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On May 15, 1988, the withdrawal began Soviet troops from the territory of Afghanistan. The operation was led by the last commander of the limited contingent, Lieutenant General Boris Gromov. Soviet troops have been in the country since December 25, 1979; they acted on the side of the government Democratic Republic Afghanistan.

The decision to send Soviet troops into Afghanistan was made on December 12, 1979 at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee and formalized by a secret resolution of the CPSU Central Committee. Official purpose entry was to prevent the threat of foreign military intervention. The Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee used repeated requests from the Afghan leadership as a formal basis.

A limited contingent of Soviet troops (OKSV) found themselves directly drawn into the civil war that was flaring up in Afghanistan and became its active participant.

The armed forces of the government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) on the one hand and the armed opposition (Mujahideen, or dushmans) on the other took part in the conflict. The struggle was for complete political control over the territory of Afghanistan. During the conflict, the dushmans were supported by military specialists from the United States, a number of European NATO member countries, as well as Pakistani intelligence services.
December 25, 1979 The entry of Soviet troops into the DRA began in three directions: Kushka-Shindand-Kandahar, Termez-Kunduz-Kabul, Khorog-Fayzabad. The troops landed at the airfields of Kabul, Bagram, and Kandahar.

Part Soviet contingent included: control of the 40th Army with support and service units, four divisions, five separate brigades, four individual shelf, four combat aviation regiments, three helicopter regiments, one pipeline brigade, one brigade material support and some other units and institutions.

The presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan and their combat activities are conventionally divided into four stages.

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

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

3rd stage: May 1985 - December 1986 Transition from active combat operations primarily to support operations Afghan troops Soviet aviation, artillery and sapper units. Special forces units fought to stop the delivery of weapons and ammunition from abroad. The withdrawal of 6 Soviet regiments to their homeland took place.

4th stage: January 1987 - February 1989 Participation of Soviet troops in the Afghan leadership 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 political settlement situation around the situation in the DRA. 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.

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.

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 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 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 deployment 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

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 from a mountain gun at a tank column of a limited contingent of Soviet troops. 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) full output Soviet troops.

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 soldiers conscript service and 62.9 thousand officers), in parts 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 of Soviet units on the occasion of their return 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 are borrowed from the publication: Military Chronicle of Russia in Photographs. 1850s - 2000s: Album. - M.: Golden-Bi, 2009.

In December 1979, Soviet troops entered Afghanistan in order to support a friendly regime, and intended to leave within a year at most. But the original plan turned into a long war, the cost of which was big losses.

At a meeting on December 12, the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee decided to send troops to Afghanistan. Military measures were taken not to seize the territory of Afghanistan, but to protect state borders. Another reason for the deployment of troops is to stop US attempts to gain a foothold in this territory. The formal basis for military assistance was the requests of the Afghan leadership.

Data published in newspapers

The Izvestia newspaper provides other data: “about the losses of government troops - during 5 months of fighting from January 20 to June 21, 1989: 1,748 soldiers and officers were killed and 3,483 were wounded.” It turns out that 4,196 people were killed and 8,360 people were injured per year. It must be borne in mind that any information from the front was carefully controlled, and newspapers published underestimated numbers of wounded and killed. At this time in the USSR they tried to create positive image a peacekeeping country, and such losses for a charitable mission were simply unacceptable.

Official data

In total, during the period, the troops stationed in Afghanistan passed military service 620 thousand military personnel, including 525.5 thousand soldiers and officers Soviet army, 21 thousand civil servants, 95 thousand KGB representatives (including border troops), internal troops and the police.
The total number of deaths during the period of more than nine years of military presence was 15,051 people, of which 14,427 were members of the armed forces who died both as a result of combat wounds and from accidents and illnesses. The percentage of combat losses is 82.5%. Among the irrevocable combat and non-combat losses Included are both persons who died in hospitals and persons who died from the consequences of illness after leaving the armed forces.

Unofficial version

Mujahideen fighting against Soviet soldiers were particularly cruel. For example, the authors of the book “Battles that Changed the Course of History: 1945-2004” make the following calculations. Since opponents considered the Russians to be “interventionists and occupiers,” when counting those killed, about 5 thousand per year—13 people died per day in the Afghan war. There were 180 military camps in Afghanistan, 788 battalion commanders took part in military operations. On average, one commander served in Afghanistan for 2 years, therefore, in less than 10 years, the number of commanders changed 5 times. If you divide the number of battalion commanders by 5, you get 157 combat battalions in 180 military camps.
1 battalion – no less than 500 people. If we multiply the number of towns by the number of one battalion, we get 78,500 thousand people. Troops fighting the enemy need a rear. The auxiliary units include those who transport ammunition, replenish provisions, guard roads, military camps, treat the wounded, and so on. The ratio is approximately three to one, meaning another 235,500 thousand people were in Afghanistan per year. Adding the two numbers, we get 314,000 people.

According to this calculation by the authors of “Battles that Changed the Course of History: 1945-2004”, over 9 years and 64 days, a total of at least 3 million people took part in military operations in Afghanistan! Which seems like absolute fantasy. Approximately 800 thousand participated in active hostilities. The losses of the USSR were at least 460,000 people, of which 50,000 were killed, 180,000 were wounded, 100,000 were blown up by mines, about 1,000 people are listed as missing, more than 200,000 people were infected with serious diseases (jaundice, typhoid fever). These numbers show that the data in the newspapers is underestimated by a factor of 10.

It must be admitted that both the official data on losses and the figures given by individual researchers (probably biased) are unlikely to correspond to reality.

On the same topic:

How many Soviet soldiers died in the Korean War? How many Soviet soldiers died during Korean War How many Soviet soldiers died in Afghanistan?

When Soviet troops entered Afghanistan in December 1979 to support a friendly communist regime, no one could have imagined that the war would last for ten long years and would ultimately “drive” the last nail “into the coffin” of the USSR. Today, some are trying to present this war as the villainy of the “Kremlin elders” or the result of a worldwide conspiracy. However, we will try to rely only on the facts.

According to modern data, the losses of the Soviet Army in the Afghan war amounted to 14,427 people killed and missing. In addition, 180 advisers and 584 specialists from other departments were killed. More than 53 thousand people were shell-shocked, wounded or injured.

Cargo "200"

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 2.7 million Afghans (mostly civilians) were killed or maimed, and several million more became refugees, many of whom fled the country.” . A clear division of victims into soldiers of the government army, Mujahideen and civilians, apparently, does not exist.

Terrible consequences wars

For the courage and heroism shown during the war in Afghanistan, more than 200 thousand military personnel were awarded orders and medals (11 thousand were awarded posthumously), 86 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (28 posthumously). Among the awarded – 110 thousand soldiers and sergeants, about 20 thousand warrant officers, more than 65 thousand officers and generals, more than 2.5 thousand SA employees, including – 1350 women.

A group of Soviet military personnel awarded government awards

During the entire period of hostilities in Afghan captivity 417 military personnel visited, 130 of whom were released during the war and were able to return to their homeland. As of January 1, 1999, 287 people remained among those who had not returned from captivity and had not been found.

Captured Soviet soldier

During nine years of war P The losses of equipment and weapons amounted to: airplaneecomrade - 118 (in the Air Force– 107); helicopters - 333 (in the Air Force – 324); tanks - 147; BMP, armored personnel carrier, BMD, BRDM – 1314; guns and mortars - 433; radio stations and KShM – 1138; engineering vehicles – 510; flatbed vehicles and tank trucks – 11,369.

Burnt Soviet tank

The government in Kabul was dependent on the USSR throughout the war, which provided it with military assistance in the amount of about $40 billion. Meanwhile, the rebels established contacts with Pakistan and the United States, and also received widespread support from Saudi Arabia, China and a number of other states, which together provided the Mujahideen with weapons and other military equipment worth about $10 billion.

Afghan Mujahideen

On January 7, 1988, in Afghanistan, at an altitude of 3234 m above the road to the city of Khost in the Afghan-Pakistan border zone, a fierce battle took place. It was one of the most famous military clashes between units Limited contingent Soviet troops in Afghanistan with armed forces Afghan Mujahideen. Based on these events, the film “The Ninth Company” was shot in the Russian Federation in 2005. The height of 3234 m was defended by the 9th parachute company of the 345th Guards separate parachute regiment with a total number of 39 people, supported by regimental artillery. Soviet fighters were attacked by units of Mujahideen numbering from 200 to 400 people who were trained in Pakistan. The battle lasted 12 hours. The Mujahideen never managed to capture the heights. After suffering heavy losses, they retreated. In the ninth company, six paratroopers were killed, 28 were injured, nine of them – heavy. All paratroopers for this battle were awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Red Star. Lance Sergeant V. A. Alexandrov and Private A. A. Melnikov were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Still from the film “9th Company”

Most famous fight Soviet border guards during the war in Afghanistan occurred on November 22, 1985 near the village of Afrij in the Zardevsky gorge of the Darai-Kalat mountain range in northeastern Afghanistan. Battle group The border guards of the Panfilov outpost of a motorized maneuver group (21 people) were ambushed as a result of an incorrect crossing of the river. During the battle, 19 border guards were killed. These were the most numerous losses of border guards in the Afghan war. According to some reports, the number of Mujahideen participating in the ambush was 150 people.

Border guards after the battle

There is a well-established opinion in the post-Soviet period that the USSR was defeated and expelled from Afghanistan. It is not true. When Soviet troops left Afghanistan in 1989, they did so as a result of a well-planned operation. Moreover, the operation was carried out in several directions at once: diplomatic, economic and military. This made it possible not only to save the lives of Soviet soldiers, but also to preserve the Afghan government. Communist Afghanistan held out even after the fall of the USSR in 1991 and only then, with the loss of support from the USSR and increasing attempts from the Mujahideen and Pakistan, did the DRA begin to slide towards defeat in 1992.

Withdrawal of Soviet troops, February 1989

In November 1989 The Supreme Council The USSR declared an amnesty for all crimes committed by Soviet military personnel in Afghanistan. According to the military prosecutor's office, from December 1979 to February 1989, 4,307 people were brought to criminal responsibility as part of the 40th Army in the DRA; at the time the decision of the USSR Armed Forces on amnesty came into force, more than 420 former soldiers were in prison - internationalists.

We have returned…

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) were killed or maimed, and 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.

USSR losses:

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 wounds and illnesses after leaving the armed forces.

As of January 1, 1999 irrecoverable losses in the Afghan War (killed, died from wounds, illnesses and accidents, missing in action) were assessed as follows:

• 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 the study Afghan war conducted by officers General Staff under the guidance of prof. Valentina Runova, an estimated 26 thousand dead, including those killed in battle, those who died from wounds and illnesses, and those killed as a result of accidents:

Of the approximately 400 military personnel considered missing during the war, a certain number of prisoners were taken by Western journalists to countries Western Europe And North America. According to the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of June 1989, about 30 people lived there. Three people after the statement Prosecutor General The USSR that former prisoners would not be subject to criminal prosecution returned to the Soviet Union. According to data from 02/15/2009 of the Committee on the Affairs of Internationalist Soldiers under the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth (CIS) Member States in the list of missing persons Soviet citizens in the period from 1979 to 1989, 270 people remained on the territory of Afghanistan.

Death toll Soviet generals , according to press publications, is four people, sometimes called the number 5:

Losses in equipment, according to official data, amounted to 147 tanks, 1,314 armored vehicles (armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, BMD, BRDM), 510 engineering vehicles, 11,369 trucks and fuel tankers, 433 artillery systems, 118 aircraft, 333 helicopters. At the same time, these figures were not specified in any way - in particular, information on the number of combat and non-combat aviation losses, losses of aircraft and helicopters by type, etc. was not published.

Some Soviet military personnel who fought in Afghanistan experienced the so-called “Afghan syndrome” - post-traumatic stress disorders. Testing conducted in the early 1990s showed that at least 35-40% of participants in the war in Afghanistan were in dire need of help from professional psychologists.

Economic losses of the USSR

About 800 million US dollars were spent annually from the USSR budget to support the Kabul government.