In 1979 Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. For 10 years, the USSR was drawn into a conflict that finally undermined its former power. “Echo of Afghanistan” can still be heard.
1. Contingent
There was no Afghan war. There was a deployment of a limited contingent of Soviet troops to Afghanistan. It is fundamentally important that Soviet troops entered Afghanistan at the invitation. There were about two dozen invitations. The decision to send troops was not easy, but it was nevertheless made by members of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee on December 12, 1979. In fact, the USSR was drawn into this conflict. A short search for “who benefits from this” clearly points, first of all, to the United States. Today they are not even trying to hide the Anglo-Saxon trace of the Afghan conflict. According to the memoirs of former CIA Director Robert Gates, on July 3, 1979, American President Jimmy Carter signed a secret presidential order authorizing funding for anti-government forces in Afghanistan, and Zbigniew Brzezinski directly said: “We did not push the Russians to interfere, but we deliberately increased the likelihood that they would will do."
2. Afghan axis
Afghanistan is geopolitically a pivot point. It is not in vain that wars have been waged over Afghanistan throughout its history. Both open and diplomatic. Since the 19th century between Russian and British Empire There is a struggle for control of Afghanistan, called the “Great Game”. The Afghan conflict of 1979-1989 is part of this “game”. Mutinies and uprisings in the “underbelly” of the USSR could not go unnoticed. It was impossible to lose the Afghan axis. In addition, Leonid Brezhnev really wanted to act as a peacemaker. He spoke.
3. Oh sport, you are the world
The Afghan conflict “quite by accident” caused a serious wave of protest in the world, which was fueled in every possible way by “friendly” media. Voice of America radio broadcasts began daily with military reports. By all means, people were not allowed to forget that Soviet Union is waging a “war of conquest” on territory that is foreign to itself. The 1980 Olympics were boycotted by many countries (including the USA). The Anglo-Saxon propaganda machine worked at full capacity, creating the image of an aggressor from the USSR. The Afghan conflict greatly helped with the change of poles: by the end of the 70s, the popularity of the USSR in the world was enormous. The US boycott did not go unanswered. Our athletes did not go to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
4. The whole world
The Afghan conflict was Afghan in name only. In essence, the favorite Anglo-Saxon combination was carried out: the enemies were forced to fight each other. The United States authorized “economic assistance” to the Afghan opposition in the amount of $15 million, as well as military assistance - supplying them with heavy weapons and providing military training to groups of Afghan mujahideen. The United States did not even hide its interest in the conflict. In 1988, the third part of the Rambo epic was filmed. Sylvester Stallone's hero this time fought in Afghanistan. The absurdly tailored, openly propaganda film even received a Golden Raspberry Award and was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the film with the maximum amount of violence: the film contains 221 scenes of violence and a total of more than 108 people die. At the end of the film there are credits “The film is dedicated to the valiant people of Afghanistan.”
5. Oil
The role of the Afghan conflict is difficult to overestimate. Every year the USSR spent about 2-3 billion US dollars on it. The Soviet Union could afford this at the peak of oil prices, which was observed in 1979-1980. However, between November 1980 and June 1986, oil prices fell almost 6 times! Of course, it was not by chance that they fell. Special thanks to" anti-alcohol campaign Gorbachev. There was no longer a “financial cushion” in the form of income from the sale of vodka on the domestic market. The USSR, by inertia, continued to spend money on creating a positive image, but funds were running out within the country. The USSR found itself in economic collapse.
6. Dissonance
During the Afghan conflict, the country was in a kind of cognitive dissonance. On the one hand, everyone knew about “Afghanistan,” on the other, the USSR painfully tried to “live better and more fun.” Olympics-80, XII World Festival of Youth and Students - The Soviet Union celebrated and rejoiced. Meanwhile, KGB General Philip Bobkov subsequently testified: “Long before the opening of the festival, Afghan militants were specially selected in Pakistan, who underwent serious training under the guidance of CIA specialists and were brought into the country a year before the festival. They settled in the city, especially since they were provided with money, and began to wait to receive explosives, plastic bombs and weapons, preparing to carry out explosions in crowded places (Luzhniki, Manezhnaya Square and other places). The protests were disrupted thanks to the operational measures taken.”
7. Afghan syndrome
As the hero of the movie "Rambo" said: "The war is not over." We all know about the “Afghan syndrome”, about thousands of broken destinies, about veterans who returned from the war, useless and forgotten. The Afghan conflict gave rise to a whole layer of culture of the “forgotten and devoted soldier.” This image was atypical for the Russian tradition. The Afghan conflict undermined the morale of the Russian army. It was then that “white ticketers” began to appear, the war inspired horror, terrible legends circulated about it, soldiers who had done wrong were sent there, hazing flourished there and became a scourge modern army. It was at that time that the military profession ceased to be attractive, although previously every second person dreamed of being an officer. "Echo of Afghanistan" can still be heard.
In December 1979, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan in order to support a friendly regime, and intended to leave within a year at most. But good intentions The Soviet Union turned into a long war. Today, some are trying to present this war as an atrocity or the result of a conspiracy. Let's look at those events as a tragedy and try to dispel the myths that appear today.
Fact: the introduction of OKSAV is a forced measure to protect geopolitical interests
On December 12, 1979, at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, a decision was made and formalized in a secret resolution to send troops to Afghanistan. These measures were not resorted to at all in order to seize the territory of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union's interest was primarily in protecting its own borders, and secondly in countering US attempts to gain a foothold in the region. The formal basis for the deployment of troops was repeated requests from the Afghan leadership.
The participants in the conflict, on the one hand, were the armed forces of the government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, and on the other, the armed opposition (Mujahideen, or dushmans). The dushmans received support from NATO members and Pakistani intelligence services. The struggle was for complete political control over Afghan territory.
According to statistics, Soviet troops were in Afghanistan for 9 years and 64 days. The maximum number of Soviet troops in 1985 reached 108.8 thousand, after which it steadily decreased. The withdrawal of troops began 8 years and 5 months after the start of presence in the country, and by August 1988 the number of Soviet troops in Afghanistan was only 40 thousand. To date, the United States of America and its allies have been in this country for more than 11 years.
Myth: Western aid to the mujahideen began only after the Soviet invasion
Western propaganda portrayed the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan as an aggression to seize new territories. However, the West began to support mujahideen leaders even before 1979. Robert Gates, who was then a CIA officer and served as Secretary of Defense under President Obama, describes the events of March 1979 in his memoirs. Then, according to him, the CIA discussed the question of whether it was worth supporting the Mujahideen further in order to “drag the USSR into the swamp,” and a decision was made to supply the Mujahideen with money and weapons.
In total, according to updated data, the losses of the Soviet Army in the Afghan war amounted to 14,427 thousand people killed and missing. More than 53 thousand people were shell-shocked, wounded or injured. For the courage and heroism shown in Afghanistan, more than 200 thousand military personnel were awarded orders and medals (11 thousand were awarded posthumously), 86 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (28 posthumously).
During approximately the same period of time, the American army in Vietnam lost 47,378 people in combat and another 10,779 died. More than 152 thousand were wounded, 2.3 thousand were missing.
Myth: The USSR withdrew troops from Afghanistan because the CIA provided the Mujahideen with Stinger missiles
Pro-Western media claimed that Charlie Wilson turned the tide of the war by convincing Ronald Reagan of the need to supply the Mujahideen with man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems designed to combat helicopters. This myth was voiced in the book “Charlie Wilson's War” by George Crile and in the film of the same name, where Tom Hanks played the role of the loud-mouthed congressman.
In fact, the Stringers only forced the Soviet troops to change tactics. The Mujahideen did not have night vision devices, and helicopters operated at night. The pilots carried out strikes from a higher altitude, which, of course, reduced their accuracy, but the level of losses of Afghan and Soviet aviation, in comparison with the statistics of the first six years of the war, remained virtually unchanged.
The decision to withdraw Soviet troops from Afghanistan was made by the USSR government in October 1985 - even as the Mujahideen began to receive Stringers in significant quantities, which only happened in the fall of 1986. An analysis of declassified minutes of Politburo meetings shows that any innovations in the weapons of the Afghan Mujahideen, including the “Stringers”, were never mentioned as a reason for the withdrawal of troops.
Fact: During the American presence in Afghanistan, drug production has increased significantly
Unlike the once-introduced Soviet contingent, the American military does not control the entire territory of Afghanistan. It is also undeniable that after Afghanistan was occupied by NATO troops, drug production in this country increased significantly. There is an opinion that Americans turn a blind eye to the rapid growth of heroin production quite consciously, understanding that an active fight against the drug business will sharply increase the losses of American troops.
If before 2001, drug trafficking in Afghanistan was repeatedly the subject of discussion in the UN Security Council, then later this issue was no longer brought up for discussion. It is also a fact that heroin produced in Afghanistan kills twice as many people every year in Russia and Ukraine than during the 10 years of war in Afghanistan.
After the withdrawal of the USSR military contingent from the territory of Afghanistan, the United States continued to maintain close ties with the Mujahideen. Washington blocked all proposals from President Mohammed Najibullah for negotiations and concessions. The Americans continued to arm jihadists and guerrillas, hoping that they would overthrow Najibullah's pro-Moscow regime.
This time became for Afghanistan the most destructive period in the country’s recent history: Pakistan and the West deprived the country of a unique opportunity to finish civil war. Charles Cogan, who served as the CIA's director of operations in South Asia and the Middle East from 1979 to 1984, later admitted: “I doubt whether our inertia should have helped the mujahideen after the Soviets left. Looking back, I think it was a mistake."
Fact: Americans were forced to buy back weapons given to them from Afghans
When Soviet troops entered Afghanistan, the United States, according to various estimates, donated to the Mujahideen from 500 to 2 thousand Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the country, the American government began to buy back the donated missiles for $183 thousand apiece, while the cost of the Stinger was $38 thousand.Myth: The mujahideen overthrew the Kabul regime and won a major victory over Moscow
The main factor that undermined Najibullah's position was Moscow's statement in September 1991, made shortly after the collapse of the coup against Gorbachev. Yeltsin, who came to power, decided to reduce the country's international obligations. Russia announced that it was stopping the supply of weapons to Kabul, as well as the supply of food and any other aid.
This decision was catastrophic for the morale of Najibullah's supporters, whose regime lasted only 2 years after Soviet troops left Afghanistan. Many military leaders and political allies of Najibullah went over to the side of the Mujahideen. As a result, Najibullah's army was not defeated. She just melted. It turned out that Moscow overthrew the government, for which it was paid with the lives of Soviet people.
Fact: The USSR made a fatal mistake - it failed to leave Afghanistan on time
“Afghan unfinished construction” had a very negative impact on the USSR. There is an opinion that it was the unsuccessful Soviet military intervention that became one of the main reasons for the disappearance of political map peace. If the introduction of troops in 1979 strengthened “anti-Russian sentiments” both in the West, and in the countries of the socialist camp, and in the Islamic world, then the forced withdrawal of troops and the change of political allies and partners in Kabul became one of the most fatal mistakes, calling into question everything positive , what the USSR did not only during the ten-year stay of OKSVA, but also for many years before that.
Myth: The US is rebuilding Afghanistan's economy today
According to statistics, the United States has invested $96.6 billion in the Afghan economy over 12 years. However, no one can say how much was used for its intended purpose. It is known that American businessmen who are engaged in the restoration of the Afghan economy, which was resolved by the war, have come up with a multi-stage corruption scheme for appropriating funds from the US budget through Afghanistan. According to the Stringer Bureau of International Investigation, multibillion-dollar sums are disappearing in an unknown direction.
During the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, the USSR built two gas pipelines, several gas stations and thermal power plants, power lines, 2 airports, more than a dozen oil depots, industrial enterprises, bakeries, Mother and Child Center, clinics, Polytechnic Institute, vocational schools, schools - in total more than 200 different industrial and social infrastructure facilities.
7 main facts about the Afghan war
On this day 35 years ago (December 25, 1979), Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. For 10 years, the USSR will be drawn into a conflict that will finally undermine its former power. “Echo of Afghanistan” can still be heard.
There was no Afghan war. There was a deployment of a limited contingent of Soviet troops to Afghanistan. It is fundamentally important that Soviet troops entered Afghanistan at the invitation. There were about two dozen invitations. The decision to send troops was not easy, but it was nevertheless made by members of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee on December 12, 1979. In fact, the USSR was drawn into this conflict. A short search for “who benefits from this” clearly points, first of all, to the United States. According to the memoirs of former CIA Director Robert Gates, on July 3, 1979, American President Jimmy Carter signed a secret presidential order authorizing funding for anti-government forces in Afghanistan, and Zbigniew Brzezinski directly said: “We did not push the Russians to interfere, but we deliberately increased the likelihood that they would they will."
Afghanistan is geopolitically a pivot point. It is not in vain that wars have been waged over Afghanistan throughout its history. Both open and diplomatic. Since the 19th century, there has been a struggle between the Russian and British empires for control of Afghanistan, called the “Great Game”. The Afghan conflict of 1979-1989 is part of this “game”. Mutinies and uprisings in the “underbelly” of the USSR could not go unnoticed. It was impossible to lose the Afghan axis. In addition, Leonid Brezhnev really wanted to act as a peacemaker. He spoke.
The Afghan conflict “quite by accident” caused a serious wave of protest in the world, which was fueled in every possible way by “friendly” media. Voice of America radio broadcasts began daily with military reports. By all means, people were not allowed to forget that the Soviet Union was waging a “war of conquest” on territory that was foreign to itself. The 1980 Olympics were boycotted by many countries (including the USA). The Western propaganda machine was working at full capacity, creating the image of an aggressor from the USSR.
The Afghan conflict was Afghan in name only. In essence, a cunning combination was carried out: the enemies were forced to fight each other. The United States authorized “economic assistance” to the Afghan opposition in the amount of $15 million, as well as military assistance - supplying them with heavy weapons and providing military training to groups of Afghan mujahideen. The United States did not even hide its interest in the conflict. In 1988, the third part of the Rambo epic was filmed. Sylvester Stallone's hero this time fought in Afghanistan. The absurdly tailored, openly propaganda film even received a Golden Raspberry Award and was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the film with the maximum amount of violence: the film contains 221 scenes of violence and a total of more than 108 people die. At the end of the film there are credits “The film is dedicated to the valiant people of Afghanistan.”
The role of the Afghan conflict is difficult to overestimate. Every year the USSR spent about 2-3 billion US dollars on it. The Soviet Union could afford this at the peak of oil prices, which was observed in 1979-1980. However, between November 1980 and June 1986, oil prices fell almost 6 times! Of course, it was not by chance that they fell. A special “thank you” to Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign. There was no longer a “financial cushion” in the form of income from the sale of vodka on the domestic market. The USSR, by inertia, continued to spend money on creating a positive image, but funds were running out within the country. The USSR found itself in economic collapse
During the Afghan conflict, the country was in a kind of cognitive dissonance. On the one hand, everyone knew about “Afghanistan,” on the other, the USSR painfully tried to “live better and more fun.” Olympics-80, XII World Festival of Youth and Students - The Soviet Union celebrated and rejoiced. Meanwhile, KGB General Philip Bobkov subsequently testified: “Long before the opening of the festival, Afghan militants were specially selected in Pakistan, who underwent serious training under the guidance of CIA specialists and were brought into the country a year before the festival. They settled in the city, especially since they were provided with money, and began to wait to receive explosives, plastic bombs and weapons, preparing to carry out explosions in crowded places (Luzhniki, Manezhnaya Square and other places). The protests were disrupted thanks to the operational measures taken.”
As the hero of the movie “Rambo” said: “The war is not over.” We all know about the “Afghan syndrome”, about thousands of broken destinies, about veterans who returned from the war, useless and forgotten. The Afghan conflict gave rise to a whole layer of culture of the “forgotten and devoted soldier.” This image was atypical for the Russian tradition. The Afghan conflict undermined the morale of the Russian army. It was then that “white ticketers” began to appear, the war inspired horror, terrible legends circulated about it, dirty soldiers were sent there, hazing flourished there, which has become the scourge of the modern army. It was at that time that the military profession ceased to be attractive, although previously every second person dreamed of being an officer. “Echo of Afghanistan” can still be heard.
The decision to send Soviet troops into Afghanistan was made on December 12, 1979 at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee and formalized by a secret resolution of the CPSU Central Committee.
The official purpose of the entry was to prevent the threat of foreign military intervention. The Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee used repeated requests from the Afghan leadership as a formal basis.
This conflict involved the armed forces of the government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) on the one hand and the armed opposition (Mujahideen, or dushmans) on the other. The struggle was for complete political control over the territory of Afghanistan. During the conflict, the Dushmans were supported by US military specialists, a number of European countries- NATO members, as well as Pakistani intelligence services.
On December 25, 1979, the entry of Soviet troops into the DRA began. The Soviet contingent included: the command of the 40th Army with support and maintenance units, divisions - 4, separate brigades - 5, separate regiments - 4, combat aviation regiments - 4, helicopter regiments - 3, pipeline brigade - 1, material support brigade 1 and some other units and institutions.
The presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan and their combat activities are conventionally divided into four stages.
1st stage: December 1979 - February 1980 Entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, placing them in garrisons, organizing the protection of deployment points and various objects.
2nd stage: March 1980 - April 1985 Conducting active combat operations, including large-scale ones, together with Afghan formations and units. Work to reorganize and strengthen the armed forces of the DRA.
3rd stage: May 1985 - December 1986 Transition from active combat operations primarily to supporting the actions of Afghan troops Soviet aviation, artillery and sapper units. Special forces units fought to suppress the delivery of weapons and ammunition from abroad. The withdrawal of six Soviet regiments to their homeland took place.
4th stage: January 1987 - February 1989 Participation of Soviet troops in the Afghan leadership's policy of national reconciliation.
On April 14, 1988, with the mediation of the UN in Switzerland, the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan signed the Geneva Agreements on a political settlement of the situation in the DRA. The Soviet Union pledged to withdraw its troops at 9 month period, starting May 15; The United States and Pakistan, for their part, had to stop supporting the Mujahideen.
In accordance with the agreements, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan began on May 15, 1988.
On February 15, 1989, Soviet troops completely withdrew from Afghanistan. The withdrawal of the troops of the 40th Army was led by the last commander of the limited contingent, Lieutenant General Boris Gromov.
Losses:
According to updated data, the total in the war Soviet army lost 14 thousand 427 people (of which about 2000 Ukrainians), the KGB - 576 people, the Ministry of Internal Affairs - 28 people dead and missing. More than 53 thousand people were wounded, shell-shocked, injured. The exact number of Afghans killed in the war is unknown. Available estimates range from 1 to 2 million people.
For comparison:
Over a roughly similar time period, the US Army lost 47,378 people during combat operations in Vietnam, 10,799 non-combat personnel, 153,303 wounded, 2,300 missing. Approximately 5 thousand US Air Force aircraft were shot down.
The total losses of American troops during their entire stay in Iraq and Afghanistan over the 8 years of confrontation have already amounted to 18,048 military personnel. At the same time, the statistics of American losses is growing every year.
Interesting fact:
Unlike the Soviet contingent, the Americans do not control the entire territory of Afghanistan (including particularly important transport routes and strategic facilities). In addition, after the occupation of Afghanistan by NATO forces, drug production increased significantly. Some researchers argue that Americans are deliberately turning a blind eye to the rapid growth of heroin production, which may be caused by fears that if an active fight against the drug business is launched, the losses of American troops will increase sharply. Until 2001, Afghan drug trafficking was repeatedly the subject of discussion in the UN Security Council, but after the discussion they stopped holding it. Afghan-made heroin in Russia and Ukraine kills twice as many people annually as Soviet soldiers died during the entire ten-year war in Afghanistan.
In 1979, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. For 10 years, the USSR was drawn into a conflict that finally undermined its former power. “Echo of Afghanistan” can still be heard.
Contingent
There was no Afghan war. There was a deployment of a limited contingent of Soviet troops to Afghanistan. It is fundamentally important that Soviet troops entered Afghanistan at the invitation. There were about two dozen invitations. The decision to send troops was not easy, but it was nevertheless made by members of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee on December 12, 1979. In fact, the USSR was drawn into this conflict. A short search for “who benefits from this” clearly points, first of all, to the United States. Today they are not even trying to hide the Anglo-Saxon trace of the Afghan conflict. According to the memoirs of former CIA Director Robert Gates, on July 3, 1979, American President Jimmy Carter signed a secret presidential order authorizing funding for anti-government forces in Afghanistan, and Zbigniew Brzezinski directly said: “We did not push the Russians to interfere, but we deliberately increased the likelihood that they would will do."
Afghan axis
Afghanistan is geopolitically a pivot point. It is not in vain that wars have been waged over Afghanistan throughout its history. Both open and diplomatic. Since the 19th century, there has been a struggle between the Russian and British empires for control of Afghanistan, called the “Great Game”. The Afghan conflict of 1979-1989 is part of this “game”. Mutinies and uprisings in the “underbelly” of the USSR could not go unnoticed. It was impossible to lose the Afghan axis. In addition, Leonid Brezhnev really wanted to act as a peacemaker. He spoke.
Oh sport, you are the world
The Afghan conflict “quite by accident” caused a serious wave of protest in the world, which was fueled in every possible way by “friendly” media. Voice of America radio broadcasts began daily with military reports. By all means, people were not allowed to forget that the Soviet Union was waging a “war of conquest” on territory that was foreign to itself. The 1980 Olympics were boycotted by many countries (including the USA). The Anglo-Saxon propaganda machine worked at full capacity, creating the image of an aggressor from the USSR. The Afghan conflict greatly helped with the change of poles: by the end of the 70s, the popularity of the USSR in the world was enormous. The US boycott did not go unanswered. Our athletes did not go to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The whole world
The Afghan conflict was Afghan in name only. In essence, the favorite Anglo-Saxon combination was carried out: the enemies were forced to fight each other. The United States authorized “economic assistance” to the Afghan opposition in the amount of $15 million, as well as military assistance - supplying them with heavy weapons and providing military training to groups of Afghan mujahideen. The United States did not even hide its interest in the conflict. In 1988, the third part of the Rambo epic was filmed. Sylvester Stallone's hero this time fought in Afghanistan. The absurdly tailored, openly propaganda film even received a Golden Raspberry Award and was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the film with the maximum amount of violence: the film contains 221 scenes of violence and a total of more than 108 people die. At the end of the film there are credits “The film is dedicated to the valiant people of Afghanistan.”
The role of the Afghan conflict is difficult to overestimate. Every year the USSR spent about 2-3 billion US dollars on it. The Soviet Union could afford this at the peak of oil prices, which was observed in 1979-1980. However, between November 1980 and June 1986, oil prices fell almost 6 times! Of course, it was not by chance that they fell. A special “thank you” to Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign. There was no longer a “financial cushion” in the form of income from the sale of vodka on the domestic market. The USSR, by inertia, continued to spend money on creating a positive image, but funds were running out within the country. The USSR found itself in economic collapse.
Dissonance
During the Afghan conflict, the country was in a kind of cognitive dissonance. On the one hand, everyone knew about “Afghanistan,” on the other, the USSR painfully tried to “live better and more fun.” Olympics-80, XII World Festival of Youth and Students - The Soviet Union celebrated and rejoiced. Meanwhile, KGB General Philip Bobkov subsequently testified: “Long before the opening of the festival, Afghan militants were specially selected in Pakistan, who underwent serious training under the guidance of CIA specialists and were brought into the country a year before the festival. They settled in the city, especially since they were provided with money, and began to wait to receive explosives, plastic bombs and weapons, preparing to carry out explosions in crowded places (Luzhniki, Manezhnaya Square and other places). The protests were disrupted thanks to the operational measures taken.”
