February 15, 1989 is the official day of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. At 10:00 the last soldier, Lieutenant General of the 40th Army B. V. Gromov, left the territory of Afghanistan on the border, passing through the bridge over the Amu Darya River. 24 years have passed since then, but the events of that war are still not erased from the memory of the participants, we are reminded of them in books and films.
Everyone remembers the sensational film "9th company", describing the events of that war. In one episode, when asked what he would do after returning home, the serviceman replied: "Drink, then drink more, and drink until I forget the whole nightmare that I experienced there." What did the Soviet soldiers have to endure there, in the mountains of Afghanistan, and most importantly, for what?
A protracted 10-year war
The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan marked the end of a war about which, in fact, we know almost nothing. If we compare it with the First and Second World Wars, then onlyin the memory of the participants. The silent war began on December 25, 1979, and as a result, the introduction of troops showed the USSR in the international arena as an aggressor.
In particular, the G7 countries did not understand the decision of the USSR, and only the United States was amused by this, since the Cold War between the two strongest states had been going on for a long time. On December 29, the Pravda newspaper published an appeal from the Afghan government for outside assistance to resolve internal conflicts. The Soviet Union provided assistance, but almost immediately realized the "Afghan mistake", and the road back was difficult.
In order to carry out the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, the government took almost 10 years, it was necessary to sacrifice the lives of 14,000 soldiers, maim 53,000, and also claim the lives of 1 million Afghans. It was difficult for Soviet soldiers to conduct a guerrilla war in the mountains, while the Mujahideen knew them like the back of their hand.
The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan became one of the main issues that was first raised on February 7, 1980. But the government then considered it necessary to delay the troops, since the situation in Afghanistan, in their opinion, had not stabilized. It took 1.5 - 2 years to completely liberate the country. Soon, L. I. Brezhnev decided to withdraw troops, but Yu. V. Andropov and D. F. Ustinov did not support his initiative. For some time, the solution to this problem was suspended, and the soldiers continued to fight and die in the mountains, it is not clear for whose interests. And only in 1985 M. S. Gorbachev resumed the question of the withdrawal of troops, a plan was approved, according to which, within two years, Soviet troops were to leave the territory of Afghanistan. And only after the intervention of the UN, the papers went into action. Pakistan and Afghanistan signed peace treaties, the US was forbidden to interfere in the internal affairs of the country, and the USSR was supposed to carry out the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
Soviet soldiers returned with victory or defeat?
Many are wondering what was the result of the war? Can Soviet soldiers be considered winners?
There is no definite answer, but the USSR did not set itself the task of conquering Afghanistan, it was supposed to assist the government in stabilizing the internal situation. The USSR, most likely, lost this war to itself, to 14 thousand soldiers and their relatives. Who asked to send troops to this country, what was waiting for them there? History does not know a more reckless massacre that suffered such victims. The withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 1989 was the smartest decision during this war, but the sad aftertaste will forever remain in the hearts of the physically and morally crippled participants and their loved ones.
