The message reads, in part:
“The history of your legendary university goes back to 1920, when the Institute of Engineers of the Red Air Fleet was founded at the initiative of the outstanding Russian scientist Nikolai Zhukovsky. Having brought together talented teachers and gifted engineers and designers, it has become a true talent foundry for highly professional members of the national military aviation. We are justly proud of the teachers and graduates of the Academy who bravely fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, scaled the harsh expanses of the Arctic, designed and tested advanced aircraft and helicopters, and fulfilled the humankind's daring dream of spaceflight.
Today, the Air Force Academy is a large educational and scientific research centre, where the most cutting edge technologies and advanced teaching methods are used, and extensive research is carried out.
I am confident that the current generation of teachers and cadets will continue the glorious traditions of their predecessors and expand their unique scientific, creative and military legacy.”