Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan first appeared in December 1979. It was then that the military leaders of the USSR made an official decision to send troops to this Asian country in order to support a friendly political regime. Initially, it was stated that the troops plan to stay on this land for no more than one year. But the plan failed. Everything turned into a protracted war with numerous losses. In this article, we will talk about the last major military conflict in which the military personnel of the Soviet Union took part. In this article we will talk about the losses, give statistics on the wounded and missing soldiers and officers.
Entry of troops
December 25, 1979 is considered to be the first day when Soviet troops appeared in Afghanistan. The 781st reconnaissance battalion of the 108th motorized rifle division was the first to be sent to the territory of an Asian country. At the same time, the transfer of landing troops began.units to Bagram and Kabul airfields.
On the same day, Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan suffered their first losses, even without having time to engage in hostilities. A Soviet Il-76 plane crashed near Kabul. According to official figures, there were 37 passengers and 10 crew members on board. They all died. The plane also carried two Ural vehicles loaded with ammunition, as well as one tanker.
The transfer of troops by air took place at an accelerated pace. The planes were previously transferred to the territory of the Turkestan military district, from where they received an order to cross the Soviet-Afghan border at 15:00 Moscow time. The planes arrived in Bagram already in the dark, and besides, it began to snow. Il-76 aircraft flew to the airfield one after another with an interval of only a few minutes. Finally, it became clear that one of the aircraft did not arrive at its destination. At the same time, he took off from the Mary airfield in Turkmenistan.
When interviewing the crews of other aircraft, it turned out that one of them saw a strange flash on the left course while landing. December 30 managed to find the crash site. It turned out that 36 kilometers from Kabul, the IL-76 hit the crest of a rock, breaking in half. At the same time, he deviated from a pre-approved approach pattern. Everyone on board was killed. At that time, it was the largest air crash in Afghanistan involving aircraft of this type. On January 1, a search operation found a part of the fuselage with the bodies of the pilots. The rest of the paratroopers, weapons and equipment collapsed intoinaccessible gorge. It was discovered only in 2005. Thus, an account was opened for the losses of Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan.
Assault on Amin's palace
In fact, the first full-scale operation carried out by Soviet troops in Afghanistan was the assault on Amin's palace. Its result was the capture of the Taj Beck Palace, located in Kabul, and the liquidation of the head of the revolutionary council of the country, Hafizullah Amina. The special operation was carried out by the KGB and parts of the Soviet army on December 27, two days after the entry of troops into Afghanistan.
Amin was an Afghan politician who came to power in the country on September 16, 1979, replacing his predecessor Nur Mohammad Taraki. While under arrest, Taraki was killed, the officers strangled him with pillows. Once at the head of Afghanistan, Amin continued political repression against supporters of the former regime and the conservative clergy, which began under Taraki.
It is noteworthy that he was one of the first to speak out for Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. In December, he was assassinated twice. On the morning of December 27, they tried to poison him. Amin survived, but on the same day he was shot during the storming of the palace.
Soviet troops and special services carried out this operation to put Babrak Karmal at the head of the country. In fact, he was the head of a puppet government, which was completely controlled by the USSR. This was the first high-profile action carried out by our troops on the territory of this country.
First fight
Officially, the first battle of Soviet soldiers in the war in Afghanistan took place on January 9, 1980. It was preceded by a mutiny, which in the first days of January was raised by an artillery regiment of the Afghan army. Under the control of military units that were not subordinate to the government, was the city of Nakhrin, located in the province of Baghlan. During the uprising, Soviet officers were shot: Lieutenant Colonel Kalamurzin and Major Zdorovenko, another victim was translator Gaziev.
Soviet troops were ordered to take back control of Nakhrin at the request of the Afghan leadership and in order to save possibly surviving Soviet troops.
Motorized rifles moved to the city from the west and north. It was planned that after the capture of the settlement itself, they would occupy the approaches to the military camp in order to disarm the rebels blocked in it.
Moving out of the barracks, the column of Soviet troops after four kilometers collided with a hundred horsemen who blocked their path. They were dispersed after helicopters appeared in the sky.
The second column initially went to the city of Ishakchi, where it was attacked by the rebels from cannons. After the attack, the Mujahideen retreated into the mountains, losing 50 people killed and two guns. A few hours later, motorized riflemen were ambushed near the Shekhdzhalal pass. The fight was short lived. It was possible to kill 15 Afghans, after which the blockage of stones that interfered with the passage was dismantled. The Russians met fierce resistance in all settlements, literally at every pass.
By the evening of January 9, the military camp inNahrin. The next day, the barracks were attacked with the help of infantry fighting vehicles supported by helicopters.
According to the results of this military operation, there were two losses in the list of Soviet soldiers serving in Afghanistan. So many people were injured. On the Afghan side, there were about a hundred killed. The commander of the rebel regiment was detained, and all weapons were confiscated from the local population.
Fighting
Soviet theorists and employees of the USSR Ministry of Defense, who studied the history of the Afghan war, divided the entire period of the troops' stay in the territory of this Asian country into four parts.
- From December 1979 to February 1980, Soviet troops were brought in and placed in garrisons.
- From March 1980 to April 1985 - conducting active and large-scale hostilities, work to strengthen and radically reorganize the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
- From April 1985 to January 1987 - the transition from direct active operations to supporting Afghan troops with the help of Soviet aviation, sapper units and artillery. At the same time, individual units continue to fight against the transportation of large quantities of weapons and ammunition that come from abroad. During this period, a partial withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of Afghanistan begins.
- From January 1987 to February 1989, Soviet soldiers participate in the policy of national reconciliation, continuing to support the Afghan troops. Preparation and final withdrawal of the Soviet army from the territory of the republic.
Results
The withdrawal of the Soviet contingent from Afghanistan was completed on February 15, 1989. This operation was commanded by Lieutenant-General Boris Gromov. According to official information, he was the last to cross the Amu Darya River, located on the border, stating that not a single Soviet soldier was left behind him.
It is worth noting that this statement was not true. Border guard units still remained in the republic, which covered the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. They crossed the border only by the evening of February 15th. Some military units, as well as border troops, carried out border guard tasks until April 1989. In addition, there were still soldiers in the country who were captured by the Mujahideen, as well as those who voluntarily went over to their side, continuing to fight.
Gromov summed up the peculiar results of the Soviet-Afghan war in his book en titled "Limited Contingent". He, as the last commander of the 40th Army, refused to admit that it had been defeated. The general insisted that the Soviet troops had won a victory in Afghanistan. Gromov noted that, unlike the Americans in Vietnam, they managed to freely enter the territory of the republic in 1979, complete their tasks, and then return in an organized manner. Summing up, he insisted that the 40th Army did everything it considered necessary, and the dushmans who opposed it only what they could.
In addition, Gromov notes that until May 1986, when the partial withdrawal of the army began, the Mujahideen failed to capture a singlea major city, not a single really large-scale operation could be carried out.
At the same time, it must be admitted that the private opinion of the general that the 40th Army was not set the task of military victory contradicts the assessments of many other officers who were directly related to this conflict. For example, Major General Nikitenko, who in the mid-80s was deputy chief of the operations department of the headquarters of the 40th Army, argued that the USSR pursued the ultimate goal of strengthening the power of the current Afghan government and finally crushing opposition resistance. Whatever efforts the Soviet troops made, the number of Mujahideen grew every year. At the height of the Soviet presence in 1986, they controlled about 70% of the country's territory.
Colonel-General Merimsky, who served as deputy chief of the operational group of the Ministry of Defense, said that the leadership of Afghanistan, in fact, suffered a crushing defeat in the confrontation with the rebels for their own people. The authorities failed to stabilize the situation in the country, even despite the powerful military formations numbering up to three hundred thousand people, taking into account not only the army, but also the police, state security officers.
It is known that many of our officers called this war "sheep", as the Mujahideen used a rather bloodthirsty way to overcome minefields and border barriers, which were installed by Soviet specialists. In front of their detachments, they drove out herds of goats or sheep, which "paved" the way among the land minesand mines, undermining them.
After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, the situation on the border with the republic deteriorated significantly. The territory of the USSR was constantly subjected to shelling, attempts were made to penetrate into the Soviet Union. In 1989 alone, about 250 such border incidents were recorded. The border guards themselves were regularly subjected to armed attacks, the Soviet territory was mined.
Losses of Soviet troops
Exact data on the number of Soviet soldiers and officers killed in Afghanistan was first published after the end of the war. These data were presented in the Pravda newspaper on August 17. In the last few days of 1979, when the troops were just brought in, the number of Soviet soldiers killed in Afghanistan amounted to 86 people. Then the numbers increase every year, reaching a climax in 1984.
In 1980, among the dead Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan were 1484 people, the next year - 1298 soldiers, and in 1982 - 1948. In 1983, there was a decline compared to the previous year - 1448 people died, but already 1984 became the most tragic for the Soviet troops in the entire history of this conflict. The army lost 2343 soldiers and officers killed.
Since 1985, the numbers have been steadily declining:
- 1985 - 1,868 killed;
- 1986 - 1333 killed;
- 1987 - 1215 killed;
- 1988 - 759 killed;
- 1989 - 53 killed.
As a result, the number of Soviet soldiers and officers killed in Afghanistan amounted to 13835 people. Then the data grew every year. At the beginning of 1999, taking into account the irretrievable losses, which included those killed, those who died in accidents, from illnesses and wounds, as well as those missing, 15,031 people were considered dead. The greatest losses fell on the composition of the Soviet army - 14,427 dead Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan. Among the losses were 576 KGB officers. 514 of them were soldiers of the border troops, 28 employees of the Ministry of the Interior.
The number of Soviet soldiers killed in Afghanistan was amazing, especially considering that some researchers cited completely different numbers. They were significantly higher than the official statistics. According to the results of a study of the General Staff, conducted under the guidance of Professor Valentin Aleksandrovich Runov, it is stated that the irretrievable human losses of the 40th Army amounted to about 26 thousand people. According to estimates, in 1984 alone, the number of Soviet soldiers killed in Afghanistan turned out to be approximately 4,400 servicemen.
To understand the scale of the Afghan tragedy, one must take into account the sanitary losses. During the ten years of the military conflict, more than 53.5 thousand soldiers and officers were shell-shocked, wounded or injured. More than 415 thousand fell ill. Moreover, more than 115 thousand were affected by infectious hepatitis, more than 31 thousand - by typhoid fever, more than 140 thousand - by other diseases.
More than eleven thousand soldiers were dismissed from the ranks of the Soviet army for he alth reasons. The overwhelming majority were recognized as disabled as a result. In addition, in the lists of dead Sovietsoldiers in Afghanistan, which the official structures cite, do not take into account those who died from illnesses and wounds in hospitals on the territory of the Soviet Union.
At the same time, the total number of the Soviet contingent is unknown. It is believed that from 80 to 104 thousand military personnel were present on the territory of the Asian republic. Soviet troops supported the Afghan army, whose strength is estimated at 50-130 thousand people. The Afghans lost about 18 thousand killed.
According to the Soviet command, the Mujahideen had about 25 thousand soldiers and officers in 1980. By 1988, about 140,000 were already fighting on the side of the jihadists. According to independent experts, during the entire war in Afghanistan, the number of Mujahideen could reach 400,000. From 75 to 90 thousand opponents were killed.
Soviet society was categorically against the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. In 1980, Academician Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov was exiled for making public anti-war statements.
Until 1987, the death of Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan was not advertised in any way, they tried not to talk about it. Zinc coffins came to different cities throughout the vast country, people were buried semi-officially. It was not customary to report publicly how many Soviet soldiers died in the war in Afghanistan. In particular, it was forbidden to indicate the place of death of a soldier or officer on monuments in cemeteries.
Only in 1988, in a closed appeal of the Central Committee of the CPSU, addressed to all communists, some aspects of the state of affairs were covered. In fact, it was the first officialstatement of the authorities about participation in the Civil War on the territory of another state. At the same time, information was published on how many Soviet soldiers died in Afghanistan, as well as on costs. Five billion rubles were allocated annually from the USSR budget for the needs of the army.
It is believed that the last Soviet soldier who died in Afghanistan is Komsomol member Igor Lyakhovich. He is a native of Donetsk, a graduate of an electrical technical school in Rostov. At the age of 18 he was drafted into the army, this happened in 1987. Already in November of the same year, he was sent to Afghanistan. The guy was a sapper with the rank of private guard, later a shooter in a reconnaissance company.
He was killed on February 7, 1989 in the area of the Salang pass near the village of Kalatak. His body was taken to the BMP for three days, only after that they managed to load it onto a helicopter to send it to the Soviet Union.
He was buried with military honors at the central cemetery of Donetsk.
Soviet prisoners of war
Separately, it is necessary to mention the captured Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan. According to official statistics, 417 people went missing or were captured during the conflict. 130 of them managed to be released before the Soviet army was withdrawn from the territory of the country. At the same time, the conditions for the release of Soviet prisoners of war were not specified in the 1988 Geneva Accords. Negotiations on the release of captured Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan continued after February 1989. The Government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and Pakistan participated as mediators.
In November in Pakistani Peshawartwo soldiers - Valery Prokopchuk and Andrei Lopukh - were handed over to the Soviet representatives in exchange for eight militants who had been arrested earlier.
The fate of the rest of the prisoners was different. 8 people were recruited by the Mujahideen, 21 are considered "defectors", more than a hundred died as a result.
The uprising of Soviet soldiers in the Pakistani camp of Badaber, located near Peshawar, received a wide response. It happened in April 1985. A group of Soviet and Afghan prisoners of war tried to get out of prison by staging a mutiny. It is known that at least 14 Soviet soldiers and officers and about 40 Afghans participated in the uprising. They were opposed by three hundred Mujahideen and several dozen foreign instructors. Almost all the prisoners died in an unequal battle. At the same time, they eliminated from 100 to 120 Mujahideen, as well as up to 90 Pakistani soldiers, and killed six foreign military instructors.
Part of the prisoners of war was released in 1983 by the efforts of Russian emigrants in the United States. Basically, these were those who wished to stay in the West - about thirty people. Three of them later returned to the USSR when the Prosecutor General's Office issued an official statement that they would not be prosecuted and given the status of former prisoners.
In some cases, Soviet soldiers voluntarily went over to the side of the Mujahideen in order to then fight against the Soviet army. In 2017, journalists reported on Soviet soldiers remaining in Afghanistan. The British edition of The Daily Telegraph wrote about them. Former Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan deserted or were captured, later converted to Islam, fought on the side of the Mujahideen against their yesterday's comrades.
Shape
The set of field uniforms of Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan received the slang name "Afghan". It existed in winter and summer versions. Over time, due to poor supply, it began to be used as an everyday item.
In the photo of Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan, you can carefully study what she was like. The summer uniform set included a field jacket, straight-cut trousers and a cap, nicknamed "Panama" among the soldiers.
The winter kit consisted of a padded field jacket, padded trousers and a faux fur hat for soldiers. Officers, long-term servicemen and ensigns wore hats made of zigeyka. It is in this form that almost all Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan are in the photo of that time.
Feats
During the years of the conflict, the Soviet military carried out many dangerous special operations. Among the main feats of Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan, they note the large-scale operation "Mountains-80", which was carried out to clean up the territory from the rebels. Colonel Valery Kharichev led the campaign.
Lieutenant colonel Valery Ukhabov left his name on the pages of the Afghan war. He was ordered to occupy a small foothold behind enemy lines. The Soviet border guards held back the superior enemy forces all night, held outuntil morning, but reinforcements never arrived. The scout sent with the report was killed. Ukhabov made a desperate attempt to escape from the encirclement. It ended successfully, but the officer himself was mortally wounded.
Repeatedly in combat reports, the Salang Pass was encountered. Through it, at an altitude of almost four thousand meters above sea level, the main road of life passed, along which Soviet troops received ammunition and fuel, transported the wounded and the dead. This route was so dangerous that for each successful passage, the drivers were awarded the medal "For Military Merit". Mujahideen constantly organized ambushes in the area of the pass. It was especially dangerous for the driver of a fuel truck to set off on a journey when the entire car could explode from one bullet. In November 1986, a terrible tragedy occurred when 176 soldiers suffocated from exhaust fumes.
Private M altsev in Salanga managed to save Afghan children. When he left the next tunnel, a truck was rushing towards him, stuffed to the top with bags, on which about 20 adults and children were sitting. The Soviet soldier turned sharply to the side, crashing into a rock at full speed. He himself died, but the peaceful Afghans remained safe and sound. A monument to a Soviet soldier in Afghanistan was erected at this place. It is still being cared for by several generations of residents of the surrounding villages and villages.
Posthumously the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was given to paratrooper Alexander Mironenko. He was ordered to conduct reconnaissance of the area and provide cover from the ground for flying helicopters, which shouldwere transporting the wounded. A group of three soldiers led by Mironenko, having landed, immediately rushed down, a support group rushed after them. Suddenly, a new order to retreat followed. By that time it was already too late. Mironenko was surrounded with his comrades, firing back to the last bullet. When their corpses were discovered by colleagues, they were horrified. All four were stripped, shot in the legs, and stabbed all over with knives.
Mi-8 helicopters were often used to rescue servicemen in Afghanistan. Often, "turntables", as they were called in everyday life, came at the last minute, helping out soldiers and officers who were surrounded. Dushmans strongly hated helicopter pilots for this, to whom they could practically oppose nothing. Major Vasily Shcherbakov distinguished himself in his helicopter when he saved the crew of Captain Kopchikov. The Mujahideen had already slashed his wrecked car all over with knives, while the Soviet detachment, surrounded by encirclement, was firing to the last. Shcherbakov on the Mi-8 made several covering attacks, and then suddenly landed, taking the wounded Kopchikov at the last moment. It is worth recognizing that there were many such cases in the war.
Monuments to heroes
Today, commemorative signs and memorial plaques dedicated to Afghan soldiers are in almost every city in Russia.
There is a famous memorial in Minsk - its official name is "The Island of Courage and Sorrow". It is dedicated to 30 thousand Belarusians who took part in the Afghan war. Of these, 789 people died. Complexis located on the Svisloch River in the center of the capital of the Union State. People call it the "Isle of Tears".
In Moscow, a monument to soldiers-internationalists was erected in the Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill. The monument is a 4-meter bronze figure of a Soviet soldier in camouflage uniform and with a helmet in his hands. He is standing on a cliff, looking into the distance. The soldier is placed on a red granite pedestal, on which a bas-relief with a battle scene is placed. The monument was opened in 2004 on the 25th anniversary of the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan.
