A new holiday will appear in Russia - Peacemaker Day. What kind of holiday is the International Day of UN Peacekeepers and when is it celebrated?

Abkhazian and Russian politicians, the military laid flowers at the monument to Russian peacekeepers.

Sukhum. 21st of June. Apsnypress. Dmitry Basaria. A funeral meeting took place at the monument to Russian peacekeepers in Sukhum. dedicated to the Day Russian peacekeeping forces. The event was attended by the President of the Republic of Armenia Raul Khajimba, Speaker of the Parliament Valery Kvarchia, Prime Minister Gennady Gagulia, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia Alexey Dvinyanin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of South Ossetia to the Republic of South Ossetia Oleg Botsiev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the PMR in the Republic of Armenia Harry Kupalba, representatives of the Government , management of the Ministry of Defense of Abkhazia and the 7th military base of Russia.

Opening the meeting, the acting deputy commander of the 7th military base, Colonel Igor Fedorov, noted: “June 21 is considered the day of the creation of collective forces for maintaining peace and commonwealth independent states. Peacekeepers in Abkhazia have walked a dangerous path, creating the conditions for maintaining sustainable peace, and thereby earning respect from the population. Due to the presence Russian peacekeepers, the armed conflict, as a result of which the parties lost more than 7 thousand people, was stopped. Completed big job to prevent the incitement of armed clashes, demining territories, providing assistance to the local population in settling their lives after the end of hostilities, and restoring life support facilities. The interruption of the armed confrontation came at a great cost to the peacekeepers themselves. 117 servicemen laid down their lives while performing their military duty.”

Advisor to the President of Abkhazia on science, culture and education Vladimir Zantaria also emphasized that the Day of Russian Military Peacekeepers is a date filled with deep symbolic meaning in modern history our country. “Citizens of Abkhazia appreciate the role of Russian peacekeepers in the fate of our state, in the process of strengthening its security and sovereignty. The fact that today we live in an environment of peace, stability and entry into the mainstream of creation and revival is largely due to the successful interaction of the leadership of the military structures of Russia and Abkhazia. We remember that Georgian politicians and military leaders did their best to prevent the normal peacekeeping activities of the KSKF in Abkhazia. Provocative demands were heard from Tbilisi for the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from the confrontation zone. All this was done to start a fire new war. We bow our heads to the memory of the brave peacekeepers who died while taking measures to prevent the provocative actions of Georgian sabotage and terrorist formations,” Zantaria said.

Alexey Dvinyanin noted that the monument to Russian peacekeepers stands opposite the monument to the Unknown Soldier of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 and this symbolizes the eternal connection between the feat of our fathers and grandfathers during the Second World War with the feat of our brothers and sons who showed courage and heroism on Abkhazian soil. “In difficult times of crisis for the self-determined Republic of Abkhazia, in June 1994, collective CIS peacekeeping forces manned by Russian military personnel were introduced into Abkhaz territory. The word peacemaker itself consists of two words “peace” and “create”, therefore peacemakers are the creators of peace, tranquility and security. There can be nothing more noble than this holy mission on earth. A low bow to those soldiers and officers who gave their lives for the peace and prosperous life of beautiful Apsny. Eternal memory to them!” - said Dvinyanin.

Participants in the mourning meeting laid flowers at the monuments to Russian peacekeepers and the Unknown Soldier.

The organizers of the event are the 7th Russian military base and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Abkhazia.

Protecting peace is a truly meaningful and distinguished profession. Its importance is determined based on the main requirement of civilization - security and development. There is no security - and development, in its essence, is impossible. In turn, if there is no development, security problems may well arise. To perform the function of ensuring security outside the country, a peacekeeping contingent is responsible, which receives an appropriate international mandate, including a mandate at the level of regional agreements.

Since 2016 in Armed Forces Oh Russian Federation November 25 is celebrated new holiday – Day of the Russian Military Peacekeeper(not to be confused with International Peacemaker Day). It was established by a corresponding decree of the President of the Russian Federation in August last year.

The historical reference of the holiday goes to November 25, 1973 - the day when the first group Soviet officers consisting of 36 people arrived in Egypt to participate in resolving the flaring Arab-Israeli crisis. Soviet peacekeepers were officially included in the United Nations mission. Military personnel of the USSR Armed Forces were involved in a group of observers to observe the truce regime in the Suez Canal area, as well as in the Golan Heights.

Witnesses of the dispatch of the first Soviet peacekeeping contingent as part of a UN mission abroad indicate that the choice Soviet Union approached with special responsibility. The selection of officers was carried out from five thousand applicants. They were chosen according to a number of criteria, including not only “difference in military and political,” but also knowledge of a foreign language. First of all, preference was given to military personnel fluent in Arabic.

After 1973, the scope of the involvement of domestic peacekeepers expanded. These are missions in Lebanon, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Angola, Democratic Republic Congo, etc. After the collapse of the USSR, Russian peacekeepers took part in the work of international missions in the republics of the former Yugoslavia, Georgia, and Tajikistan.

For a quarter of a century, Russian military personnel have been ensuring peace on the banks of the Dniester. Despite all the attempts of individual Moldovan politicians to push the Russian contingent out of Transnistria, the servicemen of the MS of the Russian Armed Forces take their positions with the sole purpose of preventing war from breaking out again on the Dniester. Unfortunately, Russian peacekeepers, like the entire people of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, today find themselves virtually under blockade. In order to carry out the rotation, to deliver everything necessary to the peacekeeping base, every time we have to go to real political battles - so that the battles do not ultimately turn into military ones. It is obvious that there are many hotheads in Chisinau who still believe that the crisis can be overcome with a “small victorious war” against Transnistria.

Russian peacekeepers also kept peace in Transcaucasia. Mixed peacekeeping forces contributed to ending the Georgian-Ossetian conflict on the territory of South Ossetia in 1992. At that time, Russian peacekeepers had to make a lot of efforts to preserve the mechanism of mixed forces for maintaining peace in the zone of military confrontation. The reason for the obvious difficulties of the Russian mission in Georgia was that the Georgian contingent carried out open activities to discredit the peacekeepers of the MS of the Russian armed forces. Official Tbilisi did everything to present Russian military personnel as persons “violating with their presence in South Ossetia international law" Everyone remembers very well what this resulted in in the end.

By personal order supreme commander in chief On August 8, 2008, the Georgian Armed Forces of President Mikheil Saakashvili attacked not only the sleeping Tskhinvali, but also the location of the Russian peacekeeping contingent. On the eve of that aggression, Georgian observers left the headquarters, and the battalion, together with regular troops that invaded the city, opened fire on Tskhinvali and on the positions of the Russian MS. International commissions and eyewitnesses subsequently confirmed that the very first shells exploded precisely near the location of the Russian peacekeepers. Russian and Ossetian MS had to take defensive positions and fight to protect civilians. And only thanks to the military operation to force the aggressor to peace was the actual extermination of the Ossetian people in the Republic of South Ossetia stopped.

This is one example of how individual politicians, trying to play bloody games in the interests of their proteges, try to dispose of some peacekeeping contingents as executioners and others as hostages.

These days, options for a resolution on a peacekeeping mission in Donbass are being discussed.

The essence of the Ukrainian version of the document is that peacekeepers should be stationed throughout the entire territory of Donbass, including the section of the Russian-Ukrainian border not controlled by Ukraine. In turn, Moscow insists that the functions of the contingent be limited only to protecting OSCE observers on the border of Ukraine with the unrecognized republics - in the Minsk-2 format.

If we take into account the very essence of peacekeeping missions, then the Ukrainian proposal is inherently flawed. The place of peacekeepers is not in the rear of one of the parties to the conflict, but on the line of confrontation. They are not border guards to stand on the border between Donbass and Russia, nor occupation troops to occupy the entire territory of the republic. Many political observers agree on this point, but their opinions differ on another issue.

Is the presence of peacekeepers really necessary in the conflict zone between Ukraine and the republics of the DPR and LPR? Of course, it is impossible to judge unequivocally today. It is also clear that Russia wants to stop the war, to stop the casualties and destruction. But it is impossible not to calculate the actions on the part of the West, which may try to push peacekeeping forces precisely to the border between Russia and the unrecognized republics. And this at the same time means a change in Russia’s status in the internal Ukrainian conflict. The parties to the conflict are no longer the DPR and LPR, on the one hand, and Kyiv, on the other, but Russia and Ukraine. That is, what Mr. Poroshenko is trying to achieve, what is being said across the Atlantic, becomes, as it were, a “fact”: “Russia is an aggressor.”

In modern complex world Situations often arise when there are threats of the outbreak of various armed conflicts. To limit them, extinguish them and perform various tasks, specially trained forces are needed. This is exactly what peacemakers are.

Their main task is to stand guard for the benefit of peace and stability of the entire planet Earth. International holiday in their honor is necessary to draw attention to the value of the activities carried out not only by military personnel and police, but also by civilian employees of the organization.

Story

Reconciling warring parties and establishing dialogue, alleviating the suffering of the population, and restoring infrastructure are the main goals of peacekeeping missions. At all times, such actions have always been in demand in many parts of the world. They are carried out faithfully and selflessly by people in blue helmets.

This is interesting:

1. 1948 The UN Security Council approved the first such mission. She was few in number. And now its ranks number more than 125 thousand people.
2. 1988 For its efforts in maintaining peace and exemplary performance of its duties, the UN Armed Forces were awarded the Nobel Prize.
3. 1992 To coordinate all planned actions and operations, it was decided to create the DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations).
4. 2002 General Assembly The UN approved a resolution in which a day was officially chosen on the calendar to honor the peacekeepers.
5. 2006 A Peacebuilding Commission was established to assist countries during the transition from war to reconstruction.

Peacekeepers carry out not only operations aimed at ensuring compliance with ceasefire agreements and disengagement of warring parties, disarmament and mine clearance programs. They deliver humanitarian aid, ensure law and order during elections, protect the rights of citizens.

Russia, under the auspices of the UN, has always taken an active part in the peaceful resolution of conflict situations in many countries. Russian peacekeepers (military and observers) were sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Liberia. Our contingent in Sudan, Chad and other places fulfilled their assigned tasks with dignity.

Traditions

On the eve of the holiday, a message is traditionally published Secretary General UN. Conferences are held at global and state venues, where reports are heard on the tasks completed over the past year, on the achievements and losses incurred.

Wreaths are laid and speeches are made in memory of those who died in the line of duty. They are posthumously awarded a special medal, which was established in honor of the deceased UN leader. Each year, attention is focused on a specific topic.

In accordance with this, public organizations and activists organize various events. These include special television programs about operations carried out in the past, and documentaries about new heroes. The media publishes interesting materials about women peacekeepers.

Cultural centers hold educational lectures for children, youth and older people. They are a motivation for participating in actions to collect and send food, medical and essential goods to areas with civil unrest and pogroms, ethnic and military conflicts.

The history of the Russian peacekeeping forces (MPF) is usually counted from November 25, 1973. On this day, the first Soviet military observers arrived in Egypt as part of the UN peacekeeping mission. The task of the mission was to maintain the truce regime in the Suez Canal area after the fifth Arab-Israeli war in the protracted Middle East conflict.

Since 1974, military observers in the USSR were trained at the Higher Officer Courses "Vystrel" in Solnechnogorsk near Moscow.

Participation of Russian MS in international peacekeeping missions

In 1991, Russia, as a successor state to the collapsed USSR and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, continued to participate in peacekeeping operations (PKOs). At that time, Russian military observers worked in Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Western Sahara, Mozambique, Cambodia, as well as on the border of Kuwait and Iraq.

With the collapse of the USSR, armed conflicts broke out in several former Soviet republics. The Russian military contingent carried out peacekeeping activities in Transnistria (since 1992), in the area of ​​the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict (1992-2008), the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict (1994-2008), in Tajikistan (1993-2001).

Russian MS participated in many UN operations during the Yugoslav crisis. During 1992-1995 The 554th separate infantry battalion (Rusbat) operated as part of the UN forces. In their area of ​​​​responsibility in the East sector, the peacekeepers deployed checkpoints to separate Serbs and Croats, served as part of patrols and at observation posts. In 1995-1997, the 629th separate infantry battalion participated in UN operations in Sarajevo. In 1995-2003 in Bosnia and Herzegovina together with by international forces acted airborne brigade RF MS, and in the period 1999-2003. Russian "blue helmets" as part of UN units ensured security in Kosovo.

Peacekeepers of the Russian Ministry of Defense participate in UN missions in numerous “hot spots” in Africa. In addition to military observers, the Russian Ministry of Defense provides sappers, field hospitals, special equipment, as well as aviation support: combat and transport-combat helicopters. IN different years they participated in peacekeeping operations in Angola (1995-1996), Burundi (2004-2006), Sierra Leone (2000-2005), Sudan (2006-2012), Chad and the Central African Republic (2008-2010) and other combat areas.

Where are military peacekeepers trained?

In 2005, under the auspices of the UN, the 15th separate guards motorized rifle brigade was formed, which is stationed in the village. Roshchinsky near Samara. Here, military personnel are trained to participate in peacekeeping operations. The brigade consists of 3 motorized rifle battalion, reconnaissance battalion, support companies. The unit is equipped with light weapons (caliber up to 82 mm), modern armored personnel carriers, wheeled vehicles, reconnaissance and communications systems, and UAVs.
The brigade (military unit 90600) is staffed only by contract soldiers. To conclude a contract, you must undergo a medical examination, know foreign language, have driving experience and category B license, own firearms, serve in the Ministry of Internal Affairs for at least 5 years, undergo training at a peacekeeping center in Moscow, and pass the appropriate exams.

Our world is full of dangers and threats, the main source of which is most often the people themselves who inhabit it. Wars, political conflicts, terrorist attacks - all this affects nervous system ordinary citizens and destabilizes the situation on Earth even in terms of emotional calm. But, fortunately, there are representatives of Homo Sapiens who are directly involved in the restoration and preservation of peace and security on the planet, as well as within a particular region. Their name is UN peacekeepers. Professional holiday These specialists fall annually on May 29th.

History of the holiday International Day of UN Peacekeepers

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers has been in effect for 12 years. It came into force in 2002, when the General Assembly declared May 29 as the official date of the above holiday. The world began to celebrate the latter only in 2003 as a day of remembrance for peacekeepers who devoted their entire lives to the struggle for peace and justice. The International Day of UN Peacekeepers also applies to those who continue to fulfill their mission for the benefit of society. The International Day of UN Peacekeepers is intended to draw everyone's attention to courageous specialists, their dedication to their work, responsibility and conscientious performance professional duty often to the detriment own health and time. This holiday is a great opportunity to pay tribute to UN peacekeepers: past, future and present.

The decision to choose a specific date for the International Day of UN Peacekeepers was influenced by another important fact: on May 29, 1948, the United Nations Security Council established the first program to implement peacekeeping goals. Since then, the UN's activities in this vein - to support security - throughout the planet have undergone a lot of changes, many of which are exclusively positive.

Every year, the International Day of UN Peacekeepers is celebrated under a different theme. Last year, in 2013, it read as follows: “UN peacekeeping forces: adapting to new challenges.” On this moment There are actually 16 operations on the planet aimed at maintaining the safety of citizens and restoring peace. More than 100 thousand police and military personnel take part in the process of peacekeeping actions. It should be noted that the most important and largest operations to date are taking place today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan. More than 20 thousand people are involved in them. Those peacekeepers who literally laid down their lives in the field of their activities are awarded posthumously. For this purpose, the UN established a special Dag Hammarskjöld medal. So it was named in honor of the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, who died in 1961, during the implementation of peacekeeping operations in Congo.

Features of the profession

The holiday of May 29, International Day of UN Peacekeepers, is a great opportunity to talk about the heroes of the occasion.

Persons involved in establishing order on the planet in the sense of preserving and maintaining public safety, called "blue helmets". The activities of UN peacekeepers are multifaceted and today much more complex than before. In addition to maintaining peace and security throughout the world, the tasks of the Blue Helmets include:

• providing assistance in demobilization and disarmament processes;
• implementation of human rights protection and promotion of this idea;
• organization of elections;
• protection of citizens;

• promotion of political processes;
• implementing reforms in the judicial system and political subdivisions;
• promoting ideas for demining territories;
• providing assistance to refugees in returning them to their homeland.

As you can see, peacekeepers have plenty of functions, and they solve these issues efficiently. At least they are making every effort to do so. Of course, the activities of the “blue helmets” are very, very dangerous. Their lives are constantly under threat. And the point is not only that the work of peacekeepers has a direct connection with being in “hot spots”, it’s just that the employees of this UN unit carry out the duties assigned to them, being completely unarmed. It costs them nothing to be captured, die by being blown up by a mine or dying from a bullet. That's the point labor activity“blue helmets” - to be for the local population, ordinary citizens who have become hostages of the situation, something like “guardian angels”, capable of giving people at least the slightest sense of security. And, I must say, for their dedicated work these professionals receive considerable gratitude: sincere gratitude from mere mortals, expressed in happy smiles, warm words coming from the heart, tears and even kisses.

The profession of peacemaker places quite high demands on the candidate to master it. Firstly, it is stress resistance, absolute mental health. Secondly, diplomacy, communication skills, psychological preparation, since the activity of a peacemaker involves working and communicating with people who find themselves in difficult situation, practically trapped, as well as with bandits and terrorists. Third, high level adaptation to harsh and changing conditions, unpretentiousness. Well, of course, only a brave, bold, courageous person who is not afraid of difficulties and does not give in to danger of any rank can become a peacemaker. Great importance has the physical training of “blue helmets”, because living and working conditions are expected to be difficult, leaving much to be desired. With their work, peacekeepers have earned their holiday, the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

Peacekeepers in Russia

Our country takes a fairly active part in operations aimed at preserving and maintaining global security. This can be traced throughout the history of domestic peacekeeping forces. So in March 1992, the Russian “blue helmets” went to former Yugoslavia, where entered by decision Supreme Council Russia into the UN forces. The withdrawal of peacekeepers from Bosnia occurred only 11 years later - on June 14, 2003. During the entire operation, more than 20 servicemen lost their lives.

On June 13, 1999, 3.6 thousand domestic peacekeepers were sent to Kosovo. The operation ended in the same 2003 at the cost of the death of employees. There were trips to Liberia (2003), and to Sierra Leone (2000), and to other points. And everywhere the operations were successful thanks to the professionalism of the “blue helmets” and their leadership.

The Russian Federation is a member of the UN Security Council, therefore, like other members of this organization, it is responsible for maintaining peace on the planet and restoring and maintaining order. But the “blue helmets” play a special role in the CIS. Russian military personnel performing the function of peacekeepers are part of the peacekeeping contingent of the Treaty Organization collective security. This announcement was created in 2007 with the aim of maintaining security within the states that are members of the CSTO.

Let's wish domestic peacekeepers strength for long-term work. They need more patience, enthusiasm and good health! Happy International Day of UN Peacekeepers!