Afghan war drawing. Stalemate situation and withdrawal of Soviet troops

Entering units and units Soviet army and their participation in the civil war in Afghanistan between armed opposition groups and the government Democratic Republic Afghanistan (DRA). The civil war began to unfold in Afghanistan as a consequence of the transformations carried out by the pro-communist government of the country, which came to power after the April Revolution of 1978. On December 12, 1979, the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, guided by the article on mutual obligations to ensure the territorial integrity of the friendship treaty with the DRA, decided to send troops to Afghanistan. It was assumed that the troops of the 40th Army would provide protection to the country's most important strategic and industrial facilities.

Photographer A. Solomonov. Soviet armored vehicles and Afghan women with children on one of the mountain roads to Jalalabad. Afghanistan. June 12, 1988. RIA Novosti

Four divisions, five separate brigades, four separate regiments, four combat aviation regiments, three helicopter regiments, a pipeline brigade and separate units of the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR. Soviet troops guarded roads, gas fields, power plants, ensured the functioning of airfields, and transport of military and economic cargo. However, support for government troops in combat operations against armed opposition groups further aggravated the situation and led to an escalation of armed resistance to the ruling regime.

Photographer A. Solomonov. Soviet internationalist soldiers return to their homeland. Road through the Salang Pass, Afghanistan. May 16, 1988. RIA Novosti

Actions limited contingent Soviet troops in Afghanistan can be divided into four main stages. At the 1st stage (December 1979 - February 1980) the introduction of troops, deployment to garrisons and organization of security of deployment points and various objects were carried out.

Photographer A. Solomonov. Soviet soldiers carry out engineering survey of roads. Afghanistan. 1980s RIA News

The 2nd stage (March 1980 - April 1985) was characterized by the conduct of active combat operations, including the implementation of large-scale operations using many types and branches of the armed forces together with government forces of the DRA. At the same time, work was carried out to reorganize, strengthen and supply the DRA armed forces with everything necessary.

Operator unknown. Afghan Mujahideen fire at a tank column of a limited contingent of Soviet troops from a mountain gun. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

At the 3rd stage (May 1985 - December 1986) there was a transition from active combat operations primarily to reconnaissance and fire support for the actions of government troops. Soviet motorized rifle, airborne and tank formations acted as a reserve and a kind of “support” for the combat stability of the DRA troops. A more active role was given to special forces units conducting special counterinsurgency operations. combat operations. The provision of assistance in supplying the armed forces of the DRA and assistance to the civilian population did not stop.

Cameramen G. Gavrilov, S. Gusev. Cargo 200. Sealing the container with the body of the deceased Soviet warrior before being sent home. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

During the last, 4th, stage (January 1987 - February 15, 1989), the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops was carried out.

Cameramen V. Dobronitsky, I. Filatov. A column of Soviet armored vehicles moves through an Afghan village. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

In total, from December 25, 1979 to February 15, 1989, 620 thousand military personnel served as part of a limited contingent of DRA troops (in the Soviet army - 525.2 thousand conscripts and 62.9 thousand officers), in units of the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR - 95 thousand people . At the same time, 21 thousand people worked as civilian employees in Afghanistan. During their stay in the DRA, the irretrievable human losses of the Soviet armed forces amounted to (together with border and internal troops) 15,051 people. 417 military personnel went missing and were captured, of which 130 returned to their homeland.

Cameraman R. Romm. Column of Soviet armored vehicles. Afghanistan. 1988. RGAKFD

Sanitary losses amounted to 469,685 people, including wounded, shell-shocked, injured - 53,753 people (11.44 percent); sick - 415,932 people (88.56 percent). Losses in weapons and military equipment amounted to: aircraft – 118; helicopters – 333; tanks - 147; BMP, BMD, armored personnel carrier – 1,314; guns and mortars - 433; radio stations, command and staff vehicles - 1,138; engineering vehicles – 510; flatbed vehicles and fuel tankers – 1,369.

Cameraman S. Ter-Avanesov. Paratroopers reconnaissance unit. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

During their stay in Afghanistan, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to 86 military personnel. Over 100 thousand people were awarded orders and medals of the USSR.

Photographer A. Solomonov. A checkpoint of a limited contingent of Soviet troops protecting the Kabul airfield from Mujahideen attacks. Afghanistan. July 24, 1988. RIA Novosti

Cameramen G. Gavrilov, S. Gusev. Soviet helicopters in the air. In the foreground is a Mi-24 fire support helicopter, in the background is a Mi-6. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

Photographer A. Solomonov. Mi-24 fire support helicopters at Kabul airfield. Afghanistan. June 16, 1988. RIA Novosti

Photographer A. Solomonov. A checkpoint of a limited contingent of Soviet troops guarding a mountain road. Afghanistan. May 15, 1988. RIA Novosti

Cameramen V. Dobronitsky, I. Filatov. Meeting before a combat mission. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

Cameramen V. Dobronitsky, I. Filatov. Carrying shells to the firing position. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

Photographer A. Solomonov. Artillerymen of the 40th Army suppress enemy firing points in the Paghman area. Suburb of Kabul. Afghanistan. September 1, 1988. RIA Novosti

Cameramen A. Zaitsev, S. Ulyanov. Withdrawal of a limited contingent of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. A column of Soviet armored vehicles passes along the bridge over the river. Panj. Tajikistan. 1988. RGAKFD

Cameraman R. Romm. Military parade Soviet units on the occasion of returning from Afghanistan. Afghanistan. 1988. RGAKFD

Cameramen E. Akkuratov, M. Levenberg, A. Lomtev, I. Filatov. Withdrawal of a limited contingent of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Commander of the 40th Army, Lieutenant General B.V. Gromov with the last armored personnel carrier on the bridge over the river. Panj. Tajikistan. February 15, 1989. RGAKFD

Cameramen A. Zaitsev, S. Ulyanov. Soviet border guards at a border pillar on the border of the USSR and Afghanistan. Termez. Uzbekistan. 1988. RGAKFD

Photos borrowed from the publication: Military chronicle Russia in photographs. 1850s – 2000s: Album. – M.: Golden-Bi, 2009.

Canadian soldier Chris Kezar of the NATO-led 7th Platoon rests after heavy fighting against insurgents in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, March 20, 2009.

Several US Army field artillery units are patrolling the area where the Taliban were spotted.

A shepherd boy watches his goats on February 27, 2009 in Nuristan province, northeastern Afghanistan.

US Marine Sergeant Nicholas Bender launches a drone aircraft(UAV) with a video camera in order to be able to observe the base along the entire perimeter and timely track the movements of the Taliban, whose attacks have become more frequent with the arrival of spring in the Farah province in southwestern Afghanistan.

An Afghan woman dressed in a burqa walks into an old bazaar in Kabul, March 4, 2009.

A U.S. Air Force C-17 military transport aircraft drops paratroopers as it flies over an opium poppy field March 22, 2009, near the U.S. Marine Corps base in Qalanderabad, a city in southwestern Afghanistan.

Farmer Haji Abdul Khan shows the Marines a poppy they damaged during the landing. The soldiers assured the old man that they would soon compensate him for all the damage. The Taliban often extort farmers for a percentage of their harvest profits, while Marines, on the contrary, do not have a mandate to destroy opium poppy crops and, moreover, rely on farmers to supply them with data on the activities of the Taliban.

An Afghan miner works at a coal mine in Pul-i-Qumri, about 170 km north of Kabul, March 7, 2009. Two hundred and eighty workers produce about one hundred tons of coal per day and receive for this from 70 to 110 dollars per month.

The man is suspected of aiding the Taliban who fired rockets at military base on the evening of February 18, 2009 in Nuristan province, Afghanistan.

The body of one of the rebels lies in a truck after a battle on March 26, 2009 outside of Ghazni (a city in Afghanistan, southwest of Kabul, located on a mountainous plateau). During the shootout, four Taliban were killed, seven policemen and two civilians were wounded.

A US Marine counterintelligence soldier and his interpreter met with Afghan locals on March 23, 2009, in Kirta, southwest Afghanistan.

Sergeant Darin Hendricks peers into a small cave in a remote village in Nuristan province in search of Taliban rocket launchers.

Mohammed Amin, an Afghan boy, sells balloons in a field in Kabul, February 27, 2009.

A woman makes prosthetic limbs at the Kabul Orthopedic Organization (KOO), Afghanistan.

A US Marine and an Afghan policeman during a joint patrol in the area. Local opium poppy and wheat farmers said the former Taliban-controlled region had become safer with the Marines' presence.

An M-4 rifle rests on sandbags at a US observation post in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.

About 40 former militants Taliban ( Islamic movement) hand over their weapons to the Afghan government in Herat, west of Kabul, on March 10, 2009, as a sign of reconciliation.

Men work in a salt mine in the Takhar province, northeast of Kabul. The mine produces more than 23 thousand tons of salt per year.

A soldier from the 2nd Gurkha Regiment (a British colonial force recruited from Nepalese volunteers) cleans his weapon at a patrol base in Musa Qala, Helmand province, March 27, 2009.

Marines USA observes lightning on the horizon during search operation near the village of Bakwa, in southwestern Afghanistan. Information was received that a group of armed Taliban were approaching their base through a ravine hidden from view, but no one was eventually found.

22-year-old US Marine Lance Daniel Geary returns home in a zinc coffin. Photo taken at International Airport on March 26, 2009, in New York. Relatives, close friends and acquaintances gathered to see him off on his last journey.

Veterans salute the departing funeral cortege. Hundreds of people lined the street to see off those who gave their lives in the Afghan war.

Canadian soldiers carry the coffins of their compatriots at an airfield in Kandahar, a city in southern Afghanistan, on March 21, 2009.

Family and friends of Jack Trooper wait for a hearse during a repatriation ceremony in Trenton, Ontario, a province located in central Canada, on March 23, 2009.
Repatriation is the return to their homeland of prisoners of war and civilians who find themselves abroad as a result of the war.

Lt. Gen. David Hunton Jr. kneels to present the American flag to Nicole Bunting, widow of 29-year-old Capt. Brian Bunting, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Brian was killed by an improvised explosive device that went off near his car.

A CH-53 military transport helicopter flies over the rugged terrain of Farah province on March 17, 2009. Seventeen thousand additional US troops are soon scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan.

Canadian soldiers from the NATO coalition are heading to Kandahar, a city that is a Taliban stronghold.

A Canadian military helicopter CH-146 flies over Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, March 27, 2009.

Canadian gunners open machine gun fire from a CH-146 military helicopter at Taliban groups.

Nasim - heroin addict from Kabul. The drugs remain readily available, costing one dollar per dose. Afghanistan accounts for more than 90 percent of the world's heroin supply. The annual opium harvest is worth up to $3 billion.

A security officer guards a drug burning on the outskirts of a town in Herat province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan. More than two thousand kilograms narcotic drugs, consisting of heroin, opium and hashish, were burned along with bottles of alcoholic beverages.

Afghan riders play Buzkashi (“goat grab”), an equestrian competition known since the time of Genghis Khan. It is the national sport of Afghanistan and requires courage, agility and strength from participants.

An Afghan man waits with his sick child to see one of the French doctors of the 27th BCA (mountain ranger battalion) on February 19, 2009, in Nijrab, Kapisa province.

A British soldier walks on foot patrol through a poppy field in Musa Qala, Helmand province, March 28, 2009.

American Marines in an abandoned city in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.

Airbase in Bagram ( old City and a major airport 60 kilometers northwest of Kabul in the Afghan province of Parwan).

An Afghan policeman stands near the burned body of a suicide bomber near a US base north of Kabul on March 4, 2009. A suicide bomber blew himself up and his car at the main gate of the Bahamas airbase, injuring several contractors.

An elderly Afghan man shakes hands with a soldier of the 3rd Canadian Battalion in a Taliban stronghold in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province on March 30, 2009.

Afghan girls at school in the village of Sandarwa. Female education has been seriously undermined, with the insurgent Taliban pursuing a policy of intimidating female students. Women, who make up a significant part of the population of Afghanistan, were shot, burned, and those who attended school faced a threat to their lives.

Boys play in the snow on February 13, 2009 in Kabul.

Children in an overcrowded refugee camp in Helmand province, February 10, 2009.

U.S. Marines patrol during a sandstorm March 22, 2009, in remote Qalanderabad in southwestern Afghanistan.

Afghan war 1979-1989 - a long political and armed confrontation between the parties: the ruling pro-Soviet regime of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) under military support A limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan (OKSVA) - on the one hand, and the Mujahideen ("Dushmans"), with a part of Afghan society sympathetic to them, with political and financial support foreign countries and a number of states of the Islamic world - on the other.
The decision to send troops of the USSR Armed Forces to Afghanistan was made on December 12, 1979 at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, in accordance with the secret resolution of the CPSU Central Committee No. 176/125 “Towards the situation in “A””, “in order to prevent aggression from outside and strengthen the southern borders friendly regime in Afghanistan." The decision was made by a narrow circle of members of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee (Yu. V. Andropov, D. F. Ustinov, A. A. Gromyko and L. I. Brezhnev).
To achieve these goals, the USSR introduced a group of troops into Afghanistan, and a detachment of special forces from among the emerging special unit The KGB Vympel killed the current President H. Amin and everyone who was with him in the palace. By Moscow's decision, the new leader of Afghanistan was a protege of the USSR, former Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Afghanistan in Prague B. Karmal, whose regime received significant and diverse - military, financial and humanitarian - support from the Soviet Union.

Background
« Big game»
Afghanistan is located in the very center of Eurasia, which allows it to play an important role in relations between neighboring regions.
WITH early XIX centuries between Russian and British Empire The struggle for control over Afghanistan begins, called “The Great Game”.
Anglo-Afghan Wars
The British attempted to establish dominance over Afghanistan by force, sending troops from neighboring British India in January 1839. Thus began the first English Afghan war. Initially, the British were successful - they managed to overthrow the emir Dost Mohammed and put Shuja Khan on the throne. Shuja Khan's reign, however, did not last long and he was overthrown in 1842. Afghanistan concluded a peace treaty with Britain and retained its independence.
Meanwhile, the Russian Empire continued to actively move south. In the 1860-1880s, the annexation was basically completed Central Asia to Russia.
The British, concerned about the rapid advance of Russian troops towards the borders of Afghanistan, began the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878. The stubborn struggle continued for two years and in 1880 the British were forced to leave the country, but at the same time leaving the loyal emir Abdur Rahman on the throne and thus maintaining control over the country.
In the 1880-1890s, the modern borders of Afghanistan were formed, determined by joint treaties between Russia and Britain.
Afghan independence
In 1919, Amanullah Khan declared Afghanistan's independence from Great Britain. The third Anglo-Afghan war began.
The first state to recognize independence was Soviet Russia, which provided significant economic and military assistance to Afghanistan.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Afghanistan was a backward agrarian country with a complete lack of industry, an extremely poor population, more than half of which were illiterate.

Republic of Daoud
In 1973, during the visit of the King of Afghanistan Zahir Shah to Italy, a riot occurred in the country. coup d'etat. Power was seized by Zahir Shah's relative Mohammed Daoud, who proclaimed the first republic in Afghanistan.
Daoud established an authoritarian dictatorship and tried to carry out reforms, but most of them ended in failure. The first republican period in Afghanistan's history is characterized by strong political instability and rivalry between pro-communist and Islamist groups. Islamists launched several uprisings, but all of them were suppressed by government troops.
Daoud's reign ended with the Saur Revolution in April 1978, as well as the execution of the president and all members of his family.
Saur revolution
On April 27, 1978, the April (Saur) Revolution began in Afghanistan, as a result of which the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) came to power, proclaiming the country the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA).
Attempts by the country's leadership to carry out new reforms that would overcome Afghanistan's lagging behind have encountered resistance from the Islamic opposition. Since 1978, even before the introduction of Soviet troops, a civil war began in Afghanistan.

Progress of the war
Making the decision to send in Soviet troops
In March 1979, during the uprising in the city of Herat, the Afghan leadership made its first request for direct Soviet military intervention (there were about 20 such requests in total). But the CPSU Central Committee Commission on Afghanistan, created back in 1978, reported to the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee about the obvious negative consequences of direct Soviet intervention, and the request was rejected.
However, the Herat rebellion forced the reinforcement of Soviet troops at the Soviet-Afghan border and, by order of Defense Minister D.F. Ustinov, preparations began for a possible landing of the 105th Guards Airborne Division into Afghanistan.
British soldiers in Kandahar, Second Anglo-Afghan War
The further development of the situation in Afghanistan - armed uprisings of the Islamic opposition, mutinies in the army, internal party struggle and especially the events of September 1979, when the leader of the PDPA N. Taraki was arrested and then killed on the orders of H. Amin, who removed him from power - caused serious concern among the Soviet manuals. It warily followed Amin's activities at the head of Afghanistan, knowing his ambitions and cruelty in the struggle to achieve personal goals. Under H. Amin, terror unfolded in the country not only against Islamists, but also against members of the PDPA, former supporters Taraki. The repressions also affected the army, the main support of the PDPA, which led to the fall of its already low morale. morale, caused mass desertions and riots. The Soviet leadership was afraid that a further aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan would lead to the fall of the PDPA regime and the coming to power of forces hostile to the USSR. Moreover, the KGB received information about Amin’s connections with the CIA in the 1960s and about secret contacts of his emissaries with American officials after the assassination of Taraki.
As a result, it was decided to prepare for the overthrow of Amin and his replacement with a leader more loyal to the USSR. B. Karmal was considered as such, whose candidacy was supported by KGB Chairman Yu. V. Andropov.
When developing the operation to overthrow Amin, it was decided to use Amin’s own requests for Soviet military assistance. In total, from September to December 1979 there were 7 such appeals. At the beginning of December 1979, the so-called “Muslim battalion” was sent to Bagram - a detachment special purpose The GRU was specially formed in the summer of 1979 from Soviet military personnel of Central Asian origin to guard Taraki and carry out special tasks in Afghanistan. In early December 1979, USSR Minister of Defense D.F. Ustinov announced to a narrow circle officials from the top military leadership that in the near future a decision will obviously be made on the use of Soviet troops in Afghanistan. From December 10, on the personal orders of D. F. Ustinov, the deployment and mobilization of units and formations of the Turkestan and Central Asian military districts was carried out. Boss General Staff N. Ogarkov, however, was against the introduction of troops.
The decision to send troops was made at a Politburo meeting on December 12, 1979
To position in "A".
1. Approve the considerations and activities outlined by vol. Andropov Yu.V., Ustinov D.F., Gromyko A.A. Allow them to make unprincipled adjustments during the implementation of these activities. Issues requiring a decision by the Central Committee should be submitted to the Politburo in a timely manner. The implementation of all these activities is entrusted to comrade. Andropova Yu. V., Ustinova D. F., Gromyko A. A.
2. Instruct TT. Andropov Yu.V., Ustinova D.F., Gromyko A.A. to inform the Politburo of the Central Committee about the progress of the planned activities."
According to V.I. Varennikov, in 1979 the only member of the Politburo who did not support the decision to send Soviet troops to Afghanistan was A.N. Kosygin, and from that moment A.N. Kosygin had a complete break with Brezhnev and his entourage .
Muhammad Daoud
On December 13, 1979, the Operational Group of the Ministry of Defense for Afghanistan was formed, headed by the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Army General S. F. Akhromeyev, which began work in the Turkestan Military District on December 14. On December 14, 1979, a battalion of the 345th Guards Separate Parachute Regiment was sent to Bagram to reinforce the battalion of the 111th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 105th Guards Airborne Division, which had been guarding Soviet troops in Bagram since July 7, 1979 -transport aircraft and helicopters.
At the same time, B. Karmal and several of his supporters were secretly brought to Afghanistan on December 14, 1979 and were in Bagram among Soviet military personnel. On December 16, 1979, an attempt was made to assassinate Amin, but he remained alive, and B. Karmal was urgently returned to the USSR. On December 20, 1979, a “Muslim battalion” was transferred from Bagram to Kabul, which became part of the security brigade of Amin’s palace, which significantly facilitated preparations for the planned assault on this palace. For this operation, 2 KGB special groups also arrived in Afghanistan in mid-December.
Until December 25, 1979, in the Turkestan Military District, the field command of the 40th combined arms army, 2 motorized rifle divisions, an army artillery brigade, an anti-aircraft missile brigade, an air assault brigade, combat and logistics support units, and in the Central Asian Military District - two motorized rifle regiments, a mixed air corps directorate, 2 fighter-bomber air regiments, 1 fighter air regiment, 2 helicopter regiments, units aviation technical and airfield support. Three more divisions were mobilized as reserves in both districts. More than 50 thousand people from the Central Asian republics and Kazakhstan were called up from the reserves to complete the units, and were transferred from National economy about 8 thousand cars and other equipment. This was the largest mobilization deployment of the Soviet Army since 1945. In addition, the 103rd Guards Airborne Division from Belarus was also prepared for transfer to Afghanistan, which was already transferred to airfields in the Turkestan Military District on December 14.
By the evening of December 23, 1979, it was reported that troops were ready to enter Afghanistan. On December 24, D. F. Ustinov signed directive No. 312/12/001, which stated:
“A decision was made to introduce some contingents of Soviet troops stationed in the southern regions of our country into the territory of the DRA in order to provide assistance to the friendly Afghan people, as well as the creation favorable conditions to prohibit possible anti-Afghan actions on the part of neighboring states.”
The directive did not provide for the participation of Soviet troops in hostilities on the territory of Afghanistan; the procedure for the use of weapons, even for the purposes of self-defense, was not determined. True, already on December 27, D. F. Ustinov’s order appeared to suppress the resistance of the rebels in cases of attack. It was assumed that Soviet troops would become garrisons and take under protection important industrial and other facilities, thereby freeing up parts of the Afghan army for active actions against opposition groups, as well as against possible external interference. The border with Afghanistan was ordered to be crossed at 15:00 Moscow time (17:00 Kabul time) on December 27, 1979. But on the morning of December 25, the 4th battalion of the 56th Guards crossed the pontoon bridge across the border river Amu Darya. air assault brigade, who was tasked with capturing the high-mountainous Salang pass on the Termez-Kabul road to ensure unhindered passage of Soviet troops.
Streets of Kabul the day after the revolution, April 28, 1978
In Kabul, units of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division completed their landing by midday on December 27 and took control of the airport, blocking Afghan aviation and air defense batteries. Other units of this division concentrated in designated areas of Kabul, where they received tasks to blockade the main government institutions, Afghan military units and headquarters, other important facilities in the city and its environs. The 357th Guards took control over the Bagram airfield after a skirmish with Afghan soldiers. parachute regiment 103rd Division and 345th Guards Parachute Regiment. They also provided security for B. Karmal, who was again taken to Afghanistan with a group of close supporters on December 23.
Storming of Amin's Palace
On the evening of December 27, Soviet special forces stormed Amin's palace, and Amin was killed during the assault. Government agencies Soviet paratroopers captured Kabul.
On the night of December 27-28, B. Karmal arrived in Kabul from Bagram and Kabul radio broadcast an appeal from this new ruler to the Afghan people, in which the “second stage of the revolution” was proclaimed.

Main events
Entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, December 1979.
1979
In July 1979, a battalion from the 111th Parachute Regiment (111pdp) of the 105th Airborne Division (105vdd) arrived in Bagram, and the 103rd Airborne Division also arrived in Kabul, in fact, after a regular reorganization in 1979 year - a separate battalion 345 opdp. These were the first military units and units of the Soviet Army in Afghanistan.
From December 9 to 12, the first “Muslim battalion” arrived in Afghanistan - 154ooSpN 15obrSpN.
On December 14, another separate battalion of the 345th opdp arrived in Bagram.
On December 25, columns of the 40th Army (40A) of the Turkestan Military District cross the Afghan border along a pontoon bridge over the Amu Darya River. H. Amin expressed gratitude to the Soviet leadership and gave orders to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the DRA to provide assistance to the incoming troops.
On the evening of December 27, Operation Storm took place - the storming of Amin's palace.
1980
Mujahideen of the Islamic Party of Afghanistan, 1987.
January 10-11 - an attempt at an anti-government mutiny by artillery regiments of the 20th Afghan division in Kabul. About 100 rebels were killed during the battle; Soviet troops lost two killed and two more were wounded. At the same time, a directive from the Minister of Defense D. Ustinov appeared on the planning and start of military operations - raids against rebel groups in northern regions Afghanistan adjacent to Soviet border, with the help of an equally reinforced battalion and the use of firepower from the army, including the Air Force, to suppress resistance.
February 23 - tragedy in the tunnel at the Salang pass. When the units of 186MSP and 2ZRBR were passing through the tunnel in the complete absence of the commandant's service, due to an accident, a traffic jam formed in the middle of the tunnel. As a result, 16 Soviet soldiers of the 2nd brigade suffocated. There are no data on Afghans who suffocated.
February-March - the first major operation to suppress an armed rebellion in the mountain infantry regiment in Asmara, Kunar province of OKSV units against the Mujahideen - the Kunar offensive. On February 28-29, units of the 317th Guards Parachute Regiment of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division in the Asmara region entered into heavy bloody battles due to the blocking of the 3rd Parachute Battalion in the Asmara Gorge by dushmans. 33 people were killed, 40 people were injured, one soldier was missing.
April - US Congress authorizes "direct and open help» Afghan opposition in the amount of $15,000,000.
- the first military operation in Panjshir.
Opposition forces in Afghanistan, according to the CIA, in September 1985.
May 11 - death of the 1st motorized rifle company of the 66th motorized rifle brigade (Jalalabad) near the village of Khara, Kunar province.
June 19 - decision of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee on the withdrawal of some tank, missile and anti-aircraft missile units from Afghanistan.
August 3 - battle near the village of Shaest. In the Mashhad Gorge - the Kishim region near the city of Faizabad, the 783rd separate reconnaissance battalion of the 201st MSD was ambushed, 48 servicemen were killed, 49 were wounded. It was one of the bloodiest episodes in the history of the Afghan war.
August 12 - Special forces of the USSR KGB “Karpaty” arrive in the country.
September 23 - Lieutenant General Boris Tkach was appointed commander of the 40th Army.
1981
September - fighting in the Lurkoh mountain range in Farah province; death of Major General Khakhalov.
October 29 - introduction of the second “Muslim battalion” (177ooSpN) under the command of Major Kerimbaev (“Kara Major”).
December - defeat of the opposition base in the Darzab region (Jawzjan province).
1982
An Afghan mujahideen with a Strela-2 man-portable anti-aircraft missile system, August 26, 1988.
April 5 - during military operation In western Afghanistan, Soviet troops mistakenly invaded Iran. Iranian military aircraft destroyed two Soviet helicopters.
In May-June, the fifth Panjshir operation was carried out, during which a mass landing of troops in Afghanistan was carried out for the first time: only during first three days, over 4,000 personal personnel were landed composition of the Airborne Forces. In total, about 12,000 military personnel of various military branches took part in this confrontation. The operation took place simultaneously throughout the entire 120 km depth of the gorge. As a result of this operation, Panjshir was captured.
November 3 - tragedy at the Salang pass. As a result of a traffic jam outside the tunnel, more than 176 people died in the tunnel.
November 15 - meeting between Yu. Andropov and Zia ul-Haq in Moscow. Secretary General had a private conversation with the Pakistani president, during which he informed him about “the new flexible policy of the Soviet side and the understanding of the need for a quick resolution of the crisis.” The meeting also discussed the feasibility of the presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan and the prospects for the participation of the Soviet Union in the war. In exchange for the withdrawal of troops, Pakistan was required to refuse assistance to the rebels.
1983
Taj Beg Palace in Kabul in 1987, OKSVA headquarters, former residence of Amin.
January 2 - in Mazar-i-Sharif, the Mujahideen kidnapped a group of Soviet “civilian specialists” numbering 16 people.
February 2 - hostages kidnapped in Mazar-i-Sharif and kept in the village of Vakhshak in northern Afghanistan were released, but six of them died.
March 28 - meeting of the UN delegation led by Perez de Cuellar and D. Cordovez with Yu. Andropov. Andropov thanks the UN for “understanding the problem” and assures the mediators that he is ready to take “certain steps,” but doubts that Pakistan and the United States will support the UN proposal regarding their non-intervention in the conflict.
April - operation to defeat opposition forces in the Nijrab gorge, Kapisa province. Soviet units lost 14 people killed and 63 wounded.
May 19 - Soviet Ambassador to Pakistan V. Smirnov officially confirmed the desire of the USSR and Afghanistan to “set a date for the withdrawal of the contingent of Soviet troops.”
July - Mujahideen attack on Khost. The attempt to blockade the city was unsuccessful.
August - the intense work of D. Cordovez's mission to prepare agreements for the peaceful settlement of the Afghan problem is almost completed: an 8-month program for the withdrawal of troops from the country was developed, but after Andropov's illness, the issue of the conflict was removed from the agenda of Politburo meetings. Now the talk was only about “dialogue with the UN.”
Winter - fighting intensified in the Sarobi region and the Jalalabad Valley (Laghman province is most often mentioned in reports). For the first time, armed opposition units remain on the territory of Afghanistan for the entire winter period. The creation of fortified areas and resistance bases began directly in the country.
1984
Kunar Province, 1987.
January 16 - Mujahideen shot down a Su-25 aircraft using Strela-2M MANPADS. This is the first case of successful use of MANPADS in Afghanistan.
April 30 - in the Hazara gorge during a large-scale military operation In the Panjshir Gorge, the 1st Battalion of the 682nd Motorized Rifle Regiment was ambushed and suffered heavy losses.
October 27 - Mujahideen shoot down an Il-76 transport plane over Kabul using Strela MANPADS.
1985
April 21 - Death of the Maravar company.
April 26 - uprising of Soviet and Afghan prisoners of war in Badaber prison, located in Pakistan.
May 25 - Kunar operation. Battle near the village of Konyak, Pechdara gorge, Kunar province, 4th company of the 149th Guards. Motorized rifle regiment. Finding themselves surrounded by Mujahideen and Pakistani mercenaries - the "Black Storks", the guardsmen of the 4th company and the forces of the 2nd battalion attached to it lost 23 dead and 28 wounded.
June - army operation in Panjshir.
Summer - new course Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee for a political solution to the “Afghan problem.”
October 16-17 - Shutul tragedy (20 dead, several dozen wounded)
The main task of the 40th Army is to cover the southern borders of the USSR, for which new motorized rifle units are brought in. The creation of stronghold fortified areas began in hard-to-reach areas of the country.
On November 22, 1985, while carrying out a mission, an outpost of the Motorized Maneuverable Group (MMG) of the Panfilov Border Detachment of the Eastern Border District of the KGB of the USSR was ambushed. In a battle near the village of Afrij in the Zardev Gorge of Badakhshan province, 19 border guards were killed. These were the largest losses of border guards in one battle in the Afghan War of 1979-1989.
1986
Soldiers of the air assault brigade stationed in Gardez.
February - at the XXVII Congress of the CPSU, M. Gorbachev makes a statement about the beginning of developing a plan for a phased withdrawal of troops.
April 4-20 - operation to destroy the Javara base: a major defeat for the Mujahideen. Failed Attempts Ismail Khan's troops break through the "security zone" around Herat.
May 4 - at the XVIII plenum of the Central Committee of the PDPA, M. Najibullah, who previously headed the Afghan counterintelligence KHAD, was elected to the post of Secretary General instead of B. Karmal. The plenum proclaimed the intention to solve the problems of Afghanistan through political methods.
June 16 - Military operation "Maneuver" - Takhar province. A long battle on Mount Yafsaj of the 783rd ORB of the 201st MSD - Jarav Gorge, in which 18 scouts were killed and 22 were wounded. This was the second tragedy of the Kunduz Intelligence Battalion.
July 28 - M. Gorbachev publicly announced the imminent withdrawal of six regiments of the 40th Army (about 7,000 people) from Afghanistan. Later the withdrawal date will be postponed. There is debate in Moscow about whether to withdraw troops completely.
August - Massoud defeated a government military base in Farhar, Takhar Province.
August 18-26 - Military operation “Trap” under the command of Army General V.I. Varennikov. Assault on the Kokari-Sharshari fortified area in Herat province.
Autumn - Major Belov's reconnaissance group from 173ooSpN 22obrSpN captures the first batch of three Stinger MANPADS in the Kandahar region.
October 15-31 - tank, motorized rifle, and anti-aircraft regiments were withdrawn from Shindand, motorized rifle and anti-aircraft regiments were withdrawn from Kunduz, and anti-aircraft regiments were withdrawn from Kabul.
November 13 - at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, Mikhail Gorbachev noted: “We have been fighting in Afghanistan for six years. If we don’t change our approaches, we will fight for another 20-30 years.” Chief of the General Staff Marshal Akhromeyev said: “There is not a single military task that was set but not solved, and there is no result.<…>We control Kabul and provincial centers, but we cannot establish power in the occupied territory. We have lost the fight for the Afghan people." At the same meeting, the task was set to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan within two years.
December - an emergency plenum of the PDPA Central Committee proclaims a course towards a policy of national reconciliation and advocates an early end to the fratricidal war.
1987
Mi-8MT in the sky and on the ground (1987).
January 2 - an operational group of the USSR Ministry of Defense headed by the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces, Army General V.I. Varennikov, was sent to Kabul.
February - Operation Strike in Kunduz province.
February-March - Operation Flurry in Kandahar province.
March 8 - Mujahideen shelling of the city of Pyanj in the Tajik SSR.
March - Operation Thunderstorm in Ghazni province.
March 29, 1986 - during the fighting of the 15th brigade, when the Jalalabad battalion, with the support of the Asadabad battalion, defeated a large Mujahideen base in Karer.
- Operation Circle in the provinces of Kabul and Logar.
April 9 - Mujahideen attack on a Soviet border post. When repelling the attack, 2 Soviet soldiers were killed and 20 Mujahideen were killed.
April 12 - the defeat of the Milov rebel base in Nangarhar province.
May - Operation Salvo in the provinces of Logar, Paktia, Kabul.
- Operation South-87 in Kandahar province.
Spring - Soviet troops begin to be used to cover the eastern and southeastern sectors state border"Barrier" system.
November 23 - Operation Magistral begins to unblock the city of Khost.
1988
Soviet group Special Forces preparing to go on a mission in Afghanistan, 1988.
January 7-8 - battle at height 3234.
April 14 - with the mediation of the UN in Switzerland, the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan signed the Geneva Agreements on political settlement situation around the situation in the DRA. The USSR and the USA became guarantors of the agreements. The Soviet Union pledged to withdraw its contingent within a 9-month period, starting on May 15; The United States and Pakistan, for their part, had to stop supporting the Mujahideen.
June 24 - Opposition troops captured the center of Wardak province - the city of Maidanshahr. In September 1988, Soviet troops near Maidanshahr carried out an operation to destroy the Khurkabul base area.
August 10 - Mujahideen took Kunduz
1989
January 23-26 - Operation Typhoon, Kunduz province. The last military operation of the SA in Afghanistan.
February 4 - the last unit of the Soviet Army left Kabul.
February 15 - Soviet troops are completely withdrawn from Afghanistan. The withdrawal of the troops of the 40th Army was led by the last commander of the Limited Military Contingent, Lieutenant General B.V. Gromov, who, according to official version, was the last to cross the border river Amu Darya (the city of Termez). He stated: “There is not a single Soviet soldier left behind me.” This statement was not true, since both Soviet soldiers who were captured by the Mujahideen and border guard units who covered the withdrawal of troops and returned to USSR territory only in the afternoon of February 15 remained in Afghanistan. The border troops of the KGB of the USSR carried out tasks to protect the Soviet-Afghan border in separate units on the territory of Afghanistan until April 1989.

results
Colonel General Gromov, the last commander of the 40th Army (led the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan), in his book “Limited Contingent”, expressed the following opinion regarding the victory or defeat of the Soviet Army in Afghanistan:
Quote from the article
I am deeply convinced that there is no basis for the assertion that the 40th Army was defeated, nor that we won a military victory in Afghanistan. At the end of 1979, Soviet troops entered the country unhindered, fulfilled their tasks - unlike the Americans in Vietnam - and returned home in an organized manner. If we consider the armed opposition units as the main opponent of the Limited Contingent, then the difference between us is that the 40th Army did what it considered necessary, and the dushmans did only what they could.
The 40th Army faced several main tasks. First of all, we had to provide assistance to the Afghan government in resolving the internal political situation. Basically, this assistance consisted of fighting armed opposition groups. In addition, the presence of a significant military contingent in Afghanistan was supposed to prevent external aggression. These tasks personnel The 40th Army was completed completely.
No one has ever set the task of winning a military victory in Afghanistan to the Limited Contingent. All the combat operations that the 40th Army had to conduct from 1980 until almost last days our stay in the country, were either proactive or reactive in nature. Together with government forces, we carried out military operations only to prevent attacks on our garrisons, airfields, automobile convoys and communications that were used to transport goods.
Quote from the article
Indeed, before the start of the OKSVA withdrawal in May 1988, the Mujahideen had never managed to carry out a single major operation and failed to occupy a single one large city. At the same time, Gromov’s opinion that the 40th Army was not given the task military victory, does not agree with the estimates of some other authors. In particular, Major General Evgeny Nikitenko, in 1985-1987 former deputy head of the operational department of the 40th Army headquarters, believes that throughout the war the USSR pursued constant goals - suppressing the resistance of the armed opposition and strengthening the power of the Afghan government. Despite all efforts, the number of opposition forces only grew from year to year, and in 1986 (at the peak of the Soviet military presence) the Mujahideen controlled more than 70% of the territory of Afghanistan. According to Colonel General Viktor Merimsky, former deputy. head of the Operational Group of the USSR Ministry of Defense in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, the Afghan leadership actually lost the fight against the rebels for its people, could not stabilize the situation in the country, although it had 300,000-strong military formations (army, police, state security).
Badge "Internationalist Warrior of the USSR"
After the outbreak of the Afghan war, several countries announced a boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games held in Moscow.
Humanitarian consequences
The result of hostilities from 1978 to 1992 was a flow of refugees to Iran and Pakistan, a large percentage of whom remain there to this day. Sharbat Gula's photograph, featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985 under the title "Afghan Girl", has become a symbol of the Afghan conflict and the refugee problem around the world.
The bitterness of the warring parties reached extreme limits. It is known that the Mujahideen subjected prisoners to torture, among which the “red tulip” is widely known. The weapon was used so widely that many of the villages were literally built from rockets left over from the departure of the Soviet army, residents used rockets to build houses, as ceilings, window and door beams, but statements by the US administration about the use of the 40th army chemical weapons, voiced in March 1982, were never documented.
Losses of the parties
The exact number of Afghans killed in the war is unknown. The most common figure is 1 million dead; Available estimates range from 670 thousand civilians to 2 million in total. According to Harvard professor M. Kramer, an American researcher of the Afghan war: “During the nine years of war, more than 2.5 million Afghans (mostly civilians), several million more became refugees, many of whom fled the country.” There appears to be no precise division of victims into government soldiers, mujahideen and civilians.

After the end of the war in the USSR, the numbers of dead Soviet soldiers, broken down by year, were published
1979
86 people
1980
1484 people
1981
1298 people
1982
1948 people
1983
1446 people
1984
2343 people
1985
1868 people
1986
1333 people
1987
1215 people
1988
759 people
1989
53 people
Total - 13,833 people. These data first appeared in the Pravda newspaper in August 1989. Subsequently, the final figure increased slightly, presumably due to those who died from the consequences of injuries and illnesses after dismissal from armed forces. As of January 1, 1999 irrecoverable losses in the Afghan war (killed, died from wounds, diseases and accidents, missing) were estimated in the following way:
Soviet Army - 14,427
KGB - 576
Ministry of Internal Affairs - 28
Total - 15,031 people. Sanitary losses - almost 54 thousand wounded, shell-shocked, injured; 416 thousand sick.
According to the professor Military Medical Academy St. Petersburg Vladimir Sidelnikov, the final figures do not take into account military personnel who died from wounds and illnesses in hospitals on the territory of the USSR.
In a study of the Afghan war conducted by officers of the General Staff under the leadership of prof. Valentin Runova, provides an estimate of 26,000 dead, including those killed in battle, those who died from wounds and illnesses, and those killed as a result of accidents. The breakdown by year is as follows:

We continue our series of publications about the war in Afghanistan.

corporal Airborne Forces Sergei Boyarkinefreiter of the Airborne Forces Sergei Boyarkin
(317 RAP, Kabul, 1979-81)

During the entire period of service in Afghanistan (almost a year and a half) starting in December 1979. I've heard so many stories about how our paratroopers killed just like that civilian population, that they simply cannot be counted, and I have never heard of our soldiers saving any of the Afghans - among soldiers, such an act would be regarded as aiding the enemies.

Even during the December coup in Kabul, which lasted all night on December 27, 1979, some paratroopers shot at unarmed people they saw on the streets - then, without a shadow of regret, they cheerfully recalled this as funny incidents.

Two months after the entry of troops - February 29, 1980. - The first military operation began in the province of Kunar. The main striking force was the paratroopers of our regiment - 300 soldiers who parachuted from helicopters on a high-mountain plateau and went down to restore order. As the participants in that operation told me, order was restored in the following way: food supplies were destroyed in the villages, all livestock were killed; usually, before entering a house, they threw a grenade there, then fired with a fan in all directions - only after that they looked at who was there; all men and even teenagers were immediately shot on the spot. The operation lasted almost two weeks, no one counted how many people were killed then.

What our paratroopers did for the first two years in remote areas of Afghanistan was complete arbitrariness. Since the summer of 1980 The 3rd battalion of our regiment was sent to Kandahar province to patrol the territory. Without fearing anyone, they calmly drove along the roads and desert of Kandahar and could, without any explanation, kill any person they met on their way.

They killed him just like that, with a burst of machine gun fire, without leaving his BMD armor.
Kandahar, summer 1981

A photograph of that killed Afghan, which was taken from his belongings.

Here is the most common story that an eyewitness told me. Summer 1981 Kandahar province. Photo - a dead Afghan man and his donkey are lying on the ground. The Afghan man walked his way and led a donkey. The only weapon the Afghan had was a stick, with which he drove the donkey. A column of our paratroopers was traveling along this road. They killed him just like that, with a burst of machine gun fire, without leaving his BMD armor.

The column stopped. One paratrooper came up and cut off the ears of a killed Afghan - as a memory of his military exploits. Then a mine was placed under the Afghan's corpse to kill anyone else who discovered the body. Only this time the idea didn’t work - when the column started moving, someone couldn’t resist and finally fired a burst at the corpse from a machine gun - the mine exploded and tore the Afghan’s body into pieces.

The caravans they encountered were searched, and if weapons were found (and the Afghans almost always had old rifles and shotguns), then they killed all the people who were in the caravan, and even animals. And when the travelers did not have any weapons, then, sometimes, they used a proven trick - during a search, they quietly pulled out a cartridge from their pocket, and, pretending that this cartridge was found in the pocket or in the things of an Afghan, they presented it to the Afghan as evidence his guilt.

These photographs were taken from killed Afghans. They were killed because their caravan met a column of our paratroopers.
Kandahar summer 1981

Now it was possible to make fun of him: after listening to how the man hotly justified himself, convincing him that the cartridge was not his, they began to beat him, then watched him on his knees begging for mercy, but they beat him again and then shot him. Then they killed the rest of the people who were in the caravan.
In addition to patrolling the territory, paratroopers often ambushed enemies on roads and trails. These “caravan hunters” never found out anything - not even whether the travelers had weapons - they simply suddenly shot from cover at everyone who passed in that place, sparing no one, even women and children.

I remember one paratrooper, a participant in the hostilities, was delighted:

I would never have thought that this was possible! We kill everyone in a row - and we are only praised for it and given awards!

Here documentary evidence. Wall newspaper with information about the military operations of the 3rd battalion in the summer of 1981. in Kandahar province.

It can be seen here that the number of recorded killed Afghans is three times higher than the number of captured weapons: 2 machine guns, 2 grenade launchers and 43 rifles were seized, and 137 people were killed.

The Mystery of the Kabul Mutiny

Two months after the entry of troops into Afghanistan, on February 22-23, 1980, Kabul was rocked by a major anti-government uprising. Everyone who was in Kabul at that time remembered these days well: the streets were filled with crowds of protesting people, they shouted, rioted, and there was shooting throughout the city. This rebellion was not prepared by any opposition forces or foreign intelligence services; it began completely unexpectedly for everyone: both for the Soviet military stationed in Kabul and for the Afghan leadership. This is how Colonel General Viktor Merimsky recalls those events in his memoirs:

"... All the central streets of the city were filled with excited people. The number of demonstrators reached 400 thousand people... Confusion was felt in the Afghan government. Marshal S.L. Sokolov, Army General S.F. Akhromeev and I left our residence for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, where we met with the Minister of Defense of Afghanistan M. Rafi. He could not answer our question about what was happening in the capital..."

The reason that served as the impetus for such a violent protest by the townspeople was never clarified. Only after 28 years did I manage to find out the whole background of those events. As it turned out, the mutiny was provoked by the reckless behavior of our paratroopers.

Senior Lieutenant Alexander Vovk
Alexander Vovk

The first commandant of Kabul, Major Yuri Nozdryakov (right).
Afghanistan, Kabul, 1980

It all started with the fact that on February 22, 1980, in Kabul, senior lieutenant Alexander Vovk, a senior Komsomol instructor in the political department of the 103rd Airborne Division, was killed in broad daylight.

The story of Vovk’s death was told to me by the first commandant of Kabul, Major Yuri Nozdryakov. This happened near the Green Market, where Vovk arrived in a UAZ along with the head of the air defense of the 103rd Airborne Division, Colonel Yuri Dvugroshev. They were not performing any task, but, most likely, they just wanted to buy something at the market. They were in the car when suddenly one shot was fired - the bullet hit Vovk. Dvugroshev and the soldier-driver did not even understand where the shots were coming from and quickly left the place. However, Vovk’s wound turned out to be fatal, and he died almost immediately.

Deputy commander of the 357th regiment, Major Vitaly Zababurin (in the middle).
Afghanistan, Kabul, 1980

And then something happened that shook the whole city. Having learned about the death of their comrade in arms, a group of officers and warrant officers of the 357th Parachute Regiment, led by the deputy regiment commander, Major Vitaly Zababurin, got into armored personnel carriers and went to the scene of the incident to deal with local residents. But, having arrived at the scene of the incident, they did not bother searching for the culprit, but hot head They decided to simply punish everyone who was there. Moving along the street, they began to smash and destroy everything in their path: they threw grenades at houses, fired from machine guns and machine guns on armored personnel carriers. Under hot hand officers hit dozens of innocent people.
The massacre ended, but news of the bloody pogrom quickly spread throughout the city. Thousands of indignant citizens began to flood the streets of Kabul, and riots began. At this time I was on the territory of the government residence, behind the high stone wall of the Palace of the People. I will never forget that wild howl of the crowd, instilling fear that made my blood run cold. The feeling was the most terrible...

The rebellion was suppressed within two days. Hundreds of Kabul residents died. However, the real instigators of those riots, who massacred innocent people, remained in the shadows.

Three thousand civilians in one punitive operation

At the end of December 1980 Two sergeants from the 3rd battalion of our regiment came to our guardhouse (it was in the Palace of the Peoples, in Kabul). By that time, the 3rd battalion had been stationed near Kandahar for six months and was constantly participating in combat operations. Everyone who was in the guardhouse at that time, including myself, listened carefully to their stories about how they were fighting. It was from them that I first learned about this major military operation, and heard this figure - about 3,000 Afghans killed in one day.

In addition, this information was confirmed by Viktor Marochkin, who served as a driver mechanic in the 70th brigade stationed near Kandahar (it was there that the 3rd battalion of our 317th parachute regiment was included). He said that the entire 70th brigade took part in that combat operation. The operation proceeded as follows.

In the second half of December 1980, a large settlement (presumably Tarinkot) was surrounded in a semi-ring. They stood like that for about three days. By this time, artillery and Grad multiple rocket launchers had been brought up.
On December 20, the operation began: a Grad and artillery attack was carried out on the populated area. After the first salvos, the village was plunged into a continuous cloud of dust. Shelling settlement continued almost continuously. Residents, in order to escape from shell explosions, ran from the village into the field. But there they began to shoot them from machine guns, BMD guns, four “Shilkas” (self-propelled guns with four combined large-caliber machine guns) fired non-stop, almost all the soldiers fired from their machine guns, killing everyone: including women and children.

After the shelling, the brigade entered the village, and the remaining residents were killed there. When the military operation ended, the entire ground around was strewn with corpses of people. We counted about 3000 ( three thousand) corpses.

A combat operation in a village, carried out with the participation of the 3rd battalion of our regiment.
Kandahar, summer 1981

The introduction of units and units of the Soviet army and their participation in the civil war in Afghanistan between armed opposition groups and the government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA). Civil war began to unfold in Afghanistan as a consequence of the transformations carried out by the country's pro-communist government, which came to power after April Revolution 1978. On December 12, 1979, the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, guided by the article on mutual obligations to ensure the territorial integrity of the friendship treaty with the DRA, decided to send troops to Afghanistan. It was assumed that the troops of the 40th Army would provide protection to the country's most important strategic and industrial facilities.

Photographer A. Solomonov. Soviet armored vehicles and Afghan women with children on one of the mountain roads to Jalalabad. Afghanistan. June 12, 1988. RIA Novosti

Four divisions, five separate brigades, four separate regiments, four combat aviation regiments, three helicopter regiments, a pipeline brigade and separate units of the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR were introduced into Afghanistan along with support and service units. Soviet troops guarded roads, gas fields, power plants, ensured the functioning of airfields, and transport of military and economic cargo. However, support for government troops in combat operations against armed opposition groups further aggravated the situation and led to an escalation of armed resistance to the ruling regime.

Photographer A. Solomonov. Soviet internationalist soldiers return to their homeland. Road through the Salang Pass, Afghanistan. May 16, 1988. RIA Novosti

The actions of the limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan can be divided into four main stages. At the 1st stage (December 1979 - February 1980) the introduction of troops, deployment to garrisons and organization of security of deployment points and various objects were carried out.

Photographer A. Solomonov. Soviet soldiers conduct engineering reconnaissance of roads. Afghanistan. 1980s RIA News

Operator unknown. Afghan Mujahideen fire at a tank column of a limited contingent of Soviet troops from a mountain gun. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

At the 3rd stage (May 1985 - December 1986) there was a transition from active combat operations primarily to reconnaissance and fire support for the actions of government troops. Soviet motorized rifle, airborne and tank formations acted as a reserve and a kind of “support” for the combat stability of the DRA troops. A more active role was assigned to special forces units conducting special counterinsurgency combat operations. The provision of assistance in supplying the armed forces of the DRA and assistance to the civilian population did not stop.

Cameramen G. Gavrilov, S. Gusev. Cargo 200. Sealing a container with the body of a deceased Soviet soldier before being sent to his homeland. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

During the last, 4th, stage (January 1987 - February 15, 1989), the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops was carried out.

Cameramen V. Dobronitsky, I. Filatov. A column of Soviet armored vehicles moves through an Afghan village. Afghanistan. 1980s RGAKFD

Cameraman R. Romm. Column of Soviet armored vehicles. Afghanistan. 1988. RGAKFD

Sanitary losses amounted to 469,685 people, including wounded, shell-shocked, injured - 53,753 people (11.44 percent); sick - 415,932 people (88.56 percent). Losses in weapons and military equipment amounted to: aircraft - 118; helicopters - 333; tanks - 147; BMP, BMD, armored personnel carrier - 1,314; guns and mortars - 433; radio stations, command and staff vehicles - 1,138; engineering vehicles - 510; flatbed vehicles and fuel tankers - 1,369.