that a new title be introduced, the Air Assault Troops of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It best suits the role and objectives of this armed service in today's combat environment," Poroshenko said during celebrations of Ukrainian Paratrooper Day in Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv on Tuesday.

The celebration of Paratrooper Day on November 21 is logical, since the patron saint of the force is the Archangel Michael, he said.

"And the usual August 2 is the date of the first parachute jump in the Moscow Military District. What do we have to do with this? Moscow is not Kyiv, Ukraine is not Russia [...] By beginning to celebrate Paratrooper Day on this day, [we are] beginning the Ukrainization of the historical-political calendar instead of the Soviet-Russian one forced upon us," Poroshenko said.

In 2014, Ukraine "ended this schizophrenic tradition of celebrating its main military holiday [February 23] in unison with the aggressor state's; I introduced the Day of the Defender of Ukraine on October 14," Poroshenko said.