Glory and bitterness… How often these words go together in the characteristics of wars, because war is death, the death of young people who could have done so much more in their lives. But bitterness becomes especially unbearable when it would have been possible to avoid human casu alties, but someone did not give the necessary order and forbade going to help their own people.
Argun gorge is the most beautiful place in the entire Caucasus. The Long Canyon plays a strategically important role in communication throughout the Chechen Republic: the forces that control it have the opportunity to dominate the country.
Counter-terrorist operation - this is how the fighting in Chechnya was officially called since September 1999, which has subsided today, but has not stopped completely. And although the federal troops showed their best side, the Argun Gorge is recorded as a tragic line in the annals of history. The year 2000 was marked by the capture of Shatoi and the announcement of the successful completion of the operation. Since 2001, the contingent of Russian troops in Chechnya has been decreasing.
The Russian group of troops in the Shatoi region on February 29, 2000 numbered about one hundred thousandHuman. How did it happen that the Argun Gorge became a grave for a company of Russian soldiers who were left face to face with 2,500 militants armed to the teeth, with snipers who "shooted" the soldiers so quickly that they could not even fire a shot? So, the company commander Sergei Molodov died almost immediately from a sniper's bullet, whose place was taken by Mark Evtyukhin. Young and experienced fighters held on to the height-776 they had previously occupied, not retreating, not panicking, because they were waiting for help, support from their own, which never came. On the very first day of the battle, 31 people died, but a handful of Russian soldiers held the height for another day. When it became clear that help would not be in time, the only surviving officer, although he was seriously wounded, diverted fire on himself and ordered two young privates to escape, who jumped off a cliff. The Argun Gorge passed into the hands of the militants, but only for a day. On March 2, federal troops occupied the height, and only a part of the militants managed to get out of the encirclement along secret paths.
Out of the entire company of paratroopers who defended the Argun Gorge, 6 people survived. Some were wounded, someone lost consciousness and was regarded by opponents as killed; Privates Andrei Porshnev and Alexander Suponinsky owe their lives to Captain Romanov, who sacrificed himself to save them. Major Alexander Dostovalov, without waiting for an order, rushed with his small group of 15 people to help the paratroopers who entered the battle and died like a man of honor. These are the ones we call heroes. Why were these sacrifices necessary? Who gave the order to neighboring locations not to engage in battle under feartribunal? What is the media not talking about? It seemed that the soldiers were not considered by the generals as "cannon fodder" for a long time, is it really not so?
And yet the battle in the Argun Gorge testifies to living military prowess and honor, that there are those who are ready to be betrayed, but not to be traitors to either the Motherland or comrades. Without such courage, military glory is unthinkable, the upbringing of the future generation is unthinkable.
