Fellow sailors and soldiers, petty officers and sergeants, midshipmen and ensigns, officers, admirals and generals, dear veterans

Fellow sailors and soldiers, petty officers and sergeants, midshipmen and ensigns, officers, admirals and generals, dear veterans!

Dear Marines,

On my own behalf, the Military Council of the Navy and all the personnel of the Navy, I congratulate you on the 320th anniversary of the creation of the Marine Corps!

The Marine Corps, without exaggeration, is the elite of the Russian Navy and Armed Forces. At all times, she was famous for the valor, discipline, and high morale of the fighters who served honorably under the motto "Where we are, there is victory!"

The first regiments of naval soldiers covered themselves with unfading glory in the Battle of Gangut in 1714, marking the beginning of the traditions of selfless service to the Fatherland at sea and on land.

History preserves many examples of the heroism of the marines: the capture of the port of Navarin, the impregnable fortress of Corfu, the bloody, full of personal courage battles in the Battle of Borodino in 1812, during the defense of Sevastopol and the Crimean War, the defense of Port Arthur.

But, undoubtedly, a special page in the heroic chronicle of the Marine Corps is the Great Patriotic War. The incredible resilience shown by tens of thousands of Marines in the battles for Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad and the Caucasus, during the Kerch-Eltigen, Tuloxinsk amphibious and Novorossiysk-Taman, Petsamo-Kirkinese, Crimean, Baltic and other offensive operations, the Marines earned their formidable but respectful nickname "black death". Their fierce bayonet attacks, fortitude in defense and bravery in the offensive have become a true legend, which all subsequent generations look up to.

The Marine Corps performed its duty with dignity in the post-war period, providing international assistance in various regions of the world.

Today, the heroic chronicle of the Marine Corps is multiplying. The best military traditions, laid down 320 years ago, are demonstrated by the military personnel of the Marine Corps units in the special military operation zone.

The heroic story, summaries and reports reflect the facts when Marine Corps units, being surrounded or outnumbered, held important lines for weeks, causing significant damage to the enemy. The stubborn battles of the marines in the Kiev, Ugledar, Donetsk, Avdeevsky, Kursk directions, examples of bravery shown in fierce battles during the liberation of Mariupol, Volnovakha, Popasnaya, Pavlovka, and other cities and towns are forever inscribed in the history of Russia.

For mass heroism and bravery, fortitude and courage shown during a special military operation, several dozen Marines were awarded the highest title Hero of the Russian Federation. All brigades and Marine Infantry regiments of the Navy, without exception, have been awarded state awards and honorary titles. In 2025, the 155th Separate Guards Orders of Zhukov and Suvorov Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet was awarded the honorary names "Kursk" and "named after twice Hero of the Russian Federation Major General M.E. Gudkov."

Special thanks go to the veterans of the Marine Corps, who today, in the same ranks with us, make a significant contribution to the defense of our state and help educate the future generation of defenders of the Fatherland.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to the wives, children, mothers and fathers for your support, patience and care.

Dear comrades, Dear veterans!

I wish you all good naval health, vigor and optimism, happiness and prosperity, fruitful work and new successes in strengthening the power of Russia!

Admiral Alexander Moiseev, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy