Defender's Day is a public holiday in Kazakhstan, and it is observed on May 7 each year. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of when the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan was formed on May 7, 1992.
Nomadic groups and different empires have historically inhabited the territory of Kazakhstan, and Kazakhstan became part of the Russian Empire in the middle of the 19th century.
Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Kazakhstan was reorganized several times. In 1936, the territory was officially separated from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and became a republic in the Soviet Union.
On December 16, 1991, Kazakhstan declared independence following a referendum on March 16, 1991, in which 95% of voters favored a new Union of Sovereign States. Kazakhstan was the last republic to declare its independence during the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Nursultan Nazarbayev became the first President of Kazakhstan. On May 7, 1992, he signed a decree to form the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In October 2012, Defender's Day officially became a national holiday.
The Armed Forces of Kazakhstan consists of three branches: Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, and Naval Forces.
The following is the list of Defender's Day in Kazakhstan from 2022 to 2026.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| Defender's Day | May 07, 2022 | Saturday |
| Defender's Day | May 07, 2023 | Sunday |
| Defender's Day | May 07, 2024 | Tuesday |
| Defender's Day | May 07, 2025 | Wednesday |
| Defender's Day | May 07, 2026 | Thursday |
Please check more public holidays in Kazakhstan: