Russia’s Defense Ministry decided to mark the occasion by posting this video on the agency’s official YouTube channel.
On that day in 2014, unidentified troopers wearing army fatigues but no insignias were spotted in Crimea, helping secure civil administration buildings and preventing outbreaks of violence during the ongoing popular uprising. The operators’ calm and professional demeanor and impeccable conduct quickly earned them the moniker 'polite people.'
The creation of the Russia’s Special Operations Forces was first announced in March 2013.
