With a ceremony of consecration of the battle flags and a military parade Bulgaria marks the Day of Bravery and the Bulgarian Army Day. This year's event is special because it marks 145 years since the establishment of the Bulgarian Army. President and Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Armed Forces Rumen Radev congratulated the servicemen.

"A war is raging in Europe - unprecedented in scale and stakes in the recent history of our continent. Bulgaria has entered these dangerous times after years of ignorant and self-serving experiments with the Armed Forces, with illusions that wars are part of history, that the soldier's profession is unpromising and the army is a thing of the past," Radev said. 

On the day of St. George the Victorious we celebrate the unity of the nation and the army," the President said, stressing that "amid the storm of history, we must stand united behind the national interest ... to preserve our home and culture".

Later, the parade of the armed forces began, led by an Air Force MI-17 helicopter, which waved the Bulgarian tricolour in the sky. More than 800 servicemen, 62 tracked and wheeled combat vehicles, fighter, helicopter and other aviation of the Bulgarian army took part in the parade at Knyaz Alexander I Square. Among the participants in the parade were the allies of the Italian Armed Forces in the Multinational Battle Group.