The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan: beginning and completion.

Since January 1987, Soviet troops largely stopped conducting active offensive combat operations and entered into military clashes only in the event of an attack on their places of deployment. According to the commander of the 40th Army, Colonel General B.V. Gromov, “response or, depending on the situation, proactive fighting the commander was obliged to carry out only in order to prevent mass death our people and even eliminate such a threat.”

In 1987, the policy of national reconciliation, adopted and approved at the Plenum of the PDPA Central Committee in December 1986, began to be implemented in Afghanistan. According to this policy, the PDPA officially renounced its monopoly on power; in July 1987, a law on political parties was published, approved by the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council of the DRA.

This law regulated the creation and activities of political parties. Only in October, at the all-party conference of the PDPA, the resolution “On the urgent tasks of strengthening the unity of the PDPA in the context of the struggle for national reconciliation” was approved and signed by all delegates. After all, the split of the party into two wings – “Khalq” and “Parcham” – continued to operate.

On November 29, the Supreme Council of Afghanistan, the Loya Jirga, was held in Kabul. On November 30, the Loya Jirga approved the Constitution of the Republic of Afghanistan, the country's president, Najibullah, was elected, who announced to the delegates of the Afghan parliament that the ceasefire would continue until July 15, 1988. The withdrawal of Soviet troops from the Republic of Afghanistan, by agreement of both parties, was supposed to be carried out within twelve months.

Already in the second half of January 1987, the opposition carried out a decisive offensive against both the Soviet and Afghan garrisons, not leaving peaceful villages without attention.

The very presence of the 40th Army did not allow the Mujahideen to irrevocably achieve their goals of overthrowing the DRA government. At the same time, the opposition parties regarded the policy of national reconciliation primarily as a weakness of state power and only intensified the struggle to overthrow it. The combat activity of Mujahideen detachments increased under the conditions of a unilateral ceasefire by Soviet and government troops.

In November–December, one of the largest operations, Magistral, was carried out to unblock Khost. Taking advantage of the absence of Soviet units in the Khost district, by the fall of 1987, the dushmans restored one of the largest transshipment bases, “Javara,” which Soviet troops had destroyed in the spring of 1986. There was a danger of creating a provisional government of opposition forces in Khost. It was decided to plan and conduct a large joint military operation of Afghan and Soviet troops and provide the population of Khost primarily with food, as well as other types of material resources, to thwart the opposition’s plans to form an alternative government in Afghanistan.

The forces of the 108th and 201st motorized rifle divisions, the 103rd airborne division, the 56th separate air assault brigade, the 345th separate parachute regiment, etc. took part in this operation from the 40th Army. The Afghan army attracted the forces and assets of five infantry divisions, one tank brigade and several special forces units. In addition, more than ten tsarandoy and state security battalions took part in the operation.

The situation on the Gardez-Khost highway was difficult. First, we had to conquer the Seti-Kandav pass - it is located at an altitude of three thousand meters. The opposition faction in the area consisted mainly of the paramilitary Jadran tribe. This tribe was not subordinate to any government at all and acted as its leaders saw fit. In the 80s, the leadership of the Mujahideen formations was carried out by Jalaluddin, a native of this tribe.

As negotiations with Jalaluddin proved fruitless, Operation Highway was launched on 23 November. By the end of November 28, the advanced units captured the Seti-Kandav pass. Then negotiations began again with the leaders of the warring Jadran tribe. But on December 16, the troops were forced to continue fighting. On December 30, the first trucks with food moved along the highway to Khost.

During a visit to the USA in December 1987, M.S. Gorbachev said that the political decision to withdraw Soviet troops had been made. Soon in Geneva, delegations of the USSR, USA, Afghanistan and Pakistan sat down at the negotiating table with the aim of developing a political solution to the Afghan problem. On April 14, 1988, five fundamental documents on the settlement of the political situation around Afghanistan were signed.

According to these agreements, which came into force on May 15, 1988, Soviet troops must leave Afghanistan, and the United States and Pakistan pledged to completely stop funding the Afghan rebels.

Soviet Union strictly fulfilled all his obligations. By August 15, 1988, half of the Limited contingent had been withdrawn. For the withdrawal of Soviet troops, directions were determined: in the west - Kandahar - Shindand - Kushka, in the east - routes united in Kabul from Ghazni, Gardez and Jalalabad, then through the Salang pass to Puli-Khumri and Termez.

In the summer of 1988 (from May 15 to August 15), Soviet troops were withdrawn from garrisons such as Jalalabad, Ghazni, Gardez, Kandahar, Lashkar Gah, Faizabad and Kunduz. At the same time, hostilities against opposition groups did not stop.

Of course, the opposition would have been branded as incompetent if it had not taken advantage of the opportunity. Since the beginning of the withdrawal of Soviet troops, it began to act with even greater assertiveness throughout the country.

Since mid-May, rocket attacks on Kabul have become regular. Previously cut paths along which military equipment was supplied to the Mujahideen were revived. Fortified areas, bases, and warehouses were urgently revived and re-created in the areas bordering Pakistan and Iran. The supply of weapons increased sharply, including surface-to-surface missiles with a range of up to 30 kilometers, Stingers, etc.

The result, of course, was immediate. Afghan aviation activity has been significantly reduced. From May 15 to October 14, armed opposition forces shot down 14 airplanes and 36 helicopters of the Afghan Air Force. They made an attempt to take control of some provincial centers. On June 24, Mujahideen detachments managed to capture for some time the center of Wardak province - the city of Maidanshahr.

More than 2 thousand people took part in the battles for the city from the opposition. In July, the center of the Zabol province, the city of Kalat, was subjected to a long siege and assault. The besiegers were defeated by troops brought in from other areas, but Kalat, a small settlement with about 7 thousand inhabitants, was severely destroyed

Colonel General B.V. Gromov, summing up the results of this year, in his book “Limited Contingent” said: “As a result of the combat activities of the 40th Army during 1988, the opposition units were significantly weakened. Together with units of the Afghan armed forces, we did a lot of work to clear areas along the highways. After failed negotiations with the opposition during military operations, we inflicted significant damage on the Mujahideen.

Soviet troops captured more than 1,000 anti-aircraft mountain installations and more than 30,000 rockets for them, more than 700 mortars and approximately 25,000 mines, as well as a significant amount of small arms and more than 12 million rounds of ammunition. In the second half of 1988, the forces of the 40th Army captured 417 opposition caravans coming from Pakistan and Iran. However, the Mujahideen continued to pose a threat to the Afghan government."

In November, after the departure of the Soviet brigade, the oppositionists, in collusion with officials The second army corps of the Afghan army tried to seize power in Kandahar. The coup was averted. But this did not de-escalate the situation; it continued to heat up both here and in other provinces - as fewer and fewer Soviet military units remained in the DRA.

The Soviet side complied with the Geneva agreements. By February 15, 1989, the 40th Army left the territory of Afghanistan. All events after the withdrawal of Soviet troops confirmed that the status quo was maintained in this country only thanks to the presence of Soviet troops there.

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By the mid-1980s, it became clear that the current USSR policy towards Afghanistan was reaching a dead end. The limited contingent of Soviet troops in the DRA, together with local government forces, did not allow the Mujahideen to take control of the country's major cities, but they were not able to completely neutralize the armed gangs of oppositionists.

The Mujahideen, in turn, despite generous financial support and arms assistance from the United States, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern Islamic monarchies, were unable to overthrow the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul.

However, between May 15 and August 15, 1988, over 50 thousand Soviet soldiers left Afghanistan, that is, half of the entire Limited contingent.

The remaining Soviet units had to carry out active military work, eliminating pockets of Mujahideen resistance and intercepting caravans with weapons. According to the commander of the 40th Army, Colonel General Boris Gromov, in the second half of 1988 alone, his units managed to intercept 417 caravans with weapons for the Mujahideen coming from Pakistan and Iran.

If you believe the data of the American newspaper The Washington Post, then during the period of troop withdrawal, that is, when the USSR’s intention to leave Afghanistan was documented, the Mujahideen killed 523 Soviet soldiers.

However, the losses of militants during the same period numbered in the thousands, because Soviet soldiers knew how to fight very well.

The Americans and their allies were counting on the rapid fall of the Najibullah regime.

However, contrary to their expectations, the government of Mohammad Najibullah managed to stabilize the situation, repelling the attacks of the Mujahideen.

Moreover, after the withdrawal of Soviet troops, Najibullah gained wider support from various sectors of Afghan society, and his successful policy of national reconciliation found more and more supporters.

Perhaps Afghanistan would not have been mired in war for another two decades if at that moment the West, and primarily the United States, had taken a sober look at the situation. However, a burning desire to destroy the “pro-Soviet regime” forced the American “hawks” to continue to feed the opposition.

Hardly anyone in America realized that the United States was currently digging a hole for itself.

Najibullah's policy was ruined by the betrayal committed by the authorities after the fall of the USSR new Russia. Boris Yeltsin and his Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev, under whom Russian foreign policy became completely subordinate to US interests, entered into behind-the-scenes negotiations with the Mujahideen, while simultaneously stopping the supply of weapons, ammunition and fuel to the Afghan government.

While the Afghan opposition continued to be generously sponsored by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Western countries, government forces lost the resources to resist. As a result, in April 1992, Kabul fell and power passed to the Mujahideen.

Mohammad Najibullah (seated) with his brother General Shahpur Ahmadzai. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Mohammad Najibullah took refuge in the UN mission in Kabul. But with the fall of the pro-Soviet regime, peace did not come to Afghan soil. Yesterday's allies in the war against the “infidels,” the Mujahideen, started a bloody feud, challenging each other for power. The sparks of this conflict reached Central Asia, turning into a full-scale civil war in Tajikistan.

Four years of chaos in the country ended with the most radical Islamists from the Taliban movement, also created with the participation of the US CIA, coming to power.

After the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996, Mohammad Najibullah was captured in a UN mission and brutally killed. The regime established by the Taliban in Afghanistan made even the most fierce opponents of the USSR among the Mujahideen, for example, Ahmad Shah Massoud, who began to seek help from the Russian authorities to fight the Taliban, shudder with horror.

From Afghanistan (date: May 15, 1988) and its completion (date: February 15, 1989). But first, let’s find out what Afghanistan was like during these years.

In this country, a policy of national reconciliation began to be implemented in 1987. According to it, the PDPA officially renounced its monopoly on power. In 1987, in July, the law on political parties was published, which was approved by the Presidium of the Revolutionary Council of the DRA. He regulated the activities and creation of various political parties. Only in October was a resolution approved and signed at the PDPA conference, which outlined the tasks of strengthening unity. After all, the split into “Parcham” and “Khalq” - two wings of one party - continued to operate.

Constitution and President of Afghanistan

The Supreme Council (Loya Jirga) was held in Kabul on November 29. It approved the country's constitution and elected the president of the state, Najibullah, who announced to parliament delegates that the policy aimed at a ceasefire would continue until July 15, 1988. The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was supposed to be carried out by agreement of the parties within 12 months.

Cessation of major hostilities

Since the beginning of 1987, USSR troops stopped conducting offensive combat operations. They entered into military clashes only in the event of an attack on their places of deployment. According to B.V. Gromov, Colonel General who commanded the 40th Army, the commander should carry out reactive or preemptive actions, depending on the situation, only in order to exclude the possibility of mass deaths.

Opposition offensive

Already in January 1987, in the second half of the month, a decisive offensive was carried out by the opposition against the Afghan and Soviet garrisons. Peaceful villages were also not ignored. For the Mujahideen, the presence of the 40th Army prevented them from achieving the goals they had set to overthrow the DRA government. At the same time, the opposition parties regarded the policy of national reconciliation as a manifestation of the weakness of state power, and therefore intensified the struggle aimed at overthrowing it. The combat activity of the Mujahideen increased under the conditions of a ceasefire by government and Soviet troops.

Operation "Highway"

In November-December of the same year, Operation Magistral was carried out, aimed at unblocking Khost. The Dushmans, taking advantage of the absence of Soviet units in the Khosta district, restored by the fall of 1987 one of the largest transshipment bases called “Dzhavara”. Soviet troops managed to defeat it in the spring of 1986. There was a danger of creating a provisional government of opposition forces in Khost. Therefore, it was decided to carry out a major military operation of Soviet and Afghan troops, to provide the population with food and other necessities, and to thwart the plans of the opposition aimed at forming Afghanistan’s own government.

Preparing for surgery

The forces of the 201st and 108th motorized rifle divisions from the 40th Army and others took part in this operation. The funds and forces of five infantry divisions, several special forces units, and one tank brigade were attracted from the Afghan army. In addition, more than 10 state security and Tsarandoy battalions took part in the operation.

The situation was difficult. At first it was planned to capture the Seti-Kandav pass. It is located at an altitude of about 3 thousand meters. In this area, the opposition group consisted mainly of the Jadran tribe, which was not subject to any government at all. The tribe acted as its leaders saw fit. Jalaluddin, one of his descendants, led the Mujahideen in the 1980s.

Progress of Operation "Magistral"

Since negotiations with Jalaluddin did not bring results, on November 23 it was decided to launch Operation Magistral. On November 28, the advanced units captured the Seti-Kandav pass. After this, negotiations began again with the leadership of the Jadran tribe. However, the troops on December 16 were forced to continue fighting. On December 30, trucks with food moved along the highway to Khost.

Geneva Agreements

M. S. Gorbachev in December 1987, during his visit to the United States, announced that it was planned to begin the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan soon. In Geneva, the delegations of the USSR, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the USA soon sat down at the negotiating table. The goal was to develop an optimal political solution regarding the Afghan problem. In 1988, on April 14, 5 main documents on stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan were signed. They came into force a month later - May 15. Under these agreements, Soviet troops pledged to leave Afghanistan, and Pakistan and the United States pledged to completely stop aid to the Afghan rebels.

Beginning of troop withdrawal according to the Geneva agreement

The USSR strictly fulfilled all the obligations it assumed. Already in 1988, on August 15, approximately half of the Limited Contingent troops were withdrawn. The following directions were determined along which the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was to be carried out: in the west - Kushka, Shindand, Kandahar, in the east the routes were united in Kabul for troops from Jalalabad, Gardez and Ghazni, then they were sent through Salang to Termez and Puli -Khumri.

The opposition resumes its activity

From May 15 to August 15, 1888, Soviet troops were withdrawn from garrisons such as Ghazni, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Gardez, Faizabad, Lashkar Gah and Kunduz. However, the fighting with the opposition did not stop. Of course, the opposition would be incompetent if it did not take advantage of this opportunity. The beginning of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was marked by the fact that the opposition began to act with even greater assertiveness at this time. Rocket attacks on Kabul have become regular since mid-May. The previously cut paths came to life. Through them, military equipment was supplied to the Mujahideen. Warehouses, bases, and fortified areas were urgently revived and created in areas bordering Iran and Pakistan. The supply of weapons increased sharply, including surface-to-surface missiles (their range reached up to 30 km), Stingers, etc.

Capture of the cities of Maidanshahr and Kalat

Of course, the result of this immediately affected. Afghan aviation activity has decreased significantly. From May 15 to October 14, armed opposition groups shot down 36 helicopters and 14 aircraft belonging to the Afghan Air Force. Attempts were also made to seize provincial centers. On June 24, Mujahideen troops managed to capture the city of Maidanshahr, which is the center of Wardak province, for some time. More than 2 thousand people took part in the battles for the city on the part of the opposition. Kalat, the center of the province of Zabol, was subjected to a long siege and assault in July. Troops brought here from other areas defeated the besiegers, but Kalat, a populated area with approximately 7 thousand inhabitants, was severely destroyed.

Results of the activities of the 40th Army in 1988

The year of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan is 1989. However, before the army left, it was done big job. B.V. Gromov (pictured below), Colonel General, summed up the results for 1988 in a book called “Limited Contingent”.

He said that during 1988, the activities of the 40th Army led to a significant weakening of opposition units. Together with units of the Afghan forces, work was carried out to clear areas located along the highways. During the operations, after unsuccessful negotiations with the opposition, significant damage was inflicted on the Mujahideen. Soviet troops captured more than a thousand mountain anti-aircraft installations, as well as more than 30 thousand rockets, about 700 mortars and 25 thousand mines. In 1988, in the second half of 1988, the forces of the 40th Army captured 417 caravans belonging to the opposition. They were coming from Iran and Pakistan. The Mujahideen nevertheless still posed some danger to the government.

Preventing a coup in Kandahar

After the withdrawal of troops in November, the opposition conspired with officials of the 2nd Army Corps and jointly attempted to seize power in Kandahar. This coup was prevented. However, the situation did not calm down. As fewer Soviet units remained in the DRA, the situation continued to escalate in some provinces.

The 40th Army leaves Afghanistan

The Geneva agreements were implemented by the USSR. The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was completed on February 15, 1989. It was then that the 40th Army left the country. The events that occurred after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan confirmed that the status quo in the state was maintained only thanks to their presence.

Final operation

On January 23, 1989, Soviet troops began the final operation - the capture of the Salang Pass. About 600 Mujahideen and 3 Soviet soldiers were killed in 2 days of fighting. Southern Salang was thus cleared of the troops of Ahmad Shah Massoud, after which it was transferred to the troops of Afghanistan.

End of Najibullah's resistance

In 1989, on February 15, in accordance with the previously signed Geneva Agreements, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was completed. This largely meant the end of Najibullah's resistance. However, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan did not lead to the immediate collapse of the pro-Soviet regime in the country. For another three years, M. Najibullah not only controlled Largest cities, but also hit the opposition strong blows. An example is the defeat of opposition troops that took place in April 1989 near Jalalabad. Najibula simultaneously successfully transformed himself into a national leader, anticipating further events after the collapse of the USSR.

The day of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, as you remember, is February 15, 1989. However, the leaders of the USA and the USSR only at the end of 1991 announced the cessation of military supplies to the Mujahideen and the Najibullah government from January 1, 1992. If Najibullah had not been abandoned by Moscow, power in a significant part of Afghanistan would probably still be in the hands of pro-Russian politicians. Further patronage of the communists in Afghanistan, of course, would hardly be accepted with understanding in the world. In addition, support for former communists after 1991 contradicted the foreign policy objectives of the then Russia. Therefore, Najibullah was doomed.

Significance of troop withdrawal

The date of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan is very important in modern history our country. The Afghan war, which lasted from 1979 to 1989, is a hot topic of debate to this day. The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan took place 2 years before the collapse of the USSR. This is one of the last significant events in the history of the state. After 1991, there is already another country - Russian Federation, life in which has changed significantly and continues to change to this day. However, the events that happened in 1989 are still remembered by Russian residents today. In 2014, on February 15, Russians celebrated important date- 25 years of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. On this day, Shoigu awarded the participants in the Afghan war with medals, and other ceremonial events were held.

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, maim 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 the United States forbidden to interfere 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 winners?

There is no definite answer, but the USSR did not set itself the task of conquering Afghanistan; it had 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 1989, on February 15, the last Soviet troops left the state of Afghanistan. Thus ended the 10-year war, in which the Soviet Union lost over 15 thousand of its citizens. And it is clear that the Day of Withdrawal of Troops from Afghanistan is both a holiday for Afghan veterans and a day of remembrance and mourning for all fallen internationalist soldiers.

Soviet authorities they were not very willing to remember that war, which is probably why the holiday did not receive official status. However, Russians today treat Afghan veterans with respect and honor. Memorial complexes have been created in the country in memory of those who died in Afghan war. In big and small cities on February 15, proactive veterans organize rallies, and in columns are relatives, friends, friends of Afghans and simply patriotic people for whom war is not an empty phrase. Eternal glory to our soldiers!

To all those who served
Under the oppressive sky of Afghanistan,
Who saved us from war,
Bow to you, veterans!

Health, peace of mind, strength,
May your courage never leave you,
Believe me, no one has forgotten
About this holy anniversary!

Please accept my gratitude, war veteran.
The war engulfing Afghanistan,
The war that came to visit uninvited.
Wars that have passed through life and through the heart!

You have fulfilled your military duty, soldier,
And together with everyone you were very happy
The day of withdrawal of troops, returning home.
You remained alive in that meat grinder!

We congratulate you on the Day of Withdrawal of Troops,
We all wish you health and happiness.
May there be peace and tranquility in your destiny,
And the clear sky is just overhead!

Our dear soldiers who performed their international duty in the Republic of Afghanistan! Thanks a lot to you, our dears, for the fact that your courage, bravery and courage have become someone’s hope and salvation! I wish you strong health, peace of mind and balance, moral stability. For your kind and sympathetic hearts, may life reward you with the love and care of your family and friends, bright moments and joyful meetings.

Afghanistan lives to this day
In our open hearts.
For that war, for courage, strength
Thank you, soldier!

All that nightmare and horror, grief
Don't forget your family.
And the withdrawal of troops is the event of the century
We celebrate in February.

Low bow to you, everyone who survived
And to those who laid down their lives,
But it was proven by the example of Afghanistan,
So that all the people can live in peace!

To everyone who went through Afghanistan,
I want to express my respect!
Afghan every veteran
Only worthy of respect!

You fought for a long time with honor
And finally the time has come
When the fanfare started playing
And you returned! Hooray!

Alas, not everyone was able to return,
Afghan took our guys!
Lord forbid I plunge again
To our descendants in this hell!

We will honor the memory of all those who died,
Who fought nights and days
And let's say thank you to everyone alive
Their path was not easy, but difficult.

To everyone who fought in Afghanistan,
Who has seen this war?
We will all bow before you,
We are truly proud of you.

The whole world remembered this date,
When the machine guns died down.
When the war ended
And how difficult it was.

We wish you only peace,
Let there be no room for tears.
We wish you health and strength
And may you have happiness!

Many years have passed already
Since that important and special date,
When did you leave Afghanistan?
Dear, dear guys.

Let's remember all those
Who did not return to the beloved home,
And bow to all the veterans,
For valor, invincible spirit.

I wish you peace and goodness,
Let the shells no longer thunder,
And the sky will be blue
And let the bullets not whistle at all.

When troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan,
Many people were in tears,
And we will never forget this date.
You paid your debt, thank you, soldiers!

Let's remember every name
All those who died in a distant foreign land
And those who returned home,
And we will make sure that no one is forgotten!

The war has passed, but we cannot forget
About those human losses, about battles,
We must honor everyone who fought,
After all, they are all worthy of respect!

The troops left Afghanistan,
But how many soldiers died there!
How many wounds remain in our hearts,
No one can name the number!

Let this war not happen again,
After all, people always need to live in the world,
Let us not even dream of something like this
Forever, never and never!

On this day let's remember
Those who died in battle then,
We salute all Afghans
For courage, valor, honor in the ranks!

Let military conflicts
All over the Earth will calm down at once,
Goodness and smiles reign all around,
And it will be peaceful every hour!

Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan
Became a memorable date for us,
We bow our heads low
We are a soldier before everyone.

Honor and glory to you, heroes,
Eternal memory to the dead,
Echoes of that war
On this day we hear with our hearts.

To everyone living on earth
I want to wish peace
To Black Tulips
They didn't circle in our sky.

Congratulations: 61 in verse, 10 in prose.

On February 15, 1989, Lieutenant General Boris Gromov, according to the official version, became the last Soviet soldier to cross the border of the two countries across the Friendship Bridge. In reality, both Soviet military personnel who were captured by dushmans and units of border guards who covered the withdrawal of troops and returned to the territory of the USSR only in the afternoon of February 15 remained on the territory of 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.

FEBRUARY 15, 1989

February night, ice armor
There are headlights on the rocks, machine guns in the loopholes.
The column leaves from under fire.
We go to the border
Let's go to the border!

Water rumbles in the bed of a mountain river
And the darkness in the mountains sparkles like tracers
Today is the last push, guys!
The last push - and we are at the border.

Afghan! You are like a wound in the souls of soldiers.
I know that we will dream about you at night.
After all, there are obelisks along the roads here
To the very border, to the very border.

There are no miracles in this war.
Not all boys are destined to return.
They're watching us from heaven
They help us reach the border.

Let’s go out and write to the mothers: “Now
There’s no need to pray for us at night!”
God will help us and we will be without loss
Let's get to the border, let's get to the border

"Frontier!" the lead patrol reported
And the dusty faces became lighter
And the commander said quietly on air:
“Fighters! Will live! After all, we are on the border!”

Is this war really over?
And nothing will happen to us now
It’s not for nothing that you kept your stash, sergeant major.
Come on, get it - we're already at the border!

WE PERFORMED OUR SOLDIER'S DUTY WITH HONOR

The population of Afghan villages saw us off mostly in a friendly manner. In some settlements, people came out with flowers and waved welcomingly. Not a single shot was fired during the march. In places of possible ambushes and in populated areas, by agreement with the tribal authorities, elders boarded our combat vehicles and served as a kind of guarantors of the safety of our military personnel. We did not remain in debt to the population. Our well-lived towns with well-established infrastructure were handed over to them. Of particular value were artesian wells, which became sources of water supply for many villages.

Of course, for our soldiers, sergeants, warrant officers and officers, returning to their homeland became a real holiday. In freshly washed uniforms, with hemmed collars, unfolded panels on which the names of the units were written, our soldiers looked spectacular when crossing the border. On the sides of the combat vehicles there were inscriptions: “I’m back, mom!” Sanitation points were deployed in all directions, everyone happily washed themselves after the journey, disinfected their uniforms, and put military equipment and weapons in order. The kitchens did not smoke. Almost along the entire border, the soldiers’ sense of smell was teased by the smell of delicious Turkmen, Uzbek and Tajik pilaf. Both old and small border settlements met our soldiers. Leaders of the republics, border regions, internationalist soldiers and officers spoke at rallies dedicated to the exit from Afghanistan. Parents came from many regions of the USSR to meet their sons. They sincerely thanked the officers for returning home their mature boys. After a hearty lunch and dinner, the motorized maneuver groups took marching order and marched to pre-prepared base areas along the state border with Afghanistan.

By this time, we had already dived into “perestroika”, hot spots had already appeared inside the USSR, and some of the motorized maneuver and air assault groups were urgently transferred to other regions. There were fewer and fewer forces and resources left to guard and defend the Afghan border, which had an extremely negative impact in the course of subsequent events on the territory of Tajikistan. Facilities mass media began openly defaming the causes and consequences of our stay in Afghanistan, extremely negatively influencing the moral and psychological state of internationalist soldiers. I am still in correspondence with many of them. Many do not find their place in our bazaar market of profit and deception, but the absolute majority are confident that we fulfilled our soldier’s duty with honor and dignity.