Friday February 23rd is a public holiday - Defenders of the Fatherland Day. The holiday is supposed to be geared towards those who served in the armed forces, though it serves more as a day to celebrate men in general – a counterpart to March 8th's Women’s Day in the interests of gender equality. Of course, a celebration of men and a celebration of those who served in the armed forces should technically be synonymous in Russia. But with many parents doing everything from doctoring medical records from when their sons are toddlers to paying large sums of money to save their children the rigors of conscription, this is not the case. And, in fact, it's even acceptable for foreigners to get in on the act and reap the benefits of the day.

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