Interview with combat veteran, retired police colonel Andrei Komandin.

February 15 is a special day for many. Twenty five years ago on this day the conclusion Soviet troops from Afghanistan, a ten-year war ended, in which the USSR lost more than 15 thousand soldiers and officers.

Andrei Komandin, a retired police colonel, is one of those for whom the Afghan military campaign became a real school life. In February 1985, as part of the 12th Guards motorized rifle regiment he crossed the Soviet-Afghan border near Kushka. Then - Herat, where the young lieutenant had to serve for two years.

The baptism of fire happened just two weeks after arrival, in the desert on the Afghan-Iranian border.

“Our task was to blockade the training center of the dushmans, which was located in this desert, to prevent their breakthrough to Iran. We are a motorized rifle company, an artillery battery, plus a reconnaissance group, the rest are “fighters” of the Afghan army, whom we recruited along the way, stopping in villages. Well, what good are they?.. Then I came under mortar fire for the first time. The deputy platoon commander was wounded - a fragment from a mine passed through his temple. It was a shock: he falls into an armored personnel carrier, his face is covered in blood. We were shooting somewhere, retreating somewhere - everything turned out very hectic. But overall, we completed the task. The main thing is that there were no losses,” recalls Andrei Anatolyevich.

After that things started to happen... The first year we went to combat missions— Herat, Kandahar, they helped in Kabul. For the second year they guarded and escorted our columns through the mountains and suburbs. At first they lived in tents, and by the second year they had already built barracks for themselves. Living conditions, not to mention service, were not easy.

—During the day it reached forty-five degrees. And in winter it even snowed. True, it melted during the day. We walked more in the desert. The most difficult thing to bear is the “Afghan” wind with sand. After him there is sand everywhere. And in the dining room everything was hot: porridge, soup, compote... I ate a little and went outside, all wet, to dry in the wind.

Over time, they learned to create a little comfort - when they went to combat, if the armored personnel carrier stopped, they hung a raincoat on the side so that they could sit in the shade and have a snack. Drivers heated cans of stewed meat on their engines. The main thing is to do it carefully so that it doesn’t “explode”.

Of course, there was another side to such a life. If God protected from wounds, illnesses lay in wait. And they also suffered greatly from lice.

—I did not receive any injuries or concussions. But I suffered from hepatitis twice. Everyone returned from there with “gifts” - the water was disgusting. Even though they put pills in all the flasks, they still hurt. When I was in the hospital, for the second time, there were these bunk beds and plywood walls. The neighbor checked out, I decided to take his blanket, mine was full of holes. I came up, looked, and changed my mind: lice were just running around there. When we returned to the unit after the hospital, we “cleaned ourselves” literally on the threshold - we undressed, washed hot water, all the clothes in the fire.

Both the soldiers and officers were young, so perhaps they weren’t particularly afraid.

“Only before the vacation, about two weeks, did you have this feeling - just to go, and then... And a month before the replacement - when will this end? And we got used to everything so quickly. And to constant danger too. At first they wore bulletproof vests and helmets. Then they only put them on when something happened. One day, an armored personnel carrier exploded, and the fighter who was riding on top dived from it. He hit his head hard. So they wore helmets again for a while.

There was one moment, but fear came only later, when they realized what could have happened... One fighter was caught stealing. He tried to leave and threw a grenade between us. RGD. It was my daughter's birthday, February 18, 1987. And I think I was born a second time. Thank God, everyone survived.

Another decided to run away to the “spirits.” Our scouts found him, bought him, and returned him to his unit. His father was a prosecutor - he was immediately fired from his job. I remember before the formation they read a letter from his mother: “It would be better if they killed you, if only we had a hero in our family”... Those were the times...

Now, when almost two decades have passed, Andrei Komandin no longer remembers fighting and not hardships, but small joys with which Soviet military personnel brightened up their lives in a foreign and not always hospitable country.

—Senior officers taught us how to make dumplings from dough and canned cabbage. It was a delicacy. And one day we brought two KAMAZ trucks of bricks and built a bathhouse. It was possible to wash and do laundry. You wash the uniform, stretch it on an armored personnel carrier, and in fifteen minutes it’s already dry. Do you know what to use in the desert to make a cake for a friend’s birthday? We had everything canned. You take cookies, boil condensed milk, coat it, sprinkle sugar on top... These are small joys. Once they brought “live” potatoes. They took zinc from under the cartridges, punched holes with a nail - it turned out to be a grater. We grated potatoes and fried pancakes. And in Kabul there was an “officer’s” cafe. When we first got there, we saw scrambled eggs on the menu. We ordered it right away. We haven’t eaten eggs for six months...

And I also remember the majestic pines of Herat. Local authorities They were strictly guarded - if anyone felled a tree, his hands were cut off. But these huge trees created for our servicemen additional problems: Restricted visibility.

—The local population used the usual guerrilla tactics: during the day they greeted us and smiled, and at night they went to mine the roads... Therefore, there was no need to relax. I remember when we were already flying home on the IL-18 - they called it “replacement” - we sat quietly and tensely until the border, and only when the pilot said that we had crossed the border, they shouted “hurray”.

But in general our task was to find local mutual language. And it helped. Once our warrant officer lost his machine gun - they found it and returned it. Although different things happened. When a village was hit by shelling, they handed over two KAMAZ trucks of flour to the residents as a sign of reconciliation.

We also had to protect the so-called “kerosene puddles” from them. The pipeline through which the fuel flowed was regularly shot by spooks. And we had to prevent the locals from collecting the kerosene leaking from the pipe. They immediately came running, persuaded, and offered payment. The problem is shortage - everything runs on kerosene, and there wasn’t enough of it.

War is in any case scary and bad. But this is also good school life.

- Whatever they say, people in uniform need such skills. This has given me a lot in life - from the ability to live in the field and the ability to find a way out of any situation to combat tactics and the use of weapons. And when you can make something out of nothing - as in the case of dumplings - it is always useful and helps in the future. It is known that the Americans in Afghanistan, if they don’t have cold Coca-Cola, will not fight, but ours have always arranged their own lives, built bathhouses, and even celebrated birthdays with food and gifts. Such skills will always be useful in life.

In 1992, when the Armed Forces began to be cut, friends suggested that Andrei Komandin join the police. The most acceptable option - both in spirit and in the type of activity - was the riot police. Knowledge of weapons and tactical techniques in the squad was very useful. Andrei Anatolyevich was responsible for professional training in the detachment, teaching the fighters what he himself learned in Afghanistan.

In 1993 he ended up in Vladikavkaz, where a fire broke out Ossetian-Ingush conflict. Almost everything is the same as in Afghanistan - mountains, checkpoints, raids. In October 1993 - Moscow was protesting and shooting from the barricades, and since 1995 - Chechnya. Only as part of the detachment I was on official business trips twice. And when I moved to the personnel department, I no longer counted trips.

—In 1998 he began working in training center, began to prepare the guys for business trips to hot spots - the first combined detachments police who went to Chechnya. And here, too, all the “Afghan” experience came in handy. They taught, among other things, combat tactics - those issues that, in general, are uncharacteristic for the police. It is not our function to conduct combat operations in the city or in the mountains, but we had to learn this too. And even now, on official business trips, our guys have to, along with their direct responsibilities - maintaining order, solving crimes - solve problems that are more suitable for regular troops.

Now Andrey Anatolyevich works in the department of Rosoboronzakaz. Its main functions are checking the execution of state defense orders by local enterprises and control over the expenditure of public funds.

—Now many of the young guys I taught are already in leadership positions. I'm glad they are continuing the work we did together. And they are no worse than we were in our time. Something, of course, has changed. Riot policemen, for example, have become more calm, more confident in their actions and less adventurous. This is not the worst option. Each situation corresponds to its time. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will exist as long as there is a state. Some tasks have changed, but the main functions have remained unchanged - maintaining order. People now come to the service are normal, and now they also have a financial incentive, and everything is not so bad in terms of support.

Yes, there is now a gap between youth and wisdom in the police, and we need to fill it. So that young people can catch up, so that the middle link does not “fall out”. Smart leaders must be protected, despite all the demands placed on them. After all, prepare good leader- this takes years and years; he must have experience working with people and a certain school of life.

PHOTO from the archive of Andrey Komandin

The other day, Oleg Boldyrev, a correspondent for the Moscow bureau of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), came to my office. I bring to your attention my interview for the BBC. ABOUT. How exactly did the Afghan war influence your destiny? Has it changed your views on politics, has your idea of ​​the legality of sending troops to Afghanistan changed over these 20 years?
In Afghanistan I was fortunate to work with amazing person named Shafi, a representative of one of the most ancient tribes, a descendant of the warriors of Alexander the Great. By the way, in his youth Shafi studied in England. Circumstances so happened that he became not only my friend, but also my teacher. Thanks to his lessons, I have been practicing oriental medicine for more than twenty years, helping my patients. Thanks to the Afghan war, I became a writer, a member of the Russian Writers' Union. I made many good and reliable friends. It turns out that it was the Afghan war that gave me all this? And should I be grateful to her? Maybe. But I know how much my friends and loved ones lost in this war. And I know that war is truly EVIL. No matter how we try to idealize it... As for politics. We didn’t think much about it back then. But now we know about the axiom of the famous English writer and historian Basil Henry Liddell Hart: “The purpose of war is to achieve a world better than the one before the war.” If after this war the Afghan people began to live worse, Soviet people- worse. And only a small group of people became fabulously rich... This happened again in Chechnya. There's a lot to think about here. And it is very easy to “figure out” those who benefit from these wars. Perhaps we've gotten older? And our ideas about the world around us have changed greatly. ABOUT.. A typical “Afghan” veteran, of course, does not exist - but what was the fate of your fellow soldiers and others who served in Afghanistan? What are the main problems facing veterans now? Veterans have the right to count on special treatment?
I worked in military intelligence. This is a special world. During the 26 months of service in Afghanistan, not a single one was killed or wounded among my subordinates. And this is not only my merit, but also the level of training of my intelligence officers. I have always been lucky to have subordinates, colleagues and commanders. Therefore, after the war, their fate was more successful than that of many others. Ilham Galiyev became school teacher. Igor Ts. - senior officer of the FSO, Ilya Tretyakov - famous lawyer. All of them were ordinary intelligence officers. Of the officers: my immediate superior Ruslan Aushev is the former president of Ingushetia. My friend Kolya Prokudin (Revyakin) is now a famous St. Petersburg writer. What problems? Everyone has their own. Having served 25 years in the Armed Forces, I received severance pay from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (at that time V.V. Putin) in an amount equivalent to 1 (one) thousand American dollars. Like many of my friends, I dreamed of building my own HOME for many years. With your own hands for your family and friends, to teach those who want to oriental medicine, meet with your readers, with your friends (the previous legislation included an article on free provision land plots for individual housing construction for reserve officers). But according to current legislation, all land in our country is sold only at auction. One thousand dollars cannot buy a lot of land (my fellow soldiers and I, I remember, noted the subtle humor of our Supreme Commander-in-Chief - with this money you can buy two square meters land, and use the remaining money to arrange a “housewarming party” - it was not difficult to guess where our Supreme would like to see us all). Appeals to various officials, and even to party representatives " United Russia"there was no result. Perhaps changes need to be made to the legislation to support our veterans (combat veterans, military service etc.). For land question in our country has always been one of the most important. So that they can BUILD their houses at least themselves. Unfortunately, not only do the years pass, but also the strength - in a year or another I will no longer be able to build a house. Yes, and many other guys who went through Afghanistan and Chechnya. After all, we won't live forever. Although, perhaps, this is what our leaders hope for - they will wait a little, and our problems will be solved by themselves. After all, as you know: there is a person - there is a problem; no person - no problem. And the mortality rate among veterans recent wars now it’s just depressing... Special treatment for veterans? No, it's not special, it's just REASONABLE attitude not temporary workers, but truly statesmen. Who care about their country and those who live in it. ABOUT.The state is often accused of not paying attention to those who served in Afghanistan. Is this due to the fact that at one time the introduction of troops into Afghanistan was recognized as a mistake, should that decision be canceled?
Everyone knows simple truth: You need to evaluate a person BY DEEDS, not by words. Yes, under Gorbachev, the Afghan war was declared a mistake (which, in my opinion, dealt an irreparable blow to the fate of many internationalist soldiers). But it was not those who made the decision to send troops who suffered because of Gorbachev’s decree, but those who honestly served their Motherland. Under the current leadership, they are saying more and more often that the soldiers and officers then honestly fulfilled their duty. But neither then nor now nothing is REALLY being done for veterans (with the exception of certain and very rare cases). And the situation is especially sad with veterans Chechen companies- Gorbachev’s resolution has nothing to do with them at all. So it turns out that the words spoken from high stands and decisions are not so important (although they are important; oh, how important!). But real things and caring for real veterans are more important. But we don’t even know how many veterans of the Afghan war live in the country today? What can we say about veterans of other wars?! And yet I would like those who speak from high stands to think at least a little about what they are saying. And so that their words do not differ from real deeds. But this seems to be in the realm of science fiction. ABOUT. What lessons should have been learned from that war, were they learned - in the military aspect, in relations with other countries?
Before being sent to Afghanistan, my mentor Alexander Aleksandrovich Shchelokov said that my task was not only to collect information about the enemy, but, first of all, information about the Afghans themselves, their customs and traditions. Collecting military information is the way to next war. Getting to know the people and their history gives them a chance to become good neighbors over time. And live in peace. This main lesson, which I learned from this war. And thanks to this task, it was much easier for me to serve in Afghanistan. And much more interesting. The second lesson is that disagreements can and should be resolved ONLY peacefully. Wars, long or lightning, do not solve problems, but only create the appearance of such a solution. Solutions, as a rule, lie in the plane of ECONOMY. And also in the field of UPBRINGING and EDUCATION. And the third lesson that I learned for myself personally is that the Afghan war is not our whole life, but only one of its pages. After which there will be others. We must not forget, but we must not live only in the past. We need to move forward. We need to live on, work, create... Has our country learned these lessons from the Afghan war? Ordinary soldiers and officers - I think so (we were sure that this was the LAST war of our time - which means we learned a lot). Politicians - NO (or the lessons they learned are beyond universal human values). Only a few years have passed since NEW wars broke out. On the territory of the former Soviet Union, in the North Caucasus... ABOUT. Many people now have feelings of nostalgiawe sweat from time to time. By Soviet Union. Aren't you afraid that in the wake of these sentiments a new war may begin within Russia? Yes, there is nostalgia. No matter how much they scold those times, the first secretary of the city party committee in my hometown Then I lived in the same standard apartment as my family. Below us. Among the luxury items in her apartment was a wonderful library... We did not live richly, but we had free education, healthcare, and a future. I often hear in response that in the mid-eighties the idea of ​​socialism completely outlived its usefulness. They remind me of empty store shelves. Unfortunately, for a long time now I don’t believe everything I hear. In my opinion, the store shelves were emptied by the Afghan war and the arms race (our economy simply “couldn’t handle them”). And very serious mistakes of our leaders. But the idea of ​​socialism, in China, for example, is still alive. And it shows very little bad results. Provided that this is a living idea and not a dogma. No matter how much they praise modern times, but you all see perfectly well how the current mayors and their families live. How officials and oligarchs live. To say that they earned all this through honest work, entrepreneurial talent and titanic efficiency is simply ridiculous. Do you think our leaders don’t know HOW they earned it? Yes, this happened under other leaders. But another question arises: why now the current authorities diligently continue to NOT NOTICE the increasing gap in the standard of living of these “cream of society” and ordinary people (except in words!). The sad thing is the perspective. The children of these “Cream of Society” will continue to live in chocolate. Our children are in poverty. Many people understand this. And for this reason, the words spoken from high stands do not inspire much optimism in them. In addition, in the wake of hatred towards these “cream”, real entrepreneurs, people with initiative and creativity, may suffer. Such people have always been and, hopefully, will be on our land. They have already been able to earn money big fortunes, were able to become a worthy example to follow. We can all get hurt. Those who, no matter what, continue to work, continue to believe and strive for the best. That's what's scary. ABOUT.. How do you feel about the gas conflict between Russia and Ukraine? I remember that once upon a time in Rome they demanded bread and circuses. Instead of jobs. Everyone knows very well what happened to the Roman Empire. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine was broadcast for several days on almost all television channels. A common conflict between business entities. Don't we have any other problems in the country? You asked about nostalgia. About twenty years ago, everywhere you looked, there were garden plots. Those same six hundred square meters. On which they grew potatoes, vegetables, berries (some pigs, geese, ducks...). You say there was low labor productivity? Maybe. But there was still a small element of food security for each individual family. And there was huge labor potential. Now only lawn grass grows everywhere... We have forgotten how to work. We were weaned from working. That's where real conflict. And not in relations with Ukraine, where our friends and our brothers live.
ABOUT.. Now in Afghanistan, including in those areas where you served - NATO and US troops. Their tactics in the fight against the Taliban differ from the approach Soviet command? Can you give advice to your American colleague - what is it?
Of course, the tactics are different. The Americans use more modern weapons and communications than we do. Even bomb attacks are carried out from such a height that the Mujahideen cannot reach the planes from the ground not only from small arms, but even from MANPADS (man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems). This gives rise to an inferiority complex among the Mujahideen. But, on the other hand, it intensifies hatred. And the Mujahideen will find ways to implement it. They will certainly find it... As my friends who are now working in Afghanistan tell me, American convoys very often drive cars without national flags, with someone else’s license plates. Unlike other multinational forces, on the contrary, they are trying in every possible way to show that they are NOT Americans. Apparently there are reasons for this? What advice can you give to your American colleagues? Learn history. Read my novel "The Silk Road" (). No one has yet managed to conquer Afghanistan. And it’s unlikely to succeed. We need to cooperate with the Afghans, first of all, in economically, and not to fight. And most importantly, I would like to return home alive and healthy. ABOUT.Over the course of 20 years, the country and ideology that made it possible to send troops into Afghanistan disappeared, and a war broke out in Chechnya, about which more has been told and shown than about the Afghan war. What kind of "your" war will remain in Russian history?
Recently at the presentation of a 12-episode documentary film One woman said about the Afghan war that Russia is doomed to always fight. If this is the case, if we are ALWAYS surrounded by enemies, then maybe we should pay attention to ourselves. Maybe WE ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG? After Afghanistan, we did not draw the proper conclusions. We continued to look for enemies around us, instead of raising our economy, Agriculture, build modern houses not only in cities, but primarily in the countryside - where bread is grown, not paper and financial pyramids. We have forgotten how to work. No, we know how to go to work, but, unfortunately, we stop producing real things. In elections, we continue to vote with our ears, not with our heads. Maybe that's why the war started in Chechnya? If we don't draw conclusions now, where will war break out next?
Why is so little known about the Afghan war? Perhaps this is a big fault of us, writers. I know that many historians are very skeptical about literary works. But this ( I showed my Afghan diaries. Note auto.) is a real treasure for any of them. The memories of the participants in this war, their diaries and photo archives remain, while the participants themselves are still alive - all you need is a little desire and desire to convey to descendants the TRUTH about this war. We need to go to schools and tell our children about what we experienced in this war. After all, they are the very future that will remember us or forget about us! And it depends on EACH OF US: how talented and interesting we can convey this information to our listeners (and readers) - this is how this war will remain in the memory of our descendants. What mark will the Afghan war leave in history? For me personally, it will forever remain a monument to the unparalleled courage and bravery of ordinary soldiers and officers. And this is unchanged... Finally, I told Oleg about our Artofvar Site (although he contacted me through it), showed me my Afghan photographs, diaries, books, the magazine “The Pain of My Heart” and the Almanac “The Art of War”. Oleg put the almanac aside. - We already know about him! In April we interviewed a correspondent " Novaya Gazeta"Arkady Babchenko, he talked about the Almanac "The Art of War" a LOT of interesting things...
P.S. The interview will air on BBC World and BBC National Broadcasting in the UK in mid-February 2009.

05.24.2016 INTERVIEW WITH WARRIORS – INTERNATIONALISTS OF THE VILLAGE OF Yakovtsevo

Yakovtsevskaya Library

INTERVIEWS WITH INTERNATIONALIST WARRIORS

VILLAGE Yakovtsevo (DOWNLOAD)

They came from the war

Our fellow countrymen:

Kalashnikov

Victor Nikolaevich;

Chezhidov

Alexander Vyacheslavovich;

Tsaregorodtsev

Sergey Vasilevich.

From the flames of Afghanistan

Years will pass. Much will be forgotten over time, of course, but neither the publication of our political, strategic and tactical mistakes in this undeclared war, nor the identification of specific culprits will relieve the grief of mothers and widows, heal the disabled, or delay mental wounds many young people. This means that the truth about this war, no matter how bitter it may be for us, must be known to the people. These are objective true stories about people, about their heroism and courage, about their tragic destinies.

They came from the war

Similar to you.

They came from the war

The hour of death has not struck...

As you know, wars do not end with that long-awaited moment when the weapons fall silent, they continue in the souls of those who participated in them. And this war on Afghan soil is no exception. She will remind of herself for a long time - while the mothers are alive, in their old age, having lost their breadwinners, while the wounds of the soldiers hurt.

Having returned from the war, the “Afghans” entered peaceful life. They brought some unique alarming note into our lives. They brought with them a kind of renewed love for the Motherland, learned far from it and acquired at such a high price. To some extent they gave us back lofty concepts patriotism, courage, military and human duty.

That's all... We're going home today,

To the land of snow, the land of rowan trees and swift pines.

Here, in the Afghan mountains, every stone is foreign,

Let everything remain beyond the distant boundary,

We do not know our guilt and do not ask for forgiveness.

Time passes,

and we convert it to years,

and the years gone by into eternity.

the more you understand the feat -

a feat of young guys of the distant 80s.

Kalashnikov Viktor Nikolaevich

We call their generation “peaceful.” As an eighteen-year-old boy, he found himself in the crucible of war.

Victor was born in the village of Karavaevo in 1968, graduated from 10th grade in the village. Yakovtsevo. I studied well, dreamed of going to college at the road traffic department. Assigned by the military registration and enlistment office, I learned to become a driver, and soon joined the army. First, he served for five months in “training” in Batumi, then he ended up in Afghanistan, in the Shindant province. For 9 months, Viktor Nikolaevich was a driver of a Ural car in Kandahar, transporting shells. As he himself recalls: “I took part in sixteen military operations.” The equipment was repaired, repaired - and again used in combat operations. I was in the reconnaissance battalion and went into ambushes. There are no borders between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many comrades died, the platoon consisted of 18 people, 8 died. He himself received a shrapnel wound to the head and spent 1.5 months in the hospital.”

Viktor Nikolayevich recounted an episode from hospital life: “A nurse came running, in the next room the wounded major’s heart stopped, I was not taken aback, I directly connected him to an oxygen cylinder, ... the heart started working, it stopped again! He did artificial respiration. Then she arrived and health care. The major was saved. For this, he gave me an engraved wristwatch and said: “Guarantee - 32 years!” It's a shame they didn't survive.

It was very surprising what they had there feudal system, as in the 14th century, they plowed wooden plow, but in the ears there are headphones from the player. “Friends” during the day and “enemies” at night.”

The jet regiment in which Viktor Nikolaevich served carried shells. The projectile together with the box weighed 100 kg and “flew away” in 13 seconds. The shells were loaded and unloaded by the drivers themselves, helping each other. The equipment was new, there were a lot of spare parts, they also repaired it together. According to a former internationalist soldier, the Brotherhood of War– very strong. Their platoon was multinational. 10 nationalities: Uzbek, Lithuanian, Moldavian, Estonian, Ukrainian..., they lived very friendly, nationality did not matter. They helped each other out, as if in one family. Now, unfortunately, many of them live abroad, so it is very difficult to meet.

Anyone who has been to Afghanistan

Will not stop remembering him,

Will not forget military friendship...

Many years have passed, but the events of the Afghan War have not faded in the warrior’s memory. The former soldiers were distinguished from their peers not only by the mysterious tan of their weather-beaten faces, not only by their early gray hair, but by the still unfaded shine of their military awards.

They often went on combat missions for 3 months, they went very far: “...we used to go on a raid at 4 in the morning, we drove for seventeen hours, sometimes you dozed off, but you couldn’t sleep, the road made of concrete slabs resembled a washboard, it was so disfigured by mines. We drove without lights, the headlights were blackout, the distance to cars was 2 meters. They were constantly shelling. If we got up at night, we dug a trench, slept no more than 4 hours and moved on.”

A column crawls between the rocks.

Around the bend is a turn,

Beyond the pass is a pass.

This is not Europe, but the East

And mine warfare is in vogue.

You won’t guess where it will explode,

Who will trigger the fuse...

These poetic lines fully convey memories former soldier: “...I remember the last raid before leaving Afghanistan. This was in the province of Chakcharan. Very steep long passes, the engine of the car barely worked. On the right is an abyss, on the left is a rock. The rocks were very often mined by dushmans.

Here the slopes are like columns -

Try to get up!

There are bottomless abysses here -

Make sure you don't lose your temper!

Let's go shoot the spot. Among the “spirits,” our guy, a defector, was the chief of artillery. He treated Russian soldiers very harshly. The “point” was removed, other soldiers were stationed, they drove off 5 km, and they were all killed. I also remember an incident: “I was driving through Kandahar, I got to the regiment, I saw that the side window of the car was broken, the sniper was working. If an officer had been traveling with me, he would have been killed. The snipers were paid more for them, but I’m a private, you can’t earn much from me...” This incident occurred 5 days before dismissal. Of course, the letters came to the rescue. They wrote from home, the girl they loved, who later became his wife, wrote. It was impossible to write about the service, but I knew all the news from the Motherland.

In 1988, he returned home and was stunned by the peaceful life - a different life. For a long time, when I already worked as a driver of a car on a collective farm, I couldn’t get used to it: I kept turning my head, afraid of a sniper, I drove carefully, afraid of being blown up, it affected military life. As Victor recalls, “Even in a dream, it happens that you dream that you are driving on a concrete road.”

Those were lucky, they missed each other

A landmine, a point-blank shot...

But deep down Russian streets

A mirage of the Afghan mountains rises.

Victor got married and continues to work as a driver on a collective farm to this day. My son graduated from school with a silver medal, college...

As you know, wars do not end with that long-awaited moment when the weapons fall silent. They continue in the souls of those who participated in them. And this war on Afghan soil is no exception. She will remind of herself for a long time - as long as the mothers are alive, having lost their breadwinners in their old age, while the wounds of the soldiers hurt. She will live in the memory of orphans left without fathers. Years will pass, the “Afghans” will have children who will know about the war that they happened to experience.

Every year on February 15, internationalist warriors of the region gather for a meeting. They remember their comrades in arms, the brotherhood of soldiers.

With their help, they raised money for the construction of a monument to internationalist soldiers in the regional center. They themselves participated in the construction work.

“Time chose us, swirled in an Afghan snowstorm, our friends called us at a terrible hour, we special form put on..." - these words apply to all soldiers who have fulfilled their military duty.

And then the boys returned.

Turned grey.

The heart has military orders.

And scars are like marks on the body.

And in souls - the war does not end.

Tsaregorodtsev Sergey Vasilievich

He grew up as a smart and smart boy. The main feature his character was sociability, the ability to find a common language with different people. After graduating from school, in 1981 he entered the Agricultural Institute to become a mechanical engineer. After studying for three years, family circumstances was forced to take academic leave. In 1984, he received a summons to the military registration and enlistment office.

The young fighter’s course took place in Kursk, then for three months in the city of Termes (Uzbekistan). Even then it was clear where he would serve in the future. Opposite was the Afghan border...

“The training taught me a lot. The platoon was taken out to the steppe, given dry rations, water and left to lie down for a day (to get used to it) - this is how they developed endurance. Those who could not stand it were sent to the unit. Soon he received a military specialty - artilleryman D-30.”

They were thrown on helicopters to the province of Kundus. There were 5 of them from Vacha. The army brotherhood survived even after returning home.

Whatever you say, you and I, comrade,

Then they smelled gunpowder.

Through the fire of battles and the smoke of conflagrations

We were guided by a cherished star.

Whatever you say, we know how to believe

In friendship, forged in fire,

And mourn the losses without tears,

Well... in war, as in war.

“In the army I was a sergeant major, 5 self-propelled guns (self-propelled guns) accompanied convoys throughout Afghanistan. They fired at us very often. They blew up the first and last cars, and started a battle... They often mined roads and rocks.”

With tears, the former warrior remembers his fallen comrades. He himself has 2 contusions. I was in the hospital twice. They lived in self-propelled guns for 6 months, went to Salang, and accompanied the convoy. “It was scary. You can’t see where you’re scribbling, you’re crawling on your bellies, you don’t understand who’s scribbling. This, of course, was all in the beginning. Then they were guided by the slightest movement and rustle. We went to the mountains, “they gave a call,” 4 people were volunteers, spotters, to call fire on themselves. This is how “spirits” were discovered. And I always had 2 lemons in my pocket, just in case.”

Behind good service Sergei was awarded the rank of foreman. He had 40 privates under his command. He loved his soldiers and took care of them.

Good is next to evil,

And you have long forgotten what is called good.

Dust from the cheekbone washes away the sweat,

There is a crimson carnival in the eyes.

Here, buzzing overhead,

The turntables moved away.

And the convoy reformed.

In 1986 he was demobilized. TO peaceful life it was hard to get used to. The shell shock was taking its toll. He returned to college, but never graduated. Soon he got married. The wife works as a teacher and is raising a son.

I will dream about Afghan roads,

Armored combat ships

And silent, immortal, like gods,

Infantrymen in hepatitis dust.

I can hear my friend's heart beating nearby,

We walk shoulder to shoulder, fate to fate...

Chezhidov Alexander Vyacheslavovich

It was an ordinary peaceful life. Alexander lived in the village of Vysokovo. After graduating from school, I studied in the city of Pavlovo at a driving school. He worked as a machine operator on a collective farm in the village of Chulkovo. In 1986, he received a summons from the military registration and enlistment office and joined the army. First there was “training” in Batumi, where the soldiers were already informed that Afghanistan lay ahead of them. The training was intense, marches in columns of 100-150 km. Location: Ghazni province. Alexander was a driver of a GAZ-66, an armored personnel carrier, and a ZIL. He carried the wounded and dead in the medrota. The wounded - to the medical unit, the dead - to the airport. In the medical unit, in a specially equipped GAZ-66 vehicle, always with guards, otherwise they would be fired upon, together with a military doctor, they went out on call to pick up the wounded. Wounded soldiers were transported from combat operations, explosions, shelling. The lightly wounded were taken to the local medical unit; for the seriously wounded, a “turntable” was called over the radio.

We were ambushed along the way,

In the gorges, so convenient for ambushes,

We walked with fire, overcoming everything,

Leaving no obstacles in the way.

Former warrior recalls: “This war was mainly a mine war. At the beginning of the service, it was unusual to move from a peaceful life into a war, to get used to shelling, deserts, searches, and camel thorns. They fired from everywhere, from villages, from wells... But after the villages were destroyed by “hail” after the shelling, these shelling stopped. We lived in tents, the temperature outside was 50-60 degrees. Over time I got used to it. The regiment's territory was surrounded by barbed wire and mined around. On high points there was a guard. They drove out in a duty car at any time of the day. The road - mostly concrete - is all undermined. There were a lot of mines on the road. The cars did not drive out individually, only in convoys, as it was very dangerous. We drove “in a trail” at a speed of 20-30 km per hour.

From the Pavlovsk school, all 30 people ended up in one regiment. With fellow countrymen we often reminisced about home, relatives, and mutual acquaintances. Letters from home helped. The beloved girl waited and later became his wife. I somehow didn’t think about death, although it was scary, but we got used to it...”

Everything - from the driver to the special forces -

Beyond the distance of ghostly roads

Always watched with both eyes,

And death looked at the ceiling.

“Our regiment was multinational. Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Russians served...” During his service he was awarded a medal"Behind military merits" They stood guard in Kandahar. They guarded an army column stretching for 150 km. 1500-2000 cars were walking, carrying food, medicines, military equipment. The head of the column is already far away, but the tail is still in Kabul. It was impossible without security, I myself was in such security three times, they stood there for three months. He recalls Operation “Magistral”: “We protected the Afghan army column across the pass from spirits so that the road would not be mined or shelled.”

Different in age and rank,

Somewhere in Kandahar or Herat

The wounded youth has passed,

And the Fatherland, which said: “We must!

You will be in the powder smoke,” -

Looks at the heroes guiltily

And he still doesn’t know why...

Alexander was demobilized on May 5, 1988. Their regiment was withdrawn from Afghanistan to Dushanbe.

We bring everyone out. Goodbye moment.

And joy, the battalion commander could not hold back his tears...

Upon returning home, he worked as a driver on a ZIL-133. I got married and was given an apartment. We raised two children. In peaceful life he tries not to remember the war.

Veteran of the Afghan War: “We not only fought, we also built”

On the eve of the withdrawal anniversary limited contingent Soviet troops from the Republic of Afghanistan TIMER interviewed a participant in that war, an internationalist soldier, the head of the Odessa regional organization party "MOTHERLAND" of Konstantin Grinchenko

TIMER: The participation of Afghan war veterans in party building suggests that you have recipes and proposals for improving the situation of your fellow “Afghans,” right?

K.G.: We understand that changes are clearly needed in the relationship between the state and veterans of the war in Afghanistan. First of all, these are changes legislative framework. It is necessary to supplement and amend the Law of Ukraine “On the status of war veterans and guarantees of their social protection.” This law has already been transformed and changed, but the process of its improvement cannot be considered complete. For example, children of deceased servicemen enjoyed a non-competitive right to enter universities; we believe that the scope of this article can be extended to all participants in hostilities. I emphasize, not for disabled people, but for everyone... Let's move on. An article of the law that said that in the event of the loss of a breadwinner who is disabled from the war in Afghanistan, benefits for utility bills remain with the family, and if he is simply a participant in hostilities, not disabled, then the family loses this benefit. That is, imagine: today the state does not mitigate the loss of a family, but seems to intensify it. There is no logic in this! We propose to change this norm. And there are many such examples that can be given, but I think that this is enough to understand our approach to the problem.

The point of these changes is not that we are trying to squeeze out yet more benefits for ourselves. No, we're talking about about another - that a person who, with arms in hand, fulfills his duty to the state, must be sure that the state will answer him in kind. And here there is no need to immediately argue that we are not at war with anyone now and are not going to. And thank God! But this should be spelled out at the legislative level and not retroactively, as was the case with us. That’s why we, the people who went through this war and everything that happened after that, are already taking care of the appropriate social guarantees.

TIMER: How relevant is the topic of the war in Afghanistan in today's Ukraine?

K.G.: It would be a lie on my part to say that that war is of great importance for today’s Ukraine. After all, let's speak frankly - the overall result of the Afghan war cannot be considered positive for us. We haven't reached any final logical result.

But we cannot pretend that our state has nothing to do with this at all. In Ukraine, 160 thousand soldiers and officers were drafted, and now about 150 thousand veterans live in the country. As for the Odessa region, I will give just one more figure - 220 people did not return from that war. These figures cannot be easily dismissed, so we can say that the war in Afghanistan left a tangible mark on Ukrainian society.

Today's date is, as they say, “a holiday with tears in our eyes.” On this day, people gather to remember those days, to remember those who are no longer with us. As long as our memory lives, monuments to the participants of that war will remain. And it doesn’t matter, today they are somewhere better, somewhere worse, but as long as we remember, they will stand. As soon as we forget, these monuments will not exist either. It's tough, it's harsh - but it's a fact. Unfortunately, this is the time today. Monuments that have no living memory behind them are simply architectural structures with which you can do whatever you want. The word “monument” speaks for itself.

For example, in Odessa, Lenin was thrown off the Kulikovo Field, and by and large, no one particularly prevented this. So, the communists were a little indignant - that’s all. Or memorial sign The ChMP that was removed from Lastochkin, someone wants the memory that Odessa was once proud of its fleet to be erased as quickly as possible. Now it's the City Hall parking lot. The same thing with monuments to soldiers of the Great Patriotic War on Western Ukraine, in the Baltic states, in Poland. Even in Russia there were cases when local officials, for their own benefit, in order to build some kind of gas station or shopping mall, this is how War monuments were treated. So, the monuments will stand as long as we remember.

TIMER: Indeed, time passes and memory is erased. Many myths have already arisen around that war...

K.G.: Recently, the same trend has appeared that front-line soldiers - veterans of the Great Patriotic War - told me about. When he was at war for a month or two or was just somewhere around, and now he already demands to be talked about as a hero. The further we are from these events, the fewer people we have who served in the production unit, in the control battery, or were drivers, or in the repair company, etc. All served in reconnaissance, in the airborne forces, in special forces.

TIMER: Looking back, how do you assess that war?

K.G.: We have such a very influential politician, Nikolai Tomenko, who was deputy prime minister in Tymoshenko’s government. He served in Afghanistan from 1983 to 1985. I also served in Afghanistan, only he was a soldier and I served as a lieutenant. Our age difference wasn't very big. We can compare our current estimates. I had to read what he writes now in the “Ukrainian Bulletin” that in the second year of his service he began to understand that this was not an international duty, that this was a crime of the leaders of the Communist Party and the like. And this is now being said by a man who managed to head the Komsomol committee. I want to say to him: “dear comrade” - you probably weren’t thinking about that then. These thoughts probably came to you later, after you had read a dozen different books, became a candidate historical sciences. I can say that neither I then, nor those with whom I served, nor the veterans with whom we communicate today, both older and younger, and soldiers, and sergeants, and officers, have no who didn’t have such thoughts. Each performed his own task, his own, so to speak, maneuver.

TIMER: At the same time, Tomenko is an active participant in the “Orange Revolution”, after the victory of which Ukraine began to be pulled into NATO with redoubled force. A military presence this country in Afghanistan is no different from the Soviet one.

K.G.: I cannot agree with this. There are just differences. Today I follow information in the press about what is happening in Afghanistan. And you have to read that local residents already felt the difference. They just have a special attitude towards this. Yes, there is a war, there is an enemy, but for Afghanistan the state of war is normal condition. Yes, the Shuravi fought, but we also built. They built hospitals, schools, clubs, infrastructure, supplied agricultural equipment...

Here is one of my first impressions of Afghanistan: there are two oxen, a “farmer” in national clothes, something like this hoe crawling knee-deep in the water. Cultivates rice. And a brand new Belarus tractor is already working nearby. This is a “city of contrasts”, a mixture of traditional, essentially medieval life and modernity.

And now there are Americans there who behave completely differently. They conduct military operations differently, build relationships with local population. In every major division, for example, in motorized rifle division, according to the staffing table there was a department or detachment for special propaganda. This is a small group that goes to villages, shows movies, plays music, distributes literature, leaflets, holds joint concerts and exhibitions. This is despite the surrounding specific conditions of guerrilla warfare, when here and there there may be hostile groups. All this was aimed at establishing relations and contacts with the masses of ordinary Afghans. Universities, institutes, regional centers committees were organized - people arranged their lives differently, in a new way. The country has developed...

But Americans don't behave like that. They closed themselves in fortified areas, inflicted bomb attack, dropped 20 tons of ammunition. Well yes - we got into civilians, missed the mark, apologized. Or they didn't bring it. And around them, life returned to the Middle Ages. And they prefer to contact the local elite, the tribal leaders, and they don’t care about everyone else.

TIMER: Let's return to the myths about the Afghan war. After all, in order for there to be fewer of them, the participants in those events themselves need to say more. What does a person who finds himself in such a war actually experience?

K.G.: I won’t say that everyone there was such a great fighter - no. Let's speak objectively - here is a young soldier, he is 18 years old, he was called up for service. And he gets into difficult climatic conditions, difficult living conditions and plus, of course, the conduct of hostilities. Of course, here it has already been revealed who has what potential, what is inherent in a person and what he is capable of. Yes, there were defectors, and there were traitors, and slobs, and those who dodged service - as they say in the army, “hoses.” But there were such people in the minority. The majority performed their official duties normally, and behaved in life in such a way that they commanded respect and shared a piece of bread with the same Afghans. I judge by myself - there was no wild horror, fear. Many soldiers and officers had the opportunity not to go to certain combat operations, but they went because that was their mentality. Of course, those units that were in direct contact with the enemy bore the brunt of the war, the brunt of the fighting. This is infantry, this is airborne troops, this is special forces. But when the columns were moving, everyone there was already getting it: the artillerymen, who usually could be 15 km from the place of hostilities, and everyone else.

For example, no one specially prepared me for service in combat conditions. This is what I myself was able to learn both during my military service and at school, and I managed to serve after college - this experience helped me out in different situations. But I repeat - frankly speaking, I personally was not ready for combat. For example, there was such a case. I had to cover 120 km with civilian transport and travel without “armor”; it was impossible without reinforcement. We lined up next to some convoy that was carrying its cargo; it was accompanied by only three BRDMs (combat reconnaissance patrol vehicle - TIMER). There were only two officers for these nine vehicles - the senior lieutenant who accompanied this cargo, and me. He is at the head of the column, I bring up the rear. We find ourselves in a firing zone, and at some point the heavy machine gun in the BRDM runs out of ammunition. And the fighter doesn’t know how to reload. And I don’t know either! Because I was prepared for something completely different, not to, in fact, be the commander of a motorized rifle platoon. And it’s not just educational conditions, there is a battle going on, there is gunfire from all sides! Well, this is where composure and ingenuity come in handy.

There was, of course, another side. During my two years of service in Afghanistan, I didn't take a single puff of weed. Although, when receiving rations, it was easy to exchange a small tin can from any boy for six to eight cigarettes with a soft drug. There are tons of drugs there. Some people, of course, fell for it, others fell for the “mash”, there were those who relieved psychological stress this way. After all, there was no talk of any special rehabilitation.

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"I've gotten so used to it new life, that upon returning home to the USSR I was drawn back to Afghanistan"

Today in our “Afghan” series we are publishing an interview Oleg Kondratyevich Krasnoperov..

-Who were you during the war?

I served in the communications platoon of the first battalion of the 357th regiment. He was in Afghanistan from 1983 to 1985. But first I spent six months in “training” in Fergana, where we were prepared for combat. I think that they prepared us perfectly: they strengthened us physically, conducted tactical training, taught us how to operate equipment, etc. And when I found out that I was going to war, I had this somewhat gambling attitude. I even felt a buzz! Don't forget that we were young guys then and were eager to fight. Seriousness came later.

- What are your first impressions of Afghanistan?

Kabul seemed to me a gray and dirty city. This is not the USSR, no native home, and the foreign land did not accept us very well. And then everything went as usual: getting up in the morning, exercising, etc.

- How did you turn from a peaceful person into a fighter?

You know, before the war I thought that bullets whistled, but they actually rustled. The sound is not at all the same as it is shown in the movies. Moreover, at first I did not feel fear, because I simply did not realize the danger. But then, when I returned from the mission and began to think about what happened, it became creepy. I saw how a comrade was wounded, and whether you want it or not, you turn it over in your head that this could happen to me too.

But I didn’t have to think about fear for long. We were loaded physical activities, political preparation and so on. And, by the way, I had become so accustomed to my new life that upon returning home to the USSR I was drawn back to Afghanistan.

- Can you name the hardest moment of your service?

Yes. I remember we were escorting a convoy and were ambushed. I had to maintain contact and hide from the fire. I tell my comrade: “Hide behind the armor, lie down behind the tower!” We were already breaking out of the ambush, almost leaving, and then from afar, on the verge of flight, a bullet came towards him and hit him right in the heart... This was hard for me to survive.

- Was there anything fun during the war?

Yes, and what else! I laugh even now, remembering how I caught a wild goat. We went to the mountains, taking dry rations with us, and usually, when the ration came to an end, provisions were dropped from helicopters to us. But that time the “spirits” occupied the heights next to us and did not let our “turntables” approach. Time is running, we are already hungry, and then I see a herd of goats. I grabbed one and started catching it. And he leaves me, and moves precisely towards the “spirits”.

I couldn’t shoot him, because then I would have drawn enemy fire on myself. So I’m sneaking behind the goat, he’s getting closer and closer to the dushmans’ position, and they warn me from below on the radio that the “spirits” are watching me. But then I still grabbed him, threw him on my back and let him run to his people. I dragged him, lit a fire, but so that the enemy would not notice it: they covered the flame from above with a tent. The platoon commander butchered the goat, made a barbecue on ramrods and began to eat. The meat is bitter! No salt. In general, I still can’t stand goat meat.

- By the way, what was included in the ration?

There were several rations different types. There were five standards, all excellent. The first standard included so much food that daily norm could last for a week. They fed us porridge, biscuits, minced sausage, “tourist’s breakfast,” pate, and chocolate. We drank fruit juice and tea.

- What is the most valuable award for you?

I participated in different tasks. For example, air and artillery gunners were sent to heights. We covered them, and I provided communications. I had to shoot. By the way, soviet weapons- the best.

And the most memorable award is the medal “For Courage”. That day, a bullet pierced the batteries in the radio, and the antenna was also cut, but I was taught what to do in such cases. I quickly plugged the batteries with improvised means so that the acid would not leak out completely, and I continued to maintain contact with the command, which coordinated the movement of our paratrooper detachment. The “spirits” followed us, and over the radio they told me how to properly get away from them. My task was to provide communication and get people out. This is what I was awarded for.

The level is very high. I often remember Captain Sergei Ilyich Kapustin. He is a hereditary officer; his grandfather also served in the army under the Tsar. Sergei is an excellent commander, he will give his soul for a soldier. The rank and file also showed themselves to be real, solid warriors. We understood that we were defending the southern borders of the USSR and fulfilling our international duty. We knew what we were fighting for. Now they say all sorts of things about that war, but I say it as it is, as those who served really thought. By the way, the then Minister of Defense of the USSR Sergei Leonidovich Sokolov also came to us. In everyday life he behaved like a simple person.

- How did they develop? interethnic relations in the Soviet army?

There were no problems. Russians and Belarusians served normally together; we called the Uzbek Sergeman Sergei. By the way, he was an excellent translator. I am personally friends with the Tatar “Afghan”, Rodion Shaizhanov (an interview with him was published - Ed.). By the way, there was no bullying of the “grandfathers” against the young. They treated each other as comrades.

- How did the locals treat you?

Children are the same everywhere. They run to us, we give them biscuits, condensed milk, sugar. They knew the word “give”, and, coming up to us, they said: “give-give-give.” But the adults behaved warily and tensely. In general, a feudal system reigned there, people worked the land with a hoe, although there could also be a Japanese Panasonic receiver lying nearby. I can’t even imagine why they bought it. Not for drugs, that's for sure. Others dealt with drugs there; we called them “caravan workers.” And the rest mainly cultivated wheat, traded wheat, as well as tea.

- What can you say about the enemy?

He was even better equipped than ours. Comfortable sleeping bags, boots, camouflage - everything is American. Supplies to the “spirits” came through Pakistan. As for fighting qualities, there were also dushmans who were well trained in Pakistan, but mostly they were ordinary peasants, and they cannot be called seasoned warriors. They were armed with Chinese Kalash rifles, British Bur rifles, and in large groups there were mortars and light artillery. They were, in essence, guerrilla warfare, and I have never seen them have tanks or combat vehicles infantry.

- How was your life after the war?

I'm fine. You know, people often complain that they either don’t have a job, or that they were received somehow wrong, or something else. But I think differently. Those who want to work work, those who want to drink will always find a bottle. And I do not agree with those “Afghans” who began to blame the authorities for their problems.