The entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan for the past three decades has caused conflicting emotions among many scientists, military and politicians. On the one hand, the operation itself, the key moment of which was the storming of Amin's palace in Kabul, is still a model for the actions of special forces in such situations. On the other hand, it is impossible to consider the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in isolation from the subsequent aggravation of international tension, and also from the fact that this event eventually became one of the reasons for the collapse of the USSR.
Meanwhile, in order to understand the deep meaning of the events of more than thirty years ago, it is necessary to take into account the situation in this Central Asian country in 1979.
It all started in April 1978, when the military came to power in Kabulcoup came the PDPA, headed by the famous writer N. Taraki. At that time, this development of events was considered a big miscalculation by the United States, since Taraki and his associates saw the Soviet Union as their main ally, where at that time a rather decrepit government headed by L. Brezhnev was in power.
The leadership of the USSR and the CPSU sought to support the young government of the Afghan Republic in every possible way. Throughout 1978, significant funds were sent here, military and economic advisers traveled, who became the main organizers of land and educational reforms.
At the same time, discontent was growing inside Afghanistan both among the ordinary population and among the ruling elite. At the beginning of 1979, this resistance turned into an open rebellion, behind which, as it turned out even today, the United States stood. Even then, Taraki demanded from Brezhnev to authorize the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, however, he received a firm refusal.
The situation changed dramatically in September 1979, when one of Taraki Amin's associates staged a coup and came to power instead of the former president strangled in prison. Amin's coming to power dramatically changed both the state of affairs within Afghanistan and its position in the international arena. At the same time, judging by the recently published memoirs of the famous American public figure Z. Brzezinski, in this coup the United States played the mostdirect role, having as its only goal to plunge the USSR into "its own Vietnam war".
Thus, the main reasons for the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan were the extremely important strategic position of this country, as well as the fact that after Amin's coup, the Soviet government was forced to intervene in the internal affairs of this state in order not to get on its border hotbed of tension.
The entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan was authorized by the decision of the highest party body - the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. At the same time, the decision stated that in their actions the leadership of the USSR relies on a friendship treaty, which was signed between the countries back in 1978.
On the eve of the new year, 1980, as a result of the storming of the presidential palace, Amin was killed and the protege of the USSR B. Karmal became the president of the republic. For some time, the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan contributed to the normalization of the country's internal life, however, subsequently, Soviet troops were drawn into heavy armed clashes with the Mujahideen, which resulted in more than 15 thousand deaths from the Soviet side.
