MOSCOW, May 15 - RIA Novosti, Anastasia Gnedinskaya. Thirty years ago, on May 15, 1988, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan began. Exactly nine months later, the last Soviet soldier, Lieutenant General Boris Gromov, crossed the border of the two countries along the Friendship Bridge. But our soldiers remained on the territory of Afghanistan - those who were captured, were able to survive there, converted to Islam and started a family. These are called defectors. Now they, once Serezha and Sasha, wear unpronounceable Afghan names, long beards and spacious trousers. Some, decades later, nevertheless decided to return to Russia, others still live in the country of which they became prisoners.
"He dyed his hair to pass for an Afghan..."
Nikolai Bystrov works as a loader at a warehouse in Ust-Labinsk, Krasnodar Territory. Few of his colleagues know that twenty years ago he had a different name - Islamuddin - and a different life. “I want to forget this Afghan story,” Nikolai takes a long pause, you can hear in the speaker of the phone how he inhales on a cigarette. “But they won’t let me…”
He was drafted into the army in 1984, sent to guard Bagram Airport. Six months later, he was captured by dushmans. He says it was stupid. “Me and two other boys, Ukrainians, “old men” were sent for tea and cigarettes to a local shop. On the way we were ambushed. They shot me in the leg - I couldn’t run anywhere. detachment of Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Bystrov was put in a barn, where he spent six months. Nikolay assures that during this time he tried to escape twice. But you won’t go far with a holey leg: “They caught me when I didn’t manage to get a hundred meters from the base, they brought me back.”
Why he was not shot, Nikolai still does not understand. Most likely, the militants planned to exchange him for one of the captured Afghans. Six months later, they began to let him out of the barn without an escort. Some time later, they offered to return to their own people or go to the West through Pakistan. "But I said that I want to stay with Masoud. Why? It's hard to explain. Anyone who has not been in such a situation will still not understand. I was afraid to return to my people, I did not want to be considered a traitor, I was afraid of the tribunal. I By that time he had already lived with the Afghans for a year, converted to Islam," he recalls.
Nikolai stayed with the dushmans and after some time became one of the personal guards of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the field commander who was the first to agree to a truce with the Soviet troops.
How Bystrov, a foreigner, was allowed so close to the most famous commander, one can only guess. He himself talks about it very evasively. He says that the "Panjshir lion" (as Masud was called) liked his dexterity and ability to notice the little things that in the mountains can cost a person life. “I remember the first time he gave me a machine gun with a full load of ammunition. We then went up the pass. he saved my life," the former prisoner admits.
From those constant trips through the mountains, Nikolai retained a love for green tea - during rest stops, Masud always drank several cups, and without sugar. “I kept wondering why they drink unsweetened tea. Masud answered that after long transitions sugar hits the knees. But I still furtively added it to the cup. Well, I couldn’t drink this bitterness,” says Bystrov.
Islamuddin did not forget Russian food either - lying at night in the Afghan mountains, he recalled the taste of herring and black bread with lard. “When the war ended, my sister came to Mazar-i-Sharif. She brought all sorts of pickles, including bacon. So I hid it from the Afghans so that no one would see that I was eating haram,” he shares.
Nikolai learned the Dari language in six months, although at school, he admits, he was a loser. After a few years of living in Afghanistan, he was almost indistinguishable from the locals. He spoke without an accent, the sun dried his skin. To merge even more with the Afghan population, he dyed his hair black: "The fact that I, a foreigner, was so close to Masud, many locals did not like. They even tried to poison him once, but I prevented the assassination attempt."
"Mother didn't wait for me, she died..."
Married Nikolai, too, Masud. Somehow, the former prisoner says, the field commander asked him if he wanted to continue walking with him in the mountains or if he dreamed of starting a family. Islamuddin honestly admitted that he wants to get married. “Then he gave me his distant relative, an Afghan woman who fought on the side of the government,” recalls Nikolai. “My wife is beautiful. When I first saw her, I didn’t even believe that she would be mine soon. I couldn’t see with my head, but her hair was long, she herself was wearing epaulettes. After all, she then held the position of a state security officer.
Almost immediately after the wedding, Odyl became pregnant. But the child was not destined to be born. In the sixth month, Nikolai's wife came under bombing, she had a miscarriage. “After that, she became very ill, and there was no normal medicine in Afghanistan. Then for the first time I thought about moving to Russia,” Bystrov confesses.
It was 1995, when Nikolai-Islamuddin returned to his native Krasnodar Territory. His mother did not live to this day, although she was the only one of her relatives who believed that her Kolya did not die in a foreign land. “She even took my photo to some fortune-teller. She confirmed that her son was not killed. Since then, everyone looked at her mother like she was crazy, and she kept waiting for a letter from me. I was able to send her the first one only a year later,” says is he.
Odylya came to Russia pregnant. Soon they had a daughter, who was named Katya. “It was the wife who wanted to name the girl that way in memory of my late mother. Because of this, all her Afghan friends turned away from her. They could not understand why she gave the girl a Russian name. The wife answered: “I live on this earth and must observe local traditions," Bystrov is proud.
In addition to their daughter, Nikolai and Odylya are raising two sons. The eldest is called Akbar, the youngest is Ahmad. "The wife named the boys in honor of her communist brothers, who died at the hands of dushmans," the source clarifies.
This year, the eldest son of the Bystrovs should be drafted into the army. Nikolai really hopes that the guy will serve in the special forces: "He leads a strong, healthy lifestyle."
Over the years, Odyl was in her homeland only once - not so long ago she went to bury her mother. When she returned, she said that she would not go there again. But Bystrov himself traveled to Afghanistan quite often. On the instructions of the Committee for the Affairs of Internationalist Warriors, he was looking for the remains of missing Soviet soldiers. He managed to take home several former prisoners. But they never became their own in the country that once sent them to war.
Did Bystrov fight against Soviet soldiers? This question is up in the air. Nikolai smokes again. "No, I have never been in battle. I was with Masuda all the time, but he himself did not go into battle. I know that not many will understand me. But those who judge, were they captured? They could, after two unsuccessful attempts to escape to make a third? I want to forget Afghanistan. I want, but they don’t give me ... "- the former captive repeats again.
"Twenty days later my shackles were removed"
In addition to Bystrov, today we know about six more Soviet soldiers who were captured and were able to assimilate in Afghanistan. Two of them later returned to Russia, for four, Afghanistan became a second home.
In 2013, photojournalist Alexei Nikolaev visited all the defectors. From a business trip to Afghanistan, he brought hundreds of photographs that should form the basis of the book "Forever in captivity."
The photographer admits that of all the four Soviet soldiers left to live in Afghanistan, he was most touched by the story of Sergei Krasnoperov. “It seemed to me that he was not disingenuous when talking about the past. And, unlike the other two prisoners, he did not try to make money on our interview,” explains Nikolaev.
Krasnoperov lives in a small village fifty kilometers from the city of Chagcharan. He comes from Kurgan. He assures that he left the unit, fleeing the bullying of the commanders. It seems like he expected to return in two days - after his offenders were put in a guardhouse - to return. But along the way he was taken prisoner by dushmans. By the way, there is another version of Krasnoperov's escape. There was information in the media that he allegedly ran away to the militants after he was caught selling army property.
From an interview with Sergei Krasnoperov for the book "Forever in captivity":
“For about twenty days I was locked in some small room, but it was not a prison. At night they put shackles on me, during the day they took them off. The dushmans were not afraid that I would run away. "Then the commander of the militants came and said that since I came to them myself, I could leave on my own. The shackles were removed from me. Although I would hardly have returned to the unit anyway - I think they would have shot me right away. Most likely, their commander tested me so…”
After a year of captivity, Krasnoperov was offered to marry a local girl. And he didn't refuse.
“After that, supervision was finally removed from me. But I still didn’t work. It was very difficult, I had to survive. I suffered several deadly diseases, I don’t even know their names…”
Photojournalist Alexei Nikolaev says that in 2013 Krasnoperov had six children. “All fair, blue-eyed, it was very unusual to see them in an Afghan village,” recalls the photographer. “By local standards, Nurmamad (this is the name Sergei bears in Afghanistan) is a wealthy man. an electrician at a local hydroelectric power station. Krasnoperov received, in his words, $ 1,200 a month. True, it is strange that at the same time he lived in a mud hut. "
Krasnoperov, like all captured soldiers, assures that he did not fight against the Soviet troops, but only helped the dushmans to repair weapons. However, a number of indirect signs indicate the opposite. “He enjoys authority among the locals, which, it seems to me, may indicate that Sergei did participate in the hostilities,” the photojournalist shares his thoughts.
Krasnoperov, although he speaks Russian well, does not want to return to Russia. “As he explained to me, he didn’t have any relatives in Kurgan, they all died. Yes, and in Chagcharan he is a respected person, he has a job. And what awaits him in Russia is not clear,” Nikolaev conveys the words of the former prisoner.
Although Afghanistan is definitely not the place where you can lead a carefree life. Alexey Nikolaev says that during the month of his business trip he got into very delicate situations three times. In one of the cases, it was Krasnoperov who saved him. “Due to our stupidity, we decided to record an interview with him not in the city, where it is relatively safe, but in his village. We arrived there without warning. The next morning, Sergey called us and said that we should not leave the city anymore. Like, there are rumors that we might be kidnapped," the photographer describes.
From an interview with Alexander Levents for the book "Forever in captivity":
“We were going to go to the airport, but almost immediately we got to the dushmans. By the morning we were brought to some big commander, I stayed with him. I immediately converted to Islam, received the name Ahmad, because he used to be Sasha. I was not imprisoned: I was under arrest for only one night.At first I drank heavily, then I became a driver for the militants.I did not fight with our people, and no one demanded this from me.<…>After the Taliban left, I was able to call home in Ukraine. My cousin picked up the phone and said that my brother and mother had died. I didn't call back."
From an interview with Gennady Tsevma for the book "Forever in captivity":
"When the Taliban came again, I followed all their orders - I wore a turban, let my beard grow long. When the Taliban left, we became free - there was light, TV, electricity. In addition to the round-the-clock prayer, there was nothing good from them. Only read the prayer, left from the mosque, they send you back to pray.<…>Last year I went to Ukraine, my father and mother had already died, went to their cemetery, and saw other relatives. Of course, I didn’t even think of staying - I have a family here. And no one else needs me in my homeland."
In fact, when saying this, Cevma is most likely disingenuous. Nikolai Bystrov, the first hero of our material, tried to take him out of Afghanistan. “I got a call from the Ukrainian government, they asked me to pull their fellow countryman out of Afghanistan. I went. It seems that Gena said that he wanted to go home. Kabul. Before the flight, we came to pick him up from the hotel, but he ran away," Nikolai Bystrov recalls the story of his "return".
The story of the soldier Yuri Stepanov stands out from this series. He was able to settle in Russia only on the second attempt. In 1994, Stepanov tried to return home to the Bashkir village of Priyutovo for the first time. But he could not get comfortable here, he went back to Afghanistan. And in 2006 he came to Russia again. Says it's forever. Now he works on a rotational basis in the north. Just the other day he left for a shift, so we were unable to contact him.
Any war is terrible and multifaceted. It contains a terrible fusion that combines heroism and betrayal, courage and cowardice, victories and defeats. And pain, blood and suffering. Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan preferred death to captivity. That is why many warriors had a grenade in reserve for themselves - in case of emergency.
Hearing about the horrors of war
Memories of what they saw and experienced, of the guys who gave their lives in Afghanistan, still do not let go of the gray-haired veterans. Most of them, as part of a limited contingent of young boys, ended up on Afghan soil. And there for the first time they saw the real face of war.
“Death is not terrible, we met with it more than once in battle,” - probably everyone knew the words from the song from the times of the Great Patriotic War. But there was another fate for the soldier, when for various reasons he was captured:
- The worst option These are cruel tortures and tortures. In this case, the dushmans were in no hurry to execute. Eyewitness accounts of this speak honestly and restrainedly, without details.
- If you're lucky, shuravi(as the locals called the Soviet soldiers) they could have exchanged indicatively - they say that the Mujahideen can be humanists. But there were few such cases.
Much more often attempts were made to break the will of the captive, to force him to renounce his homeland, oath, family and faith. And in order to “tie up with blood”, they demanded to kill the same prisoners, Soviet ones. That was the cost of saving lives.
Not everyone agreed to become executioners for their own. Then, for them, dushmans arranged sophisticated torture and bullying.
According to the Afghan Mujahideen, the enemy must suffer, preferably for a long time. This was perceived as a guarantee of passage of a Muslim after death to paradise.
But the show executions, carried out with the cruelty of medieval inquisitors, served other purposes as well:
- demoralization of the enemy;
- intimidation of other prisoners;
- demonstration of their own power in front of the local civilian population.
Often, not only the Mujahideen, but also women and even teenagers took part in the mockery of the wounded who were taken prisoner. Eyewitnesses told about sawed off limbs, cut off ears, gouged out eyes, ripped open stomachs ... Then the living could envy those who died in battle.
Dushmans tied the pilots in the sun and cut the abdominal wall. Death was deliverance from terrible torment, but it did not come soon.
"Red Tulip" and Buzkashi
Especially cruel was the execution, which, according to Jesuit logic, was called the “red tulip”. The victim, drugged to unconsciousness, was hung up by the arms and the skin was wrapped upwards, having previously cut it. Then this turned-out leather "stocking" was tied over the head of the unfortunate. As soon as the effect of the drug weakened, the person lost his mind from the pain shock and died in terrible agony.
Radical Islamists did not see anything reprehensible in such cruel treatment of prisoners. The Mujahideen could well arrange another entertainment for themselves: a game called “buzkashi”. To some extent, it resembles European polo, but the participants are trying to take away the carcass of a ram from the opponent.
Only here in the role of a trophy was not an animal, but a living prisoner. By the end of the devilish fun, the victim was dead. The severed head of an infidel could also be used as a ball.
The Afghan war took the lives of thousands of young fighters and left bleeding wounds in the hearts of their loved ones. She forever changed those who survived, filling the souls with the bitter memory of the dead brothers and the pain that does not go away.
They left home as boys. In the war, they became men. The dead soldiers-internationalists forever remained young. And they will live forever in such a short and burning word "memory".
Porion Gorge is very far from Kabul. So far away that, having gone there early in the morning, we drove non-stop for the whole day, and reached it only in the evening. First, our jeep briskly ran along the highway towards the famous Salang Pass, then for many hours climbed up the stones and screes of the Panjshir Valley, then - already at an altitude of three and a half kilometers - we turned right towards Nuristan and at dusk were at the goal.
It was an alpine wildish village called Dekha Porion. My companion got out of the car, and he was immediately surrounded by local bearded men. "Islamuddin! Islamuddin!" they cheered happily, as if they had met a close relative. They climbed with hugs and vied with each other called to drink tea.
Many years ago, my companion was brought here under escort and thrown into the Dushman prison, where, besides him, three more of ours were languishing. These bearded men were then his bodyguards. Then he was transferred from here to another village, then to another, and then his fate took such a turn that it’s hard to believe.
And his name was then - and that's what they call it now - Nikolai. Islamuddin - such a name was given to him in captivity.
Now we've come here to find out what happened to the other three guys who were being held in the local prison. Nikolai, barely fighting off the stormy greetings, asked the locals about it. The bearded men roared even louder. Kolya translated: "Azizulla remained alive, went to Russia. Muhammadislam was killed, his grave can be shown right now. They don't know about Nurulla." In fact, these guys were called Lenya, Valera, Zhenya. But here they are only remembered by their Afghan names. "Show me the grave," I asked. "And let someone take a pickaxe with them." The whole crowd we went on foot up the steep slope of the mountain.
Twenty minutes later, the senior of the Mujahideen pointed to a piece of rock to the left of the stream: "Here."
I really wanted to live
Nikolay was taken prisoner in 1982, being a soldier guarding the Bagram air base. The story is banal: the officer ordered to go to the village and bring chars. The three of us set off and, of course, with weapons. Got ambushed. They fired back. The "spirits" killed one of our guys with a burst of legs and then finished him off point-blank. The other two were taken. Kolya was wounded.
It turned out that the partisans in this village belong to two different Islamic parties, so the prisoners were immediately divided among themselves, more than that soldier Kolya had never seen before.
On the very first night, he himself tried to escape, was captured, and received a butt in the teeth. The next night he was taken to Panjshir. The commanders frightened them in parts, pointing to the high snow-capped mountains: "There is Panjshir. From there, none of ours has ever returned alive." Now they took him there.
Kolya and I had a lot of time in Afghanistan to talk about different things, including this.
When on the way to Porion we were passing near the Bagram airfield, I offered to turn into the village where he had been captured. "It must be interesting now to see this place?" He looked at me in such a way that I did not return to this topic again. In general, when it came to those times, he became stingy with words, and diligently passed over some questions in silence.
Were you nineteen then? And that's where it all ended. Help is not expected from anyone. Around strangers terrible people who, as you were warned, will now begin to pull out their nails and peel off their skin. What did you think then? What did you experience?
What could I think? It was very scary. I remembered my mother. At first, in the heat of the moment, he decided to hang himself. The night has come. I did not sleep. Through a hole in the wall, I saw rockets taking off into the dark sky. Maybe they are looking for me? He jumped into the ditch, swam, but the sentries spotted him, the shooting started, they caught him, beat him. I wiped the blood from my face and decided that I would wait for another opportunity. I really wanted to live.
Then you were driven into the famous gorge. But how did you go with such wounds: a tangent to the stomach and a leg pierced right through?
It was hard. Once I lost consciousness. But I understood that if I gave up slack, the end would immediately come to me: they would shoot me, like the guy who was ambushed with us. I had to endure. The Mujahideen treated me, gave me pills, gave me injections.
- How long did it take?
week. During the day they sat in the villages, at night they walked. In Anava - this is not far from the entrance to the gorge - there was our military base, it was bypassed through the mountains. Then, also along the ridges, we reached the upper Panjshir, came to the village of Dzhangalak. Soon three more of our prisoners appeared here.
Were you allowed to communicate with each other?
Certainly. We talked. We argued, will our own people punish us or not if we break out? The laws were strict back then. For captivity, the prison, probably, relied. And none of us gave our real names. Everyone was afraid of each other. And not in vain. Somewhat later, when the three of us were conspiring to run away and had already even carved knives from the plumage of rockets, one guy, a Turkmen, was added to us, and he turned out to be a provocateur. Released our plans. I never saw him again, and we were all dispersed to different villages.
- What did the Mujahideen call you?
They immediately, without asking, gave everyone Afghan names. At first they began to call me Gul. Others - Azizullo, Rahmatullo ...
- You now speak Dari in such a way that the Afghans do not distinguish you from their own. How long did you study the language?
I had to learn from the first day: you had to understand what they want from you. I quickly began to speak and write. Six months later. And we had one guy there, Zhenya, so he learned in three months.
A prisoner and a traitor - it was considered the same
When you served in Bagram, did your commanders warn you about the possibility of being taken prisoner? Were you told how to behave in such cases?
They said only one thing: it’s better not to get into dushmans. Animals, not people. They will surely kill, and before death they will also torment. They said this: it is better to shoot yourself than to be with the enemy.
Was there any instruction on how to behave in a hopeless situation? What to do if you are still caught?
No, Vladimir Nikolaevich, what are you, what instructions. The word is - "captivity" - then they generally tried not to use it. It was like it was banned. A prisoner and a traitor - it was considered the same.
Is it true that two years ago, on the eve of the American invasion of Afghanistan, the Tseraushniks came to your house and asked about the features of the Afghan captivity?
These Americans - I don't know, really, whether they are Tseraushniks or not - were preparing instructions for their soldiers on how to behave if you get to the Afghan partisans. And so they asked us, those who experienced it.
- And what did you tell them?
First. If you hit, then you should not be capricious, but immediately, without talking, accept the new conditions, get used to them. Climate, food, water, lodging for the night... If you want to survive, you must endure insults and humiliations without a murmur. And most importantly: you need to prepare yourself to endure torture. I also warned the Americans that the prisoner would most certainly be constantly moved from place to place, they were afraid of the landing. And here, when they drive through the mountains, you can’t become limp either. They will see that they are weak, do not expect mercy. They will finish. The stomach will ache from dirty food - be patient, otherwise the throat will be cut.
They asked me: what to do if they force them to accept Islam? No, they do not force anyone to convert to their faith. But if you want to survive, you have to show respect for their religion.
They asked: how to get a person out of captivity? How do I know how? It's up to you to think.
I understood that the Americans put the lives of their soldiers very highly. They are allowed to give out military secrets, and to switch to another religion - just to stay alive. They really want to live.
- So you say: torture. Why torture a soldier? What kind of secret can be pulled out of him by torment?
This trouble has passed me by. No prisoners were tortured at Masoud's, at least I didn't see them. Although their own, the Afghans who fought against the Mujahideen, it happened, they did not spare them. I remember that they took by surprise the 14th brigade in Panjshir, more than a thousand people. And literally everyone was shot, the river was red with blood for a long time.
And the tortures in other detachments were oh sophisticated! And water, and electricity, and a club on bare heels. The pain is terrible. They did not find out secrets, but simply showed their hatred in this way. The hatred was then great on both sides.
There was no turning back
A year later, Massoud learned about plans to conduct a major military operation against him. There, both Soviet troops were supposed to participate, and Afghan ones. To save his people, he was preparing to lead them out of the Panjshir Gorge to other, safer areas. And the prisoners for him are a burden. Once he gathered everyone, said: "Where do you want? To your homeland? To Pakistan? To the West?" No one dared to go home, they were afraid of punishment for captivity. Or maybe they didn’t believe that they would really let him go. We decided to go to Pakistan. The next day they left. And I said: "I want to be with you, Amir Sahib." He looked at me carefully: "Stay."
- Wait, wait. And why did you suddenly make such a decision?
I don't know myself. I saw by that time that they are good people. I really liked Massoud. I wanted to be near him.
- I get the impression that you didn't really want to stay in the company of your own?
It's true. The atmosphere was so bad. Everyone saved himself and at the same time, it happened, and a comrade.
- As whom?
I didn't think about it then. Just wanted to be around. And then he took me as his bodyguard.
- Tell us how you became a Muslim?
When all our people left, I went up to Masoud: "Amir Sahib, do you mind if I convert to Islam?" He says to me: "If this is your choice, what will I object to."
Did someone advise you to go for it?
No. I just realized myself: if I stay here, as I decided, then I need to take the next step. Otherwise it is impossible. Islam is the basis of all their life. I couldn't look like a white crow.
- And it was immediately real?
And really, it's impossible. They will see and understand right away. Prayer five times a day. their rites. I had to accept Islam with my heart.
- And what has changed in your life after that?
Cleansing started right away. And the attitude towards me became different - as to his own. There was no going back, but I didn't think about it.
- Nikolai, tell me, what is such a force in Islam?
They hold faith.
- "They" or "we"? You kind of get away.
We, of course. With us, if you depart from your faith, then they can kill you. And then, we have good ideas in the Koran: do not deceive, do not steal, help your neighbor ...
- So we have the same ideas in the Bible.
No, no, he draws reproachfully. - You do not follow these ideas. You don't live according to the commandments. And here, if something happens, the neighbors will come running to help even from afar.
Maybe it is so, but then tell me, how can you combine different scumbags with your faith - bandits, terrorists, kidnappers?
Well, the family has its black sheep.
- Did you come across atheists among the partisans?
No, I haven't met any.
- Our troops left in 1989. You returned to Russia in 1995. During those years, did you happen to see yours?
I saw a lot, but each time from afar. Outposts. Columns. Aircraft. I did not participate in the battles. Amir Sahib categorically did not allow. Yeah, I wouldn't shoot mine myself.
Since then we have become inseparable
- Tell me, how did you become a bodyguard for the most famous of all Afghans?
When I stayed, Massoud looked at me with interest: what kind of guy is he who renounced his freedom? After some time, he gave me another name - Islamuddin. When we were preparing to withdraw to the north before the onset of the Soviet troops, he ordered me to give me a machine gun. I was surprised, I decided that this was some new way of checking. I went around the corner, examined the weapon: everything was in order - the firing pin was not cut down, the horn was full of cartridges. Massoud asked me to accompany him on a hike in the mountains. We went in a very small group - five people, no more. It took a long time, many days. And since then they have been inseparable.
But why? Were there few Afghans who wanted to take a place next to the idol? Why did he choose you?
You should have asked him. Don't know. But I was considered the closest to him from the guard. I was with him relentlessly in the mountains, and at secret meetings, and at command posts, and on trips abroad.
Perhaps Amir Sahib realized that he could not find a more reliable guard. For example, when he occasionally rested, I always stood with my chest, not allowing anyone to reach Masood - even the biggest commanders. Once even a weapon had to be used: one was too brazenly climbing, well, I shot him in the leg and shot him.
How did your boss react to this?
Fine. He only scolded a little: "Why shoot?"
Massoud controlled the vast territory of Afghanistan, and it was a high-mountainous part of the country: gorges, rocks, glaciers. How did he move around his dominions?
Where possible, there by car. Happened on horseback. Often just walking. We went through passes five and six thousand meters high. Through the snow. He walked quickly and seemed indefatigable.
- For them, it's business as usual. But how did you endure such trips?
Easily. Amir Sahib even set me as an example to others: "You see how a Russian soldier is walking - and a machine gun with him, and ammunition. And you abandoned everything, weaklings."
- Did he conduct any special military training for you?
Yes, Massoud was constantly working with his people. They also fiddled with security, for which special instructors were invited. For example, the Japanese Tanaka taught us hand-to-hand combat techniques, the Frenchman trained us in shooting. Amir Sahib himself shot very accurately, and from all types of weapons.
And then came 1992. You have taken Kabul. Jihad is over. And Massoud proposes marriage to you?
Yes, he chose my wife. "It's time, Islamuddin, you start a family." There was no wedding, as is customary in Russia. The guards came, the mullah came... That's how I got married.
- What is your wife's name?
You don't have to ask about it. It is not customary for Muslims to use the names of wives and daughters in conversations.
Tell me, is it true that Massoud offered former President Najibullah to leave with him before the arrival of the Taliban, but he refused?
It was with me. Truth. He thought the Taliban would not touch him. Pashtuns, of the same blood. He also joked when he saw me: "Here again, the Russians are guarding us. Like in the good old days."
- You returned home in 1995. How did it happen? Who was the initiator of your return?
Amir Sahib suggested. My wife was sick. There was nothing the doctors could do. I came to Masud: "Maybe we should take her to India and treat her there?" He says: "You haven't been home for a long time. You haven't seen your parents. It's time." The wife also agreed. He gave me money. And let's go.
- Tell me, Nikolai, did journalists often visit Masoud?
Very common throughout the war. And he welcomed everyone. He understood what an important job they were doing. Forbade them to search. Sat next to him. He showed the utmost hospitality. The Arabs took advantage of this and killed him two years ago. Too bad I wasn't around.
- Do you think Massoud was lonely?
Maybe yes. He was so superior to everyone both in mind and will. And although he never emphasized this, it was clear to us, his relatives.
What did he dream about?
About how good life will be when the war is over. He hoped that with the capture of Kabul, general peace would come. But it turned out the other way around. First, internecine clashes broke out, then the Taliban came. He was terribly worried about this. And then he thought hard about who he should be friends with, who he could rely on. It went without saying that there was only hope for Russia. Afghanistan has no one closer to Russia. Probably, many did not like it, that's where you need to look for the reasons for the assassination attempt on him.
***
"Here," said the eldest Mujahid, leading us to a piece of rock that had grown into the slope. And waved his pickaxe. Twenty years ago, this Tajik with a gray beard - then a young partisan - personally led our soldier to the place of execution. The execution was appointed for an attempt to escape. Now the bearded man willingly and in detail told us how everything had happened. The rest of the "spirits" agreed and helped to dismantle the stones with their hands.
A few minutes later we saw pieces of clothing and small bones...
Kolya straightened up, his thin face stiffened. He stepped aside and took out a cigarette. Breaking matches, lit a cigarette.
The Afghans were digging. The pile of bones grew.
He closed his eyes.
Lord, did all this really happen to us?
MOSCOW, May 15 - RIA Novosti, Anastasia Gnedinskaya. Thirty years ago, on May 15, 1988, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan began. Exactly nine months later, the last Soviet soldier, Lieutenant General Boris Gromov, crossed the border of the two countries along the Friendship Bridge. But our soldiers remained on the territory of Afghanistan - those who were captured, were able to survive there, converted to Islam and started a family. These are called defectors. Now they, once Serezha and Sasha, wear unpronounceable Afghan names, long beards and spacious trousers. Some, decades later, nevertheless decided to return to Russia, others still live in the country of which they became prisoners.
"He dyed his hair to pass for an Afghan..."
Nikolai Bystrov works as a loader at a warehouse in Ust-Labinsk, Krasnodar Territory. Few of his colleagues know that twenty years ago he had a different name - Islamuddin - and a different life. “I want to forget this Afghan story,” Nikolai takes a long pause, you can hear in the speaker of the phone how he inhales on a cigarette. “But they won’t let me…”
He was drafted into the army in 1984, sent to guard Bagram Airport. Six months later, he was captured by dushmans. He says it was stupid. “Me and two other boys, Ukrainians, “old men” were sent for tea and cigarettes to a local shop. On the way we were ambushed. They shot me in the leg - I couldn’t run anywhere. detachment of Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Bystrov was put in a barn, where he spent six months. Nikolay assures that during this time he tried to escape twice. But you won’t go far with a holey leg: “They caught me when I didn’t manage to get a hundred meters from the base, they brought me back.”
Why he was not shot, Nikolai still does not understand. Most likely, the militants planned to exchange him for one of the captured Afghans. Six months later, they began to let him out of the barn without an escort. Some time later, they offered to return to their own people or go to the West through Pakistan. "But I said that I want to stay with Masoud. Why? It's hard to explain. Anyone who has not been in such a situation will still not understand. I was afraid to return to my people, I did not want to be considered a traitor, I was afraid of the tribunal. I By that time he had already lived with the Afghans for a year, converted to Islam," he recalls.
Nikolai stayed with the dushmans and after some time became one of the personal guards of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the field commander who was the first to agree to a truce with the Soviet troops.
How Bystrov, a foreigner, was allowed so close to the most famous commander, one can only guess. He himself talks about it very evasively. He says that the "Panjshir lion" (as Masud was called) liked his dexterity and ability to notice the little things that in the mountains can cost a person life. “I remember the first time he gave me a machine gun with a full load of ammunition. We then went up the pass. he saved my life," the former prisoner admits.
From those constant trips through the mountains, Nikolai retained a love for green tea - during rest stops, Masud always drank several cups, and without sugar. “I kept wondering why they drink unsweetened tea. Masud answered that after long transitions sugar hits the knees. But I still furtively added it to the cup. Well, I couldn’t drink this bitterness,” says Bystrov.
Islamuddin did not forget Russian food either - lying at night in the Afghan mountains, he recalled the taste of herring and black bread with lard. “When the war ended, my sister came to Mazar-i-Sharif. She brought all sorts of pickles, including bacon. So I hid it from the Afghans so that no one would see that I was eating haram,” he shares.
Nikolai learned the Dari language in six months, although at school, he admits, he was a loser. After a few years of living in Afghanistan, he was almost indistinguishable from the locals. He spoke without an accent, the sun dried his skin. To merge even more with the Afghan population, he dyed his hair black: "The fact that I, a foreigner, was so close to Masud, many locals did not like. They even tried to poison him once, but I prevented the assassination attempt."
"Mother didn't wait for me, she died..."
Married Nikolai, too, Masud. Somehow, the former prisoner says, the field commander asked him if he wanted to continue walking with him in the mountains or if he dreamed of starting a family. Islamuddin honestly admitted that he wants to get married. “Then he gave me his distant relative, an Afghan woman who fought on the side of the government,” recalls Nikolai. “My wife is beautiful. When I first saw her, I didn’t even believe that she would be mine soon. I couldn’t see with my head, but her hair was long, she herself was wearing epaulettes. After all, she then held the position of a state security officer.
Almost immediately after the wedding, Odyl became pregnant. But the child was not destined to be born. In the sixth month, Nikolai's wife came under bombing, she had a miscarriage. “After that, she became very ill, and there was no normal medicine in Afghanistan. Then for the first time I thought about moving to Russia,” Bystrov confesses.
It was 1995, when Nikolai-Islamuddin returned to his native Krasnodar Territory. His mother did not live to this day, although she was the only one of her relatives who believed that her Kolya did not die in a foreign land. “She even took my photo to some fortune-teller. She confirmed that her son was not killed. Since then, everyone looked at her mother like she was crazy, and she kept waiting for a letter from me. I was able to send her the first one only a year later,” says is he.
Odylya came to Russia pregnant. Soon they had a daughter, who was named Katya. “It was the wife who wanted to name the girl that way in memory of my late mother. Because of this, all her Afghan friends turned away from her. They could not understand why she gave the girl a Russian name. The wife answered: “I live on this earth and must observe local traditions," Bystrov is proud.
In addition to their daughter, Nikolai and Odylya are raising two sons. The eldest is called Akbar, the youngest is Ahmad. "The wife named the boys in honor of her communist brothers, who died at the hands of dushmans," the source clarifies.
This year, the eldest son of the Bystrovs should be drafted into the army. Nikolai really hopes that the guy will serve in the special forces: "He leads a strong, healthy lifestyle."
Over the years, Odyl was in her homeland only once - not so long ago she went to bury her mother. When she returned, she said that she would not go there again. But Bystrov himself traveled to Afghanistan quite often. On the instructions of the Committee for the Affairs of Internationalist Warriors, he was looking for the remains of missing Soviet soldiers. He managed to take home several former prisoners. But they never became their own in the country that once sent them to war.
Did Bystrov fight against Soviet soldiers? This question is up in the air. Nikolai smokes again. "No, I have never been in battle. I was with Masuda all the time, but he himself did not go into battle. I know that not many will understand me. But those who judge, were they captured? They could, after two unsuccessful attempts to escape to make a third? I want to forget Afghanistan. I want, but they don’t give me ... "- the former captive repeats again.
"Twenty days later my shackles were removed"
In addition to Bystrov, today we know about six more Soviet soldiers who were captured and were able to assimilate in Afghanistan. Two of them later returned to Russia, for four, Afghanistan became a second home.
In 2013, photojournalist Alexei Nikolaev visited all the defectors. From a business trip to Afghanistan, he brought hundreds of photographs that should form the basis of the book "Forever in captivity."
The photographer admits that of all the four Soviet soldiers left to live in Afghanistan, he was most touched by the story of Sergei Krasnoperov. “It seemed to me that he was not disingenuous when talking about the past. And, unlike the other two prisoners, he did not try to make money on our interview,” explains Nikolaev.
Krasnoperov lives in a small village fifty kilometers from the city of Chagcharan. He comes from Kurgan. He assures that he left the unit, fleeing the bullying of the commanders. It seems like he expected to return in two days - after his offenders were put in a guardhouse - to return. But along the way he was taken prisoner by dushmans. By the way, there is another version of Krasnoperov's escape. There was information in the media that he allegedly ran away to the militants after he was caught selling army property.
From an interview with Sergei Krasnoperov for the book "Forever in captivity":
“For about twenty days I was locked in some small room, but it was not a prison. At night they put shackles on me, during the day they took them off. The dushmans were not afraid that I would run away. "Then the commander of the militants came and said that since I came to them myself, I could leave on my own. The shackles were removed from me. Although I would hardly have returned to the unit anyway - I think they would have shot me right away. Most likely, their commander tested me so…”
After a year of captivity, Krasnoperov was offered to marry a local girl. And he didn't refuse.
“After that, supervision was finally removed from me. But I still didn’t work. It was very difficult, I had to survive. I suffered several deadly diseases, I don’t even know their names…”
Photojournalist Alexei Nikolaev says that in 2013 Krasnoperov had six children. “All fair, blue-eyed, it was very unusual to see them in an Afghan village,” recalls the photographer. “By local standards, Nurmamad (this is the name Sergei bears in Afghanistan) is a wealthy man. an electrician at a local hydroelectric power station. Krasnoperov received, in his words, $ 1,200 a month. True, it is strange that at the same time he lived in a mud hut. "
Krasnoperov, like all captured soldiers, assures that he did not fight against the Soviet troops, but only helped the dushmans to repair weapons. However, a number of indirect signs indicate the opposite. “He enjoys authority among the locals, which, it seems to me, may indicate that Sergei did participate in the hostilities,” the photojournalist shares his thoughts.
Krasnoperov, although he speaks Russian well, does not want to return to Russia. “As he explained to me, he didn’t have any relatives in Kurgan, they all died. Yes, and in Chagcharan he is a respected person, he has a job. And what awaits him in Russia is not clear,” Nikolaev conveys the words of the former prisoner.
Although Afghanistan is definitely not the place where you can lead a carefree life. Alexey Nikolaev says that during the month of his business trip he got into very delicate situations three times. In one of the cases, it was Krasnoperov who saved him. “Due to our stupidity, we decided to record an interview with him not in the city, where it is relatively safe, but in his village. We arrived there without warning. The next morning, Sergey called us and said that we should not leave the city anymore. Like, there are rumors that we might be kidnapped," the photographer describes.
From an interview with Alexander Levents for the book "Forever in captivity":
“We were going to go to the airport, but almost immediately we got to the dushmans. By the morning we were brought to some big commander, I stayed with him. I immediately converted to Islam, received the name Ahmad, because he used to be Sasha. I was not imprisoned: I was under arrest for only one night.At first I drank heavily, then I became a driver for the militants.I did not fight with our people, and no one demanded this from me.<…>After the Taliban left, I was able to call home in Ukraine. My cousin picked up the phone and said that my brother and mother had died. I didn't call back."
From an interview with Gennady Tsevma for the book "Forever in captivity":
"When the Taliban came again, I followed all their orders - I wore a turban, let my beard grow long. When the Taliban left, we became free - there was light, TV, electricity. In addition to the round-the-clock prayer, there was nothing good from them. Only read the prayer, left from the mosque, they send you back to pray.<…>Last year I went to Ukraine, my father and mother had already died, went to their cemetery, and saw other relatives. Of course, I didn’t even think of staying - I have a family here. And no one else needs me in my homeland."
In fact, when saying this, Cevma is most likely disingenuous. Nikolai Bystrov, the first hero of our material, tried to take him out of Afghanistan. “I got a call from the Ukrainian government, they asked me to pull their fellow countryman out of Afghanistan. I went. It seems that Gena said that he wanted to go home. Kabul. Before the flight, we came to pick him up from the hotel, but he ran away," Nikolai Bystrov recalls the story of his "return".
The story of the soldier Yuri Stepanov stands out from this series. He was able to settle in Russia only on the second attempt. In 1994, Stepanov tried to return home to the Bashkir village of Priyutovo for the first time. But he could not get comfortable here, he went back to Afghanistan. And in 2006 he came to Russia again. Says it's forever. Now he works on a rotational basis in the north. Just the other day he left for a shift, so we were unable to contact him.
