ST. PETERSBURG, July 27. /TASS/. It’s right that Russia’s Navy Day is celebrated in a combat and working environment, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday.

"It [Navy Day] is a beautiful holiday but it seems to me and you’ll agree with me that in present-day conditions it is right that we are celebrating this holiday in a combat and working environment when all are in their places and the Navy demonstrates its combat capabilities and qualities," the head of state said, congratulating the Navy personnel in the Admiralty in St. Petersburg after overseeing the large-scale drills codenamed July Storm.

Putin once again congratulated sailors on Navy Day. "The holiday is, naturally, beautiful, very needed and important for the country. Not only for the Navy but also for the country as a whole, bearing in mind the role and significance held and played by the Russian Armed Forces and the naval component, in particular," Putin stressed.

Russia’s Navy Day was celebrated for the first time on the last Sunday of July in 1939. The Main Naval Parade has been held in St. Petersburg since 2017 pursuant to President Vladimir Putin’s decree. This year, the Main Naval Parade has been cancelled for security reasons.