On May 27, the Day of Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is celebrated in Ukraine, and in the world – the World Day of Emergency Medical Aid and the International Day of Marketing. Also, this day preserves in its chronicle many different events – from architectural to cultural and political changes that left a mark in world and national history.
Day of Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
From now on, May 27 is the official date for celebrating the Day of Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The relevant Decree No. 346/2025 was signed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi on May 26, 2025. This day was chosen because on May 27, 2014, Ukrainian special forces conducted an operation to liberate the new terminal of the Donetsk airport. In the course of this decisive action, SSO units placed a Ukrainian flag over the building — a symbol of the state’s presence and control at a critical point of confrontation.
Previously, the Day of SSO was celebrated on July 29. The new decision of the President changes not only the date, but also the emphasis of the commemoration. If the previous date was associated with the establishment of this type of Armed Forces, then the new one – with a real combat episode in which the Special Operations Forces proved themselves on the battlefield. From now on, state honoring is focused on wartime events, specific actions and exploits, and not only on organizational milestones.
Interesting facts
The SSO is the youngest separate branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, created in January 2016 as a separate structure capable of conducting asymmetric and non-standard combat operations, intelligence, sabotage, information operations, as well as working behind enemy lines.
The basis of the SSO was made up of units that already had combat experience, in particular, special units of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Air Force, and separate intelligence forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The training of SSO fighters is carried out according to NATO standards, with special attention to linguistic, cultural and psychological training. One of the training centers has an international certificate and accepts instructors from the member countries of the Alliance.
In 2018, Ukrainian SSOs became a full member of the joint NATO Special Operations Forces Command Group — SOF Component Command (SOF COE).
In the period of full-scale war after February 24, 2022, the SSO of Ukraine took part in the most high-profile operations — from the defense of Kyiv and Kharkiv to deep raids on occupied territories and the undermining of enemy logistics routes.
The motto of the SSO is “I’m coming for you!”, which dates back to the princely era and emphasizes the offensive nature of the unit.
The SSO emblem depicts a werewolf, an image that symbolizes transformation, invisibility, strength, intelligence and the ability to act independently in the most difficult conditions.
World Emergency Medical Day
This day was founded in 2019 by the European Community of Emergency Medicine (EUSEM). The goal is to draw attention to the importance of emergency medical care as a separate branch of medicine, covering the entire chain of actions: from the first call to stabilization of the patient in the hospital. This day honors the doctors, paramedics, nurses, dispatchers, paramedics and drivers who work under time constraints, stress, lack of resources and often at risk to their own lives.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine has found itself in a unique situation — emergency aid has become not just a service, but a part of the country’s defense, working in front-line conditions, without pause, protection, often without the right to make a mistake. Ukrainian paramedics, paramedics and “ambulance” drivers risk their lives every day, going under fire, to minefields, to destroyed buildings. In Kherson, Bakhmut, Kharkiv, Chernihiv — in all the front-line regions, brigades provided assistance under rocket attacks. Often without escort, without a guarantee that they will return.
More than 100 emergency medical workers were injured or killed in the shelling. Some of the “ambulance” vehicles were purposefully destroyed – the enemy does not respect the humanitarian status of medics. In many cases, crews drove with white flags or with large red crosses on their bodies.
Interesting facts
The longest continuous call in the history of emergency medicine lasted more than 18 hours — in the city of Tuscaloosa (USA), when a paramedic suffered massive injuries twice in a row during the 2011 tornado. He did not leave the car, received instructions simply on the move, and eventually passed out from exhaustion.
After the tragedy at the Boston Marathon in 2013, each member of the emergency services was given a copy of the X-ray of the nails taken from the bodies of the victims. This is not a museum exhibit, but a daily reminder that even in a peaceful city you need to act like you are on a battlefield.
The first official heart monitor in the “emergency room” appeared in the 1960s, because a doctor from Belfast (Frank Panther) got tired of writing down the heart rate with a pencil in a notebook while transporting a heart attack patient. He installed the device in the side of the ambulance with his own hands.
In Lviv, during an air raid in 2023, a paramedic continued resuscitation of a patient in a bomb shelter without stopping CPR for 47 minutes. The patient survived. Subsequently, she refused any award.
In 2022, Ukrainian paramedics near Bakhmut carried out an amputation simply in an evacuation vehicle, on the move, without anesthesia. The patient survived. His son then wrote to the Ministry of Health with a request to give those people everything they want – because they saved not a leg, but a life!.
In 2020, in New York, an ambulance paramedic pulled a man out of a burning apartment, he lost consciousness from carbon monoxide, but the patient’s pulse remained. After hospitalization, the savior himself was in intensive care, but returned to work within a week.
In Ukraine, there are “silent calls” when a paramedic is called to a woman who is being beaten by a man, but is recorded as “injury from a fall from the height of one’s own height” in order not to call the police and avoid revenge. Doctors know this and often take a risk by going in alone without security.
The most unusual “place of assistance” in Ukraine is a hang glider stuck in a tree. In 2021, a paramedic had to climb to a 12-meter height, fix a broken leg and wait for rescuers, because the victim was hanging in the crown of a tree.
In some countries, particularly in Denmark, teenagers can train and work as volunteers in the emergency care system from the age of 16. They do not have the right to perform invasive procedures, but they can perform initial assessments, stop bleeding and accompany senior colleagues.
British doctor Martin Bromilow has conducted more than 3,000 calls without a single fatality during the transportation phase. He was nicknamed “the anesthesiologist with the devil behind him.” He trained Ukrainian doctors in 2023.
International Marketing Day
International Marketing Day is celebrated annually on May 27. This professional holiday is designed to emphasize the key role of marketing in the modern world — not only as a tool for promoting goods and services, but as a space that shapes behavior, tastes, habits and even social values. His date was not chosen by chance: Philip Kotler was born on May 27, the author of fundamental marketing textbooks used in universities around the world.
This day is an opportunity to remind that marketing has long gone beyond advertising slogans. Modern marketers work at the intersection of business, psychology, sociology, technology and culture. They manage entire influence strategies, create an emotional connection between a brand and a person, and in some cases even change social attitudes. That is why May 27 is celebrated not only as a professional holiday, but also as a symbol of transformations that affect millions of people every day.
Interesting facts
Coca-Cola has admitted that more than 1.9 billion servings of Coca-Cola are consumed every day in the world, but in 130 years it has never changed its logo radically. It is the longest running commercially recognizable visual solution in marketing history, proving the power of consistency.
When Apple released the first iPod, they didn’t say, “5 gigabyte MP3 player.” They said, “1000 songs in your pocket.” This is considered one of the most powerful marketing shifts in focus—from product to experience.
In 2013, Oreo tweeted “You can still dunk in the dark” during the Super Bowl blackout. It was a simple tweet, no budget, but it got over 10k retweets and became an instant marketing classic. After that, brands started hiring “reactive teams” for social media.
Studies have shown that if you remove currency (for example, “$”) from the cafe menu, people order more expensively. Because the symbol of money activates the area of the brain associated with the pain of spending. Many restaurants have switched to formats like “12” instead of “$12”.
Fear marketing is most effective in the short term. For example, sales of iodized salt in Ukraine increased tenfold within 3 days after rumors of a possible nuclear strike. No one ran ads. Fear worked by itself.
When IKEA enters a new country, it studies the average length of beds in the home — and adapts the bed sizes. In Japan, they made the furniture 10 cm shorter, because the apartments are small. This is not just logistics, but an approach to local marketing at the household level.
Philip Kotler in 2021 said that the strongest marketing in the world in the last 10 years was that of Elon Musk. Not Tesla or SpaceX products, but Musk himself as a brand. All investors bought “a man who promises the future.”
Nike hires copywriters not from advertising, but from street culture, hip-hop and stand-up. The goal is to write slogans not like advertisers, but like those who feel the mood of the streets. That’s why their slogans resonate with Generation Z.
In 2022, the Balenciaga brand “released” an IKEA package for 2 thousand dollars, which looked almost identical to the blue FRAKTA bag for UAH 50. Consumer reactions ranged from outrage to excitement. But everyone talked about it. It was called the most cynical, but most effective example of parodic hype marketing.
The Absolut Vodka brand has had one of the longest running campaigns in history: for more than 25 years the same message – a bottle shaped like “in a perfect world”. No discounts, no scandals, no jumping between topics. During this time, from a niche Swedish brand, Absolut became the second in the world among premium vodkas.
Historical events on this day
1753 – the construction of St. Andrew’s Church in Kyiv was completed. This masterpiece of Baroque architecture, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, has become one of the most famous landmarks of the capital of Ukraine, located on the Andriiivsky Uzvoz, overlooking the Podil and Dnipro rivers.
1916 – US President Woodrow Wilson called for the creation of the League of Nations. He voiced this idea at the height of World War I, aiming to prevent new global conflicts through peaceful settlement mechanisms. Although the United States never became a member, this initiative became the basis for the future creation of the United Nations.
1921 – Afghanistan has officially declared its independence. After a series of Anglo-Afghan wars and prolonged pressure from the British Empire, the country achieved full sovereignty, which became an important milestone in the history of Central Asia.
1926 – a monument to Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer was unveiled in the city of Hannibal, Missouri. Both characters were created by Mark Twain and are literary symbols of American childhood and the freedom of adventure. The installation location is not accidental: Hannibal was the hometown of the writer.
1930 – Richard Drew patented a transparent adhesive tape, which later received the name “scotch tape”. At first, it was used in the automotive industry to seal windows during body painting. Over time, it became a household product all over the world.
1933 – Walt Disney’s cartoon “Three Little Pigs” premiered in the USA. The cartoon instantly gained popularity and brought the studio a real breakthrough. His song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” became a kind of symbol of the times of the Great Depression.
1934 – the sports title “honored master of sports” was officially introduced in the Soviet Union. This was the first step towards the formalization of the sports hierarchy in the USSR, which gave athletes not only prestige, but also social benefits.
1937 – a bridge across the Golden Gate Strait was opened in San Francisco. This grandiose engineering structure has become not only a transportation artery, but also an architectural icon of the United States, recognized throughout the world for its red color and graceful arch.
1973 – The Soviet Union joined the World Copyright Convention, which was adopted in Geneva in 1952. This meant the gradual entry of the country into the international legal field of intellectual property.
1977 – the USSR approved the final version of the text and music of the National Anthem, which existed until the collapse of the Soviet Union. The anthem was sung without words for 23 years, and then received updated official lyrics.
1988 – The Verkhovna Rada of the USSR passed the law on cooperation, which allowed private initiative in the economy. This was a turning point: for the first time after decades of centralized economy, entrepreneurship was legalized.
1993 – an amendment to the Criminal Code came into force in the Russian Federation, abolishing the criminal penalty for voluntary homosexual relations between adults. It was one of the first official steps towards the decriminalization of LGBT people in the post-Soviet space.
1994 – after 20 years of exile, the Russian writer Oleksandr Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia. His arrival was not only symbolic – it was a gesture of a new stage in Russian public life after the collapse of the USSR.
2002 – British musician Alan Parker received a knighthood. Since then, he has the right to officially add the title “Sir” to his name. His work includes music, direction and production, including the cult films “The Wall” and “Midnight Express”.
2009 – the Institute of Aeronautics was established in Kyiv, on the basis of the National Aviation University. Its purpose is to train specialists for the aerospace industry, including air traffic control, satellite navigation systems and digital support of aviation infrastructure.
