Air Assault Forces Day in Ukraine Date in the current year: November 21, 2024

In the Soviet Union, Airborne Forces Day was celebrated on August 2. On this day in 1930, the first airborne forces parachute jump in the USSR took place in the Moscow Military District. The initial experimental jump lead to the establishment of airborne landing detachments. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, some of the former Soviet republics continued to celebrate Airborne Forces Day. Initially Ukraine was one of them.

In October 2017, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine decided to discontinue Airborne Forces Day and to replace it with a new professional holiday named Air Assault Forces Day. Such a decision was based on the fact that the old date, August 2, has nothing to do with modern Ukrainian Air Assault Forces. November 21 was chosen as the new date because it is the feast day of Archangel Michael in Eastern Orthodox Churches, who is considered the patron of the military.

Ukrainian Airborne Forces were formed in 1992, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Originally named Ukrainian Airmobile Troops, they were renamed Highly Mobile Landing Troops in 2012 and Air Assault Forces in 2017.