Sergeant Day in Ukraine Date in the current year: November 18, 2024

Sergeant is a rank in many military and policing forces across the world. In medieval Europe, sergeants were simply attendants or officers with a protective duty. The term derives from a Middle Latin word meaning “vassal, servant, soldier”. As a military rank, it was first used in the French army and was later adopted in Germany and England. The sergeant class was deemed to be worth “half of a knight” in military value.

In the modern context, the term “sergeant” refers to a non-commissioned officer (NCO) placed above the rank of a corporal/police officer and immediately below a lieutenant. A sergeant’s responsibilities differ from army to army, but generally sergeants are team leaders for lower-ranking servicemen.

In some countries, there are variations on the term signifying different ranks of non-commissioned officers, such as first sergeant, senior sergeant, staff sergeant, sergeant major, etc. In such cases, the term “sergeant” proper signifies the lowest rank of sergeant.

In Ukraine, the rank is used by both the Armed Forces and the National Police. Police sergeant is a special rank between corporal and senior sergeant. The minimum period of service required to obtain the rank of sergeant is three years.

In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, sergeant is a rank between junior sergeant and senior sergeant. The term “sergeants” in plural can also be used to refer to non-commissioned officers in general (junior sergeant, sergeant, senior sergeant, starshina, praporshchik and starshy praporshchik). In the Ukrainian Naval Forces, the corresponding ranks are starshina 2nd class, starshina 1st class, glavny starshina, glavny starshina of the ship, michman and starshy michman. Sergeants are trained at military colleges for non-commissioned officers and NCO training centers.

A sergeant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a leader for soldiers and sailors, a role model for subordinates, an assistant for officers, so it is difficult to overestimate the role of non-commissioned officers in the armed forces. Ukraine’s Sergeant Day was established to emphasize this important role and to thank all sergeants for their contributions, especially those who participate or have participated in the armed conflict in Donbass.

According to the decree signed by President Petro Poroshenko, the main tasks of Sergeant Day are to celebrate the dedication, responsibility and professionalism of the non-commissioned officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, their courage and heroism in the fight for freedom, independence and territorial integrity of the country, as well as to increase the military traditions of junior and middle-ranking non-commissioned officers.

On the occasion of Sergeant Day, celebratory events are held in Ukrainian military units, honoring all non-commissioned officers (as of 2018, there are about 40,000 of them in the Ukrainian Armed Forces).