MOSCOW. Dec 28 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to propose naming units of the Russian Armed Forces after legendary units of the Russian and Soviet armies.
"Names of the glorious, legendary units of the Russian and Soviet Armies will be restored for strengthening historical bonds in the Armed Forces. I request the defense minister to make the proposals in the upcoming year," Putin said at the Friday ceremony in the Kremlin that presented high-ranking officers taking new positions or receiving new military ranks.
"We can make the Armed Forces better if we love them and cherish their traditions," Putin said.
Putin said in a state-of-the-nation address presented at the Federal Assembly on December 12 that Russia should restore the names of glorious regiments, such as Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky.
"The martial ardor of the Armed Forces is rooted in traditions and live bonds with history, in the examples of courage and self-sacrifice of heroes. I think that the Russian Armed Forces need to revive names of the best-known regiments and military units of the past," he said.
"These are such units as the Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky regiments. The defense minister will make relevant proposals," he said.