February 15 is the anniversary of the end of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. It was a major war lasting 10 years. On the eve of the date, the VOENTERNET search service has found data for you that will help refresh your memories of this dramatic war. This is what our information analyst Oleg Pavlov reports.

The official purpose of introducing a limited contingent of Soviet troops (OCSV) was to prevent the threat of foreign military intervention in the affairs of Afghanistan; formally, the Soviet leadership thereby responded to repeated requests from the Afghan leadership. The decision to introduce it was made on December 12, 1979 at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee and formalized by a secret resolution of the Central Committee.

The civil war in Afghanistan involved the armed forces of the government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) and the OKSV on the one hand and the armed opposition (Mujahideen, or dushmans) on the other. During the conflict, the Dushmans were supported by military specialists from the United States, a number of European NATO member countries, Pakistani intelligence services, and other Islamic states.

On December 25, 1979, the entry of Soviet troops into the DRA began in three directions: Kushka Shindand Kandahar, Termez Kunduz Kabul, Khorog Faizabad. The troops landed at the airfields of Kabul, Bagram, and Kandahar.

The Soviet contingent included: the command of the 40th Army with support and maintenance units, four divisions, five separate brigades, four separate regiments, four combat aviation regiments, three helicopter regiments, one pipeline brigade, a logistics brigade and some other units and institutions.

The military campaign of Soviet troops in Afghanistan is conventionally divided into four stages.

1st stage: December 1979 - February 1980 Entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, placing them in garrisons, organizing the protection of deployment points and various objects.

2nd stage: March 1980 - April 1985 Conducting active combat operations, including large-scale ones, together with Afghan formations and units. Work to reorganize and strengthen the armed forces of the DRA.

3rd stage: May 1985 - December 1986 The transition from active combat operations primarily to supporting the actions of Afghan troops with Soviet aviation, artillery and sapper units. Special forces units fought to suppress the delivery of weapons and ammunition from abroad. The withdrawal of six Soviet regiments took place.

4th stage: January 1987 - February 1989 Participation of Soviet troops in the Afghan leadership's policy of national reconciliation. Continued support for the combat activities of Afghan troops. Preparing Soviet troops for the return to their homeland and implementing their complete withdrawal.
On April 14, 1988, with the mediation of the UN in Switzerland, the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan signed the Geneva Agreements on a political settlement of the situation in the DRA. The Soviet Union pledged to withdraw its contingent within 9 months, starting on May 15; The United States and Pakistan, for their part, had to stop supporting the Mujahideen.
In accordance with the agreements, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan began on May 15, 1988.
On February 15, 1989, Soviet troops completely withdrew from Afghanistan. The withdrawal of the troops of the 40th Army was led by the last commander of the limited contingent, Lieutenant General Boris Gromov.

Major military operations

Kunar operation (1985)

"Kunanar Operation" is a large-scale planned combined arms operation that took place in March - June 1985. A joint air-ground combat operation of OKSVA forces and units of the Afghan army on a wide front involving significant forces and assets.
The command of OKSVA units and formations was carried out by the head of the operational group of the USSR Ministry of Defense - Army General V.I. Varennikov
About 12 thousand military personnel participated on the Soviet side, the objectives of the operation were completed, the Mujahideen suffered significant losses - about 5 thousand.

Panjshir operations

Panjshir Gorge is a gorge in northern Afghanistan, 150 km north of Kabul.
The Panjshir River is one of the main tributaries of the Kabul River, which in turn is part of the Indus River basin. The center of Panjshir is the village of Rukha. The length of the valley is 115 km from east to west, area is 3526 km². The average height of the Panjshir Valley is 2217 m above sea level, and the highest mountains reach up to 6000 m. The population of the valley, according to the results of the Afghan census conducted in 1985, was 95,422 people who lived in 200 settlements. The gorge is inhabited by Afghan Tajiks. The main natural wealth of the Panjshir gorge is emerald deposits. The main attraction is the mausoleum of Ahmad Shah Massoud.
During the 10 years of the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan, Soviet troops several times carried out large-scale military operations in the Panjeshr Gorge against the forces of the field commander Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Operation Trap

A large-scale planned combined arms operation in the Afghan-Iranian border zone on August 18-26, 1986 in the Kokari-Sharshari region, the Kuhe-Senge-Surakh ridges in the Sefid-Kuh mountain range - Safed Kokh - White Mountains. systems Paropamiz - Herat province. A joint air-ground combat operation of OKSVA forces, formations and units of the DRA army, the MGB and the DRA Ministry of Internal Affairs - the 17th Infantry Division and the 5th Tank Brigade on a wide front with the involvement of significant forces and means.
The command of the OKSVA units was carried out by Army General V.I. Varennikov, head of the operational group of the USSR Ministry of Defense in Afghanistan.
The command of the Mujahideen forces is Ismail Khan.

"Marmol Operations"

A series of large-scale planned, joint and independent combined arms operations to capture fortified areas, fortification complexes and transshipment bases - “Agarsai”, “Bayramshah”, “Shorcha”, and eliminate the infrastructure of rebel bases. Blocking supply channels for weapons and ammunition, neutralizing members of the Mujahideen armed forces. A series of joint or independent ground and air-ground combat operations on a wide front involving significant forces and assets.
Formations of the OKSVA unit of the 201st Motorized Rifle Division and the KSAPO KGB of the USSR repeatedly carried out military operations of various scales in the specified area - the “Red Rocks” - Tangimarmol, Shadian and Tashkurgan gorges south of the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province - the north of the Republic of Afghanistan. The most famous: 1980, 1981, 1982, March 1983, January-February 1984, September 1985, etc.

Operation "Highway"

The largest-scale planned combined arms operation of OKSVA in the Afghan-Pakistan border zone, Paktia province, southeast Afghanistan. A joint air-ground combat operation on a wide front involving significant forces and assets. Was held from November 23 to January 10, 1987-1988.
The main actions took place along the Gardez-Khost highway.
The command of the OKSVA troops was carried out by Army General V.I. Varennikov.
The forces of the Afghan Mujahideen were commanded by the famous field commander Jalaluddin Haqqani.
The reason for this operation was the actions of the Mujahideen to blockade the city of Khost.
In this region, in the fall of 1987, the Mujahideen planned to create a new Islamic state.
Losses throughout the war

According to updated data, the total Soviet Army in the war lost 14 thousand 427 people, KGB - 576 people, Ministry of Internal Affairs - 28 people dead and missing. More than 53 thousand people were wounded, shell-shocked, injured.
The exact number of Afghans killed in the war is unknown. Available estimates range from 1 to 2 million people.

Follow the publications - memories of eyewitnesses and participants in the events, rare photographs, revelations are expected.

February 15 in Russia and other former Soviet republics is celebrated as a public holiday - the Day of Withdrawal of Troops from Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan lasted almost ten years (1979-1989). There are still debates about the reasons for the deployment of troops and the appropriateness of this step. The only thing that does not need comment is the terrible price that our country paid and this is about 15,000 dead children and tens of thousands of disabled people, in addition, countless Afghan rebels and civilians died.

The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan began on May 15, 1988, in accordance with the Geneva Agreements concluded on April 14, 1988, and ended on February 15, 1989. According to these agreements, the USSR undertook to withdraw its contingent within a nine-month period, and half of the troops had to leave the territory within the first 3 months. The withdrawal operation was constantly under attack from the Mujahideen.

Main stages

March 1988: statement by the Soviet Government that the signing of the Geneva Agreements is being delayed due to the fault of the Afghan opposition, and accordingly the start of the withdrawal of troops will be delayed. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan
The last column of Soviet troops crosses the Afghan-Soviet border, February 15, 1989
However, in March 1988, the withdrawal of troops had already actually begun - the operational groups of the USSR KGB Representative Office began to leave the provincial centers of Afghanistan.

The last column of Soviet troops crosses the Afghan-Soviet border, February 15, 1989

April 7, 1988: a meeting in Tashkent between the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee M. S. Gorbachev and the President of Afghanistan Najibullah, at which decisions were made allowing the immediate signing of the Geneva Agreements and the start of the withdrawal of troops from May 15, 1988, as previously assumed.
April 14, 1988: signing of the Geneva Agreements on a political settlement around Afghanistan between the USSR, the USA, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
15 May 1988: Soviet withdrawal begins: the first six regiments from the northern provinces move home
Early November 1988: suspension of the withdrawal of Soviet troops.
February 15, 1989 - the end of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
medal

Awards of the Afghan War

Medal for the 20th anniversary of the withdrawal of troops

For courage and courage - Afghan

Winners or losers?

Disputes continue about the status in which the USSR left Afghanistan - as a winner or a loser. However, no one calls the Soviet troops the winners of the Afghan War; opinions are divided as to whether the USSR lost or did not lose this war. According to one point of view, the Soviet troops cannot be considered defeated: firstly, they were never officially faced with the task of complete military victory over the enemy and control over the main territory of the country. The task was to relatively stabilize the situation, help strengthen the Afghan government and prevent possible external intervention. According to supporters of this position, the Soviet troops coped with these tasks, moreover, without suffering a single significant defeat.

Opponents claim that in fact there was a goal of complete military victory and control over Afghan territory, but it could not be accomplished - guerrilla warfare tactics were used, in which final victory is almost unattainable, and the Mujahideen have always controlled the bulk of the territory. In addition, it was not possible to stabilize the position of the socialist Afghan government, which was eventually overthrown three years after the withdrawal of troops.

Military losses and economic costs.

It was estimated that during the war the USSR annually spent 3.8 billion US dollars on Afghanistan (3 billion on the military campaign itself). The official losses of the Soviet troops were 14,427 killed, more than 53 thousand wounded, more than 300 prisoners and missing. At the same time, there is an opinion that the real number of deaths is 26 thousand - the official reports did not take into account the wounded who died after being transported to the territory of the USSR.
However, despite all the complexity, inconsistency and political assessment of these events, it should be noted that Soviet military personnel, military advisers and specialists were faithful to their military duty to the end and fulfilled it with dignity. Eternal glory to the heroes!

Interesting fact - the military in Afghanistan after February 15, 1989

It is safe to say that February 15 was only a conditional, symbolic date for the withdrawal of troops. For another three years, our military, mainly pilots and technical specialists, were in Afghanistan. The fact is that the military reserves left to the 40th Army were already running out.
And it was decided to establish an air bridge between the USSR and Afghanistan, with the help of which military supplies would be carried out. Then it was decided to increase military and humanitarian assistance. The Ministry of Defense formed four columns (one hundred KamAZ vehicles each) to send cargo to Afghanistan. Soviet volunteers were at the controls of transport planes overloaded with military equipment and behind the wheel of cars that were constantly being fired upon by the Mujahideen. It happened that they died.

At that time, the latest equipment was supplied to Afghanistan, and not the same as before the entry of troops - during the Second World War. By the way, an interesting episode is connected with these deliveries. Among other things, T-34 tanks were supplied to Afghanistan to equip Afghan tank units. But when there was a change of power in the country and cases of Afghan military units switching to the side of the Mujahideen became more frequent, many tanks were captured by the rebels. And soon they began to be used against Soviet troops. But since the fuel supply was limited, the Mujahideen could only use tanks as fixed firing points, camouflaging them in the mountains. The “thirty-fours” hidden in this way were almost impossible to destroy with artillery fire. Then they began to destroy them with the help of guided anti-tank missiles fired from helicopters. This was the first time this weapon had been used. The paradox was that we had to destroy our own equipment.

Photo of the withdrawal of troops on February 15, 1989

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Gorbachev first proposed discussing the issue with Afghanistan on October 17, 1985 at a Politburo meeting. But, unfortunately, no decision was made. The main problem that prevented the solution of this painful problem was that in the Politburo there was no consensus on how the USSR wanted to leave Afghanistan after the withdrawal of troops.

While there was a fairly wide range of opinions on the specific details of the question of the future of Afghanistan, there were two fundamentally different points of view in approaching this issue.

One point of view was defended at meetings of the Politburo Commission on Afghanistan and in the Politburo itself by Marshal S.F. Akhromeev and G.M. Kornienko. They believed that it was unrealistic to count on the PDPA being able to remain in power after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the country. The maximum that could be hoped for was for the PDPA to take a legitimate, but very modest place in the new regime. To do this, even before the withdrawal of Soviet troops, it had to voluntarily cede most of its power to other groups, creating a coalition government.

The opposite point of view was represented primarily by E.A. Shevardnadze and First Deputy Chairman of the KGB V.A. Kryuchkov. They proceeded from the conviction that even after the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the PDPA would be able, if not to retain full power, then, in any case, to play a decisive role in the new regime. In practice, they tried to create a “margin of safety” for the PDPA before the Soviet troops were withdrawn.

Gorbachev, for his part, on this cardinal issue tried to maneuver between the two groups while giving complete freedom of action to the Shevardnadze-Kryuchkov tandem.

Gradually, with difficulty, the Soviet government moved towards solving the Afghan knot. At the XXVII Congress, Gorbachev’s words were nevertheless heard about the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan: “We would like the Soviet troops stationed in Afghanistan at the request of his government to return to their homeland in the very near future.

At the end of May 1986, a closed meeting of senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held with the participation of ambassadors. On May 28, Gorbachev spoke at it. In his speech, he also touched on the Afghan issue: “This is a very pressing issue. It ranks first among our foreign policy priorities.” He further continued that Soviet troops could not stay there for long and it was necessary to ensure that military aid to the dushmans was stopped, primarily from the territory of Pakistan.

In a speech in Vladivostok in July 1986, M.S. Gorbachev said that the Soviet leadership had decided to withdraw 6 regiments from Afghanistan by the end of 1986. At the same time, it was stated: “... if the intervention against the DRA continues, the Soviet Union will not leave its neighbor in trouble.”

So, the end of 1987 came, two and a half years had already passed since Gorbachev came to power, a year had passed since December 1986, when it was decided (and Najibullah said this) to withdraw troops within a maximum of one and a half to two years. And their withdrawal has not yet begun --- largely for the reasons stated above. But there was another reason. Progress in the Afghan-Pakistani negotiations in Geneva was periodically stopped by the efforts of Washington. However, after the Soviet-American summit in Washington in December 1987, the view finally prevailed there in favor of the United States signing the Geneva agreements on Afghanistan in order to allow the USSR to withdraw from this country without losing face.

In the second half of January 1987, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR A.G. Kovalev visited Pakistan as Gorbachev's personal representative. In conversations with the Pakistani president, the position of the Soviet Union was outlined, which came out in support of the program of national reconciliation in the DRA. It was agreed that contacts would be continued in order to quickly achieve a settlement around Afghanistan through political means.

Soon, in February 1987, negotiations between Foreign Minister E.A. took place twice (at the beginning of the month and at the end). Shevardnadze with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan M. Yakub Khan. Shevardnadze confirmed the position of the Soviet side on the speedy withdrawal of Soviet troops as soon as a settlement is reached. The parties expressed support for the efforts of the personal representative of the UN Secretary General D. Cordoaes, through whom the Afghan-Pakistani negotiations were conducted in Geneva, and noted their importance.

Of great importance was the discussion of the situation around Afghanistan during the visit to Moscow in mid-February 1987 of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran A.A. Velayati. Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR A.A. Gromyko drew the attention of the Iranian minister to the fact that an opposition detachment was being sent from Iranian territory, waging an armed struggle against the Afghan people. “The Iranian leadership would do a good deed,” noted A.A. Gromyko, --- if it contributed to resolving the issue of the situation around Afghanistan through political means and used its influence to convey to the Afghans in Iran the truth about the decision of the DAR government on the issue of national reconciliation.”

After long debates in the Politburo between supporters of different ways to solve the Afghan problem, on February 8, 1988, Gorbachev issued a statement that stated that the governments of the USSR and the Republic of Afghanistan had agreed to set a specific date for the start of the withdrawal of Soviet troops - May 15, 1988.

On April 14, 1988, five fundamental documents on the issues of political settlement around Afghanistan were signed in Geneva. These documents did not concern the internal problems of Afghanistan, which only the Afghan people themselves had the right to solve.

The significance of the Geneva Agreements lies in the fact that they put a barrier to external interference in the affairs of Afghanistan and gave the Afghans themselves a chance to establish peace and harmony in their country. Entering into force on May 15, 1988, these agreements regulated the process of withdrawal of Soviet troops and declared international guarantees of non-intervention, the obligations of which were assumed by the USSR and the USA. On February 15, 1989, as provided for in the Geneva Accords, the last Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan.

Thus, a line was drawn under this protracted war, although it should be noted that even after the withdrawal of troops, the Afghan topic did not leave the agenda of the USSR’s foreign policy, because the question of what to do with this country after the withdrawal of the troops of the Soviet Union from there was being decided.

After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, one of the most important obstacles to the normalization of Soviet-Afghan relations was removed.

Soviet troops were unable to solve their main task - to defeat the armed opposition. Our troops, interacting, of course, with the Afghan government army, could achieve a military defeat of the irreconcilable opposition formations, but under two conditions:

- firstly, according to foreign experts, it would be necessary to increase the number of OKSV to 500-700 thousand people in order to completely block the routes from Pakistan and Iran,
-secondly, launch air and perhaps ground strikes on opposition bases located in the border zone of Pakistan.

Of course, with the available forces, the Fortieth Army could not solve the problem of defeating the opposition. So, for example, on July 1, 1986, the army had a total of 133 battalions and divisions, of which 82 performed security functions:

23 battalions guarded communications,
14 airfields,
23 various military and economic facilities,
22 local authorities.

Only 51 battalions could be involved in active combat operations throughout the country.

But these forces also caused enormous damage to the country, where about a million Afghans died during the war.

In total, the OVK of the Soviet troops included:

- control of the 40th Army with support and service units, divisions - 4,
- separate teams - 5,
- separate regiments - 4,
- combat aviation regiments - 4,
- helicopter regiments - 3,
- pipeline crew - 1,
- material support brigade - 1 and some other units and institutions.

In total, during the period from December 25, 1979 to February 15, 1989, 620 thousand military personnel served in the troops located on the territory of the DRA, of which:

As of January 1, 1999, 287 people remained among those who had not returned from captivity and were not found.

February 15, 1989 is the official day of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. At 10:00 the last soldier, Lieutenant General of the 40th Army, left the territory of Afghanistan on the border passing along the bridge across. 24 years have passed since then, but the events of that war have not yet been erased from the memory of the participants, they remind us of them in books, films.

Everyone remembers the sensational film "9th Company", which describes the events of that war. In one episode, when asked what he would do after returning home, the serviceman replied: “Drink, then drink some more, and drink until I forget the whole nightmare I experienced there.” What did the Soviet soldiers have to endure there, in the mountains of Afghanistan, and most importantly, for what?

Protracted 10-year war

The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan marked the end of a war about which we, in fact, know almost nothing. If we compare it with the First and Second World Wars, then the information about the “mountain hikes”, which lasted for less than 10 years, was preserved only in the memory of the participants. The secret war began on December 25, 1979, and, as a result, the introduction of troops showed the USSR in the international arena as an aggressor.

In particular, the decision of the USSR was incomprehensible, and only the USA was amused by this, since it had been going on for a long time between the two strongest states. On December 29, the Pravda newspaper published an appeal from the Afghan government for outside assistance to resolve internal conflicts. The Soviet Union provided assistance, but almost immediately realized the “Afghan mistake,” and the road back was difficult.

In order to carry out the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, it took the government almost 10 years, it was necessary to sacrifice the lives of 14 thousand soldiers, injure 53 thousand, and also take the lives of 1 million Afghans. It was difficult for Soviet soldiers to lead in the mountains, while the Mujahideen knew them like the back of their hand.

The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan became one of the main issues, which was first raised on February 7, 1980. But the government then considered it necessary to delay the troops, since the situation in Afghanistan, in their opinion, had not stabilized. It took 1.5 - 2 years to completely liberate the country. Soon L.I. Brezhnev decided to withdraw troops, but his initiative was not supported by Yu.V. Andropov and D.F. Ustinov. For some time, the solution to this problem was suspended, and the soldiers continued to fight and die in the mountains, it is not clear for whose interests. And only in 1985 M. S. Gorbachev resumed the issue of troop withdrawal; a plan was approved according to which Soviet troops were to leave the territory of Afghanistan within two years. And only after the intervention of the UN did the papers go into action. Pakistan and Afghanistan signed a contract that prohibited the United States from interfering in the internal affairs of the country, and the USSR had to carry out the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

Did the Soviet soldiers return with victory or defeat?

Many people are wondering what the outcome of the war was? Can Soviet soldiers be considered victors?

There is no definite answer, but the USSR did not set itself the task of conquering Afghanistan; it was supposed to assist the government in stabilizing the internal situation. The USSR most likely lost this war to itself, 14 thousand soldiers and their relatives. Who asked to send troops to this country, what awaited them there? History does not know a more reckless massacre that has caused such victims. The withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 1989 was the smartest decision during this war, but a sad aftertaste will forever remain in the hearts of the physically and mentally crippled participants and their loved ones.

In December 1979, a limited contingent of Soviet troops crossed the border with Afghanistan. It was then that a conflict began that would last ten years; a conflict that will divide the lives of thousands of people into “before” and “after”.

A year before, in 1978, the Saur (April) Revolution would take place in Afghanistan, after which the pro-Soviet government that came to power would turn to the Soviet Union for help. A year after this address, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee L.I. Brezhnev, speaking at a meeting of the Politburo, will say that the participation of Soviet troops in the conflict could harm not only the Soviet Union, but also Afghanistan itself.

Shortly after this statement, the Herat revolt will occur, during which two citizens of the Soviet Union will be killed. It was after this conflict, suppressed by government troops, that the USSR would first strengthen the grouping of troops along the border with Afghanistan, and a little later, on December 12, 1979, the Politburo would make a new decision, this time on the entry of Soviet troops into the territory of the neighboring state.

It was originally intended to be a short-term operation. But these assumptions were not destined to come true. As a result, the Soviet Union found itself embroiled in a protracted war. Moreover, officially it was not even a war - in all documents of that time, what was happening would be called a conflict.

The most active military operations occurred in the period before the announcement of the policy of national reconciliation: battles in Kandahar, the Panjshir operation, the operation in Nimroz, the battle for Khost, the defeat of the Mujahideen fortified area in Farah.

Only in 1986 will a policy of national reconciliation be announced in Afghanistan. But even after this, Soviet troops continued to support the Afghan troops.

In April 1988, the new Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee M. Gorbachev and the President of Afghanistan M. Najibullah will hold a meeting at which they will make a number of decisions that will allow them to sign the Geneva Agreements on a political settlement of the situation in the DRA.

According to these decisions, the USSR pledged to withdraw its contingent within 9 months, and the United States and Pakistan pledged to stop supporting the Mujahideen.

On January 26, 1989, Operation Typhoon, the last large-scale operation of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, will end, and on February 15, the last units of the 40th Army, a limited contingent of Soviet troops, will be withdrawn from Afghanistan.

According to various estimates, from 80 to 104 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers passed through the Afghan conflict. According to updated data, 15,031 Soviet servicemen died in Afghanistan over ten years.

With the departure of the Soviet troops, the war never stopped: today Afghanistan is one of the hottest spots on the world map.

In 2010, the day of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was declared in our country the Day of Remembrance of Russians who performed their duty outside the Fatherland.