Sofia, May 6 (BTA/GNA) – A military parade took place in central Sofia on Saturday, marking the Feast Day of St George, which is designated as a Day of Valour and of the Bulgarian Armed Forces.
In 2023, this country’s Armed Forces also celebrate their 145th birthday.
The 2023 St George’s Day parade was the first to be held after a three-year interruption due to the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Attendees included President Rumen Radev, National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, MPs, cabinet members, top brass and foreign diplomats.
The observance started at 10 a.m. with a traditional blessing of the military colours by Bishop Gerasim of Melnik, Secretary General of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. After the religious rite, President Rumen Radev reviewed the troops of the three armed services.
The national anthem was played and a 20-gun salute was fired. The parade proper began by an overflight of a Mi-17 helicopter carrying the national flag. The flypast continued with 19 Air Force and Navy aircraft: Mi-17, Mi-24, Cougar and Panther helicopters and L-410, Spartan, L-39Z, Pilatus, Su-25 and MiG-29 planes.
Next, over 800 service members in seven blocks marched past the dignitaries assembled in Sofia’s Knyaz Alexander I Square. They represented the National Guards Unit, the Vassil Levski National Military University, military units based in Stara Zagora and Pleven, the Land Forces, the Air Force, the Navy and the Joint Special Operations Command.
Following the foot parade, 62 wheeled and tracked units of military equipment of the Land Forces, the anti-aircraft missile formations of the Air Force, the Joint Special Operations Command, the Military Police Service and the Logistics Support Command rolled into the square.
The hardware on display consisted of Mercedes Benz G 270CDI armoured off-road vehicles, Toyota Land Cruiser partially armoured off-road tactical vehicles, Ford Samarm armoured all-terrain transport vehicles, SAND CAT armoured combat vehicles, Commando select armoured wheeled vehicles, Guardian armoured wheeled vehicles, and BTR-60 PB MD-1 armoured personnel carriers. The artillery pieces were D-20 152 mm howitzers, BM-21 GRAD multiple rocket launchers, B1-10 Tundja 120 mm self-propelled mortars, Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers. Also taking part were BMP-1 and BMP-23 infantry fighting vehicles, T-72 modernized tanks, Freccia armored fighting vehicles of the battalion battlegroup with Italy as a lead nation, a VOLVO saddle tractor loaded with a light chain tractor for evacuation of wrecked equipment. The anti-aircraft missile complexes on parade were 9K79 Tochka, OSA-ACM, C-125 Neva (SA-3), S-200 Vega (SA-5), and S-300 PMU (SA-10).
The parade involved 174 military musicians from the Guards’ Brass Band, the ceremonial brass bands of the Land Forces, the Air Force, the 61st Stryama Mechanized Brigade, the Joint Special Operations Command, the festival orchestra of the Vassil Levski Military University and the Stara Zagora military unit.
Bits of History
The St George’s Day military parade was one of the greatest attractions in the capital city until the September 9, 1944 communist takeover. It started from the Military School (now Rakovski National Defence College), proceeded to Eagles Bridge, past the National Assembly and the Royal Palace, and reached Lions Bridge. The Minister of War personally led the parade, followed by the generals, the recipients of the Order for Valour and the reserve officers. Next came His Majesty’s Life Guards Cavalry Regiment and the Military School cadets in 12-rank formations of 12 men per rank. King Boris III saluted the parade from the stairs in front of the National Assembly. Attendees included the Queen, the government ministers, the generals, members of the diplomatic corps, and the veterans of the Russo-Turkish War, the two Balkan wars and WW I.
BTA/GNA