The day before Greece's 28 October military parade, members of the Hellenic Navy's Underwater Demolition Command (OYK) w...

Written on 10/29/2026
theatlaswiregreece

The day before Greece's 28 October military parade, members of the Hellenic Navy's Underwater Demolition Command (OYK) were filmed running shirtless in formation along the Thessaloniki waterfront beside the Thermaic Gulf. The footage spread quickly on social media, turning heads well before the official celebrations even began. The OYK are Greece's naval special forces, an elite unit known for grueling selection standards and the kind of physical conditioning on full display in the clip. Running in tight formation at dawn, shirtless despite the autumn chill off the gulf, they drew exactly the kind of attention that money can't buy. The OYK are consistently one of the most anticipated units in the Thessaloniki parade each year. Spectators routinely save their loudest applause for the commandos, whose synchronized marching and military chants make their passage through the parade route one of the defining moments of Oxi Day in the northern capital. The 28 October parade marks Greece's refusal to surrender to fascist Italy in 1940, one of the most consequential decisions in modern Greek history. Seeing the country's elite warriors train in the same city, on the same waterfront, the morning before that ceremony carries its own quiet weight. #OxiDay #GreekMilitary #OYK