MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. Russian Special Operations Forces are making a significant contribution to the progress of the special military operation, acting boldly and decisively in all areas, President Vladimir Putin said congratulating personnel and veterans of the Special Operations Forces on their professional holiday.
"Today, your combat experience, training and technical capabilities play a key role in the special military operation. On the line of combat and behind enemy lines, in frontline and border areas, you act with courage and determination, proving time and again that no mission is impossible for you," the President said in his video address on the occasion of the Special Operations Forces’ Day.
Putin noted that from the very first days the ranks of the Special Operations Forces had had well-trained, experienced and seasoned fighters. It was these soldiers and officers who in 2014 "swiftly came to the aid of the people of Crimea and Sevastopol," the President recalled.
"You and your comrades continue the noble traditions of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, carrying forward the legendary legacy of our special forces," he added.
The Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the Russian Armed Forces are a highly mobile formation of the Russian Defense Ministry, which is in constant readiness for immediate use on any territory. The formation of the SOF as an independent grouping of the Russian Armed Forces began to take shape in late 2008 during a large-scale military reform launched by Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. The creation of the SOF was first publicly announced in November 2010 by Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces Major General Alexander Lentsov.
Special Operations Forces Day was established by the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 26, 2015 and was included in the list of professional holidays and memorable days of the Russian Armed Forces.