Missile Troops and Artillery Day in Ukraine Date in the current year: December 4, 2024

In the Soviet Union, Missile Troops and Artillery Day was established in 1964 and celebrated on November 19, the anniversary of the Red Army counteroffensive during the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, in which artillery played an important role. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia and some other CIS countries continued to celebrate the holiday on the same date, but in Ukraine it was no longer officially celebrated.

Missile Troops and Artillery Day was reintroduced the official Ukrainian calendar as a national professional holiday in 1997 with a new date, November 3. On this day the servicemen and veterans of missile and artillety troops received congratulations from top state officials and top officials of the Ministry of Defense.

In 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky changed the date of the holiday to December 4 by his decree in order to "create new military traditions". According to the decree, the main purpose of Missile Troops and Artillery Day is to commemorate the courage and heroism demonstrated by Ukrainian servicemen and women in the fight for freedom, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.