MOSCOW, August 2. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated paratroopers and veterans of Russia's Airborne Forces on their professional holiday.

Putin said in a telegram published on the Kremlin website that many generations of the soldiers and officers of the Airborne Forces "have added impressive, unforgettable chapters to the heroic chronicles of our country’s armed forces, performing their duty with dignity and remaining loyal to the oath and their military brotherhood."

"Today, paratroopers who take part in the special military operation continue these military and patriotic traditions with dignity. They are performing the assigned tasks with honor, demonstrating courage, bravery, moral courage and strong character, defending Russia shoulder to shoulder with their comrades-in-arms," the president said.

"I am confident that you will never fail and will continue to firmly defend our national interests," Putin pointed out.

Russia’s Airborne Force Day is celebrated on August 2. The country’s Airborne Force came into being on August 2, 1930 when a 12-men paratrooper unit was air-dropped during drills of the Moscow Military District near Voronezh for accomplishing a tactical task. In 2006, the Russian president signed a decree on the establishment of a professional holiday.