Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko congratulated
Ukrainian men on Motherland Defender Day and promised the government
would ensure the country's national defense capacity, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
"This day,
everybody congratulates men on a holiday of courageous people, who are
ready to sacrifice their knowledge, experience, and even their lives
defending their motherland, as well as those who defended their state
and who will do this in the future," reads the premier's letter of
congratulation posted on the government's official Web site on Monday.
Tymoshenko said the amount of funds allocated to the military sector this year was higher than in previous years.
"The
government will continue to take measures needed to ensure the defense
capacity of Ukraine's national security and meet the country's social
commitments to its motherland defenders," she said.
Tymoshenko
said that in contrast to certain "artificial and far-fetched holidays,"
Motherland Defender Day is an "absolutely real one."
The premier wished Ukrainian men good health, prosperity, and achievements in their service for the sake of Ukraine.
"It
also seems to me that the February 23 holiday exists for everybody to
remember that [International Women's Day] falls on March 8, in exactly
two weeks," she said.
