Day of Veterans and Fallen in the Malvinas War in Argentina (02/04)

Since 2001, April 2 has been celebrated in Argentina as the Day of Veterans and Fallen in the Malvinas War (Día del Veterano y de los Caídos en la Guerra de Malvinas). This is a national day of remembrance dedicated to honoring veterans and honoring the memory of fallen members of the Argentine army who participated in the Falklands War against the British Armed Forces.

The Malvinas (Falkland) Islands were captured by Britain in 1833. In the 20th century, Argentina decided to reclaim these lands On April 1, 1982, the Argentines landed on the islands, and at dawn on April 2, the Argentine flag was hoisted over the barracks of British military personnel.

In response, the British government broke off diplomatic relations with Argentina and launched a military operation.

The issue of ownership of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) has been repeatedly considered at sessions of the UN General Assembly. In accordance with the UN resolution, Anglo-Argentine bilateral negotiations on their decolonization began back in 1965. From the very beginning, the Falklands problem for Argentina was in the nature of protecting national sovereignty, and for Great Britain — of maintaining colonial possession.

But in the early 1980s, the resolution of this problem reached a dead end, especially after information appeared that there were significant oil reserves in the area of the islands, including the continental shelf, at depths of up to 1000 meters. The islands have become not just a disputed territory, but an object of struggle for new sources of strategic raw materials. Britain's desire to retain the Falkland Islands was also explained by its important military-strategic position on the sea routes from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and to the shores of Antarctica.

Argentina's confrontation with Britain continued until 14 June 1982, and an interim agreement to end hostilities was signed on 15 June.

The British regained the islands by force. The Argentines lost 648 people killed, almost 4 thousand combatants returned home disabled. About 200 Argentine veterans of the Malvinas conflict subsequently committed suicide.

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