The other day Oleg Boldyrev, correspondent of the Moscow Bureau of the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC (BBC), came to my office. I bring to your attention my interview for the BBC.
ABOUT. How exactly did the Afghan war affect your destiny? Has it changed your views on politics, has your idea of the legitimacy of bringing troops into Afghanistan changed over these 20 years?
In Afghanistan, I was lucky to work with an amazing man named Shafi, a representative of one of the most ancient tribes, a descendant of the warriors of Alexander the Great. By the way, in his youth, Shafi studied in England. It so happened that he became not only my friend, but also my teacher. Thanks to his lessons, I have been practicing oriental medicine for more than twenty years, helping my patients. Thanks to the Afghan war, I became a writer, a member of the Writers' Union of Russia. I have made many good and reliable friends. It turns out that it was the Afghan war that gave me all this? And should I be grateful to her? Probably. But I know how much my friends and relatives lost in this war. And I know that war is a real EVIL. No matter how we try to idealize it... As for politics. We didn't think much about it back then. But now we know about the axiom of the famous English writer and historian Basil Henry Liddell Garth: "The goal of war is to achieve a world better than the pre-war one." If after this war the Afghan people began to live worse, the Soviet people - worse. And only a small group of people - fabulously enriched ... In Chechnya, this happened again. There is something to think about here. And it is very easy to "calculate" those who benefit from these wars. Perhaps we are older? And our ideas about the world around us have changed a lot.
ABOUT.. A typical "Afghan" veteran, of course, does not exist - but how did the fates of your fellow soldiers and others who served in Afghanistan generally develop? What are the main problems of veterans now? Veterans have the right to expect special treatment?
I worked in military intelligence. This is a special world. During 26 months of service in Afghanistan, not a single one was killed or wounded among my subordinates. And this is not only my merit, but also the level of training of my scouts. I have always been lucky in subordinates, colleagues and commanders. Therefore, after the war, their fate was more successful than many others. Ilham Galiev became a school teacher. Igor Ts. - senior officer of the FSO, Ilya Tretyakov - a well-known lawyer. All of them were ordinary scouts. Of the officers: my immediate superior is Ruslan Aushev, the former president of Ingushetia. My friend Kolya Prokudin (Revyakin) is now a well-known St. Petersburg writer. What problems? Everyone has their own. After serving 25 years in the Armed Forces, I received a severance pay from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (at that time - V.V. Putin) in the amount equivalent to 1 (one) thousand US dollars. Like many of my friends, for many years I dreamed of building my own HOUSE. With their own hands for their relatives and friends, to teach those who wish to oriental medicine there, to meet with their readers, with their friends (an article on the free provision of land plots for individual housing construction for reserve officers was laid down in the previous legislation). But all land in our country, according to current legislation, is sold only at auction. You can't buy a lot of land for one thousand dollars (I remember that my colleagues and I noted the subtle humor of our Supreme Commander - with this money you can buy two square meters of land at an auction, and it was not difficult to guess with the remaining money to arrange a "housewarming party" where our Supreme would like to see us all). Appeals to various officials, and even to representatives of the United Russia party, did not give any result. It may be necessary to amend the legislation to support our veterans (veterans of military operations, military service, etc.). For the land issue in our country has always been one of the most important. So that they can BUILD their own houses at least by themselves. Unfortunately, not only years pass, but the strength also goes away - in a year, I won’t be able to build another house. Yes, and many other guys who went through Afghanistan and Chechnya. Because we won't live forever. Although, perhaps, our leaders are hoping for this - they will wait a bit, and our problems will be solved by themselves. After all, as you know: there is a person - there is a problem; there is no person - there is no problem. And the mortality rate among veterans of recent wars is now simply depressing ... Special treatment for veterans? No, this is not special, but simply a REASONABLE attitude not of temporary workers, but of truly state people. Who care about their country and those who live in it. ABOUT.The state is often accused of being inattentive to those who served in Afghanistan. Is this due to the fact that at one time the introduction of troops into Afghanistan was recognized as erroneous, should that decision be canceled?
Everyone knows a simple truth: you need to evaluate a person BY ACTION, and not by words. Yes, under Gorbachev the Afghan war was declared a mistake (which, in my opinion, dealt an irreparable blow to the fate of many internationalist soldiers). But it was not those who made the decision to send troops who suffered because of Gorbachev's decree, but those who honestly served their Motherland. Under the current leadership, more and more often they say that then the soldiers and officers honestly fulfilled their duty. But neither then nor now is REALLY done for veterans (with the exception of some and very rare cases). And things are especially sad with veterans of Chechen companies - Gorbachev's decree has nothing to do with them at all. So it turns out that words uttered from high tribunes and decisions are not so important (although they are important; oh, how important!). But real deeds and care for real veterans are more important. But we don’t even know how many veterans of the Afghan war live in the country today? What can we say about veterans of other wars?! And yet, I would like those who speak from high tribunes to think a little about what they are saying. And so that their words do not diverge from real deeds. But this seems to be out of the realm of fantasy.
ABOUT. What lessons should have been learned from that war, were they learned - in the military aspect, in relations with other countries?
Before leaving for Afghanistan, my mentor Alexander Alexandrovich Shchelokov said that my task was not only to collect information about the enemy, but first of all information about the Afghans themselves, their customs and traditions. Gathering military information is the way to the next war. Acquaintance with the people, their history - gives a chance to eventually become good neighbors. And live in the world. This is the main lesson that I learned from this war. And thanks to this task, it was much easier for me to serve in Afghanistan. And much more interesting. The second lesson is that it is possible and necessary to resolve the disagreements that have arisen ONLY by peaceful means. Wars, long or lightning-fast, do not solve problems, but only create the appearance of such a solution. Decisions, as a rule, lie in the plane of ECONOMY. And also in the field of EDUCATION and EDUCATION. And the third lesson that I made personally for myself is that the Afghan war is not our whole life, but only one of its pages. After which there will be others. We must not forget, but we must not live only in the past. We need to go ahead. We need to live on, work, create... Has our country learned these lessons from the Afghan war? Ordinary soldiers and officers - I think so (we were sure that this was the LAST war of our time - which means we learned a lot). Politicians - NO (or the lessons they have learned are beyond the bounds of universal human values). Only a few years have passed since NEW wars broke out. On the territory of the former Soviet Union, in the North Caucasus ... ABOUT.
Many now have feelings of nostalgiasweat the times. By the Soviet Union. Aren't you afraid that on the wave of these sentiments a new war could start inside Russia? Yes, there is nostalgia. No matter how they scolded those times, but the first secretary of the city party committee in my hometown then lived in the same standard apartment as my family. Below us. Of the luxury items in her apartment was a wonderful library ... We did not live richly, but we had free education, health care, we had a future. I often hear in response that in the mid-eighties the idea of socialism finally outlived its usefulness. They remind me of empty store shelves. Unfortunately, I don't believe everything I hear anymore. In my opinion, the Afghan war and the arms race devastated the store shelves (our economy simply "did not pull them"). And very serious mistakes of our leaders. And the idea of socialism, in China, for example, is still alive. And it shows very good results. Provided that this is a living idea, not a dogma. No matter how much the present times are praised, but all of you perfectly see how the current mayors and their families live. How officials and oligarchs live. To say that they earned all this through honest work, entrepreneurial talent and titanic hard work is simply ridiculous. Do you think our leaders don't know HOW they made it? Yes, it was under other leaders. But another question arises: why now the current authorities are diligently continuing to DO NOT NOTICE the growing gap in the standard of living of these "cream of society" and ordinary people (except in words!). Another sad thing is the prospect. The children of these "Cream of society" will continue to live in chocolate. Our children are in poverty. Many understand this. And for this reason, the words uttered from high stands do not inspire much optimism in them. In addition, in the wake of hatred for these "cream", real entrepreneurs, people who are enterprising and creative, may suffer. Such people have always been and, hopefully, will be in our land. They have also been able to earn big fortunes, were able to become a worthy role model. We can all suffer. Those who, no matter what, continue to work, continue to believe and strive for the best. That's what's scary. ABOUT.. How do you feel about the gas conflict between Russia and Ukraine?
I remember that once in Rome they demanded bread and circuses. instead of jobs. What happened to the Roman Empire, everyone knows very well. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine was broadcast for several days on almost all TV channels. The usual conflict of economic entities. Do we have no other problems in the country? You asked about nostalgia. About twenty years ago, wherever you look, there were household plots. Those same six acres. On which they grew potatoes, vegetables, berries (someone - pigs, geese, ducks ...). You say - there was low labor productivity? Maybe. But there was also a small element of food security for each individual family. And there was a huge labor potential. Now only lawn grass grows everywhere... We have forgotten how to work. We were taught to work. That's where the real conflict is. And not in relations with Ukraine, where our friends and our brothers live.
ABOUT.. Now in Afghanistan, including in those areas where you served - NATO and US troops. Do their tactics in the fight against the Taliban differ from the approach of the Soviet command? Can you give advice to an American colleague - what does it consist of?
Of course, the tactics are different. The Americans use more modern weapons than we do, communications. Even bombing strikes are delivered from such a height that the Mujahideen cannot get planes from the ground, not only from small arms, but even from MANPADS (man-portable air defense systems). This gives rise to an inferiority complex in the Mujahideen. But, on the other hand, it also intensifies hatred. And the Mujahideen will find ways to implement it. They will certainly find... As my friends who are now working in Afghanistan say, American convoys very often travel without national flags in cars with other people's numbers. Unlike other multinational forces, on the contrary, they are trying in every possible way to show that they are NOT Americans. Apparently there are reasons for this? What advice would you give to your American colleagues? Learn history. Read my novel "Silk Road" (). Afghanistan has not yet been conquered by anyone. And it's unlikely to succeed. It is necessary to cooperate with the Afghans, first of all, in economic terms, and not to fight. And most importantly, I would like to return home safe and sound. ABOUT.For 20 years, there was no country and ideology that allowed troops to be sent to Afghanistan, and there was a war in Chechnya, about which more is told and shown than about the Afghan one. Which "your" war will remain in Russian history?
Recently, at the presentation of a 12-episode documentary about the Afghan war, a woman said that Russia is doomed to fight forever. If so, if we are ALWAYS surrounded by enemies, then maybe we should pay attention to ourselves. Maybe it's WE'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG? After Afghanistan, we did not draw the proper conclusions. We continued to look for enemies around us, instead of boosting our economy, agriculture, building modern houses not only in cities, but primarily in the countryside - where bread is grown, and not paper and financial pyramids. We have learned how to work. No, we know how to go to work, but, unfortunately, we stop producing real things. In elections, we continue to vote with "ears" and not "head." Maybe that's why the war in Chechnya started? If we do not draw conclusions now, where will the war break out next?
Why is so little known about the Afghan war? Perhaps this is a big fault of us writers. I know that many historians are very skeptical about literary works. But here it is ( I showed my Afghan diaries. Note. auth.) is a real treasure for any of them. There are memories of the participants of this war, their diaries and photo archives, while the participants themselves are still alive - you just need a little desire and desire to convey to the descendants the TRUTH about this war. We need to go to schools, tell our children about what we experienced in this war. After all, they are the very future that will remember us or forget about us! And it depends on EACH OF US: how talented and interesting we can convey this information to our listeners (and readers) - this war will remain in the memory of our descendants. What trace will the Afghan war leave in history? For me personally, it will forever remain a monument of unparalleled courage and bravery of ordinary soldiers and officers. And this is invariable... Finally, I told Oleg about our Artofvar website (although he contacted me through it), showed my Afghan photographs, diaries, books, the magazine "Pain of my heart" and the Almanac "The Art of War". Almanac Oleg put aside. We already know about him! In April, we interviewed Novaya Gazeta correspondent Arkady Babchenko, he told A LOT of interesting things about the Almanac "The Art of War"...
P.S. The interview will be aired on BBC World and BBC National Radio and Television in the UK in mid-February 2009.
He went to the army from one country - he returned to a completely different one. As the chairman of the Union of Afghanistan Veterans of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Sharip Utegenov, jokes, while he was in Afghanistan, he "buried" Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko and two USSR defense ministers - Ustinov and Sokolov. True, this joke turns out with a touch of bitterness ...
COME WITH YOUR CHARTER
I ended up in Afghanistan on conscription in the army. I will remember the day of the call forever. It was November 10, 1982, the day Brezhnev died. Then, while still in Chimkent, we knew that we were going to Afghanistan.
If we talk about the Afghan war at its very beginning, then the contingent of Soviet troops was perceived by the locals as normal. After all, we built schools there, provided humanitarian assistance and defended our embassy and strategic facilities. But in February-March 1980, attacks on our convoys and military camps had already begun, and therefore a program of preventive actions was developed. Combat raids began, military operations to destroy caravans that supplied weapons from neighboring states.
There were many casualties in the early years of the war in Afghanistan. This is primarily due to the fact that there was no experience of war in the mountainous desert area. After all, both we, ordinary soldiers, and our officers were brought up on military training textbooks, which were focused on the experience of fighting in the Great Patriotic War. In Afghanistan, the experience of that great war was useful in some ways, but in many ways it did not help. It was a completely different war, a completely different ideology, a completely different country. The war was there before us. We just took one side and didn't take the other. The war was between parties, of which there were several in Afghanistan. We supported the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. And that kind of added fuel to the fire.
Although now they are condemning, arguing whether it was necessary to send troops to Afghanistan, I always say: in Soviet times there was an ideology - the defense of the borders of the Soviet Union. If we had not set up this barrier then, then we would have seen radical Islam, which now threatens the world, already in the 90s. Therefore, somewhere we even interfered in someone else's politics, climbed into a foreign country, but we also brought great benefits in deterring international terrorism for a certain period.
"I DID NOT SEND YOU THERE"
I have heard this common phrase more than once. When I came from Afghanistan, I could hardly find a job - no one wanted to take it. They find out that he fought in Afghanistan, and they don't take it. I couldn't even get a job as a concrete worker. Somehow they called me, they said: “There is a place at the concrete goods, come with the documents.” I was glad - I was unemployed for six months. In Soviet times, two months without work, and that's all - you are a parasite, and this is punishable. I brought my documents to the concrete goods, and there they open a military ID, they see the entry “served in Afghanistan, is entitled to benefits ...” And that’s all, they immediately tell me: “Excuse me, we took a person yesterday.”
You cannot imagine what a storm was raging in my soul at that moment. Here we are not needed. After all, we left the army from one era - as it was called, "Brezhnev's stagnation", and returned to the "Gorbachev mess." We, of course, were dumbfounded. It was very hard, and you know that many "Afghans" got lost in this life. We had a large percentage of drug addicts, many guys went into criminal structures ...
I accidentally got a job as a mechanic in the DSK, there were already 8 Afghan guys there. There we created our first organization. When we went to the officials, we were told: “Who are you, where did you come from?” Many officials were afraid of us, they thought: “They are not recognized by the state, no one talks about them. If now I help these “Afghans”, who knows how it will turn out for me.” They were very afraid of it. Because until 1985, Afghanistan was a closed topic. Therefore, we decided that it was necessary to create our own union, which would bring together all like-minded people who went through Afghanistan.
CHILDREN…
Having returned from Afghanistan, we created military-patriotic clubs, clubs of reserve soldiers. And although the name did not contain the word "Afghans", everyone understood what kind of guys they were. And all of us, then still young - 22-23 years old - have combat experience. Children and teenagers were drawn to us. I got a job at the Palace of Schoolchildren, where I opened a military-patriotic club. I had 320 children. If the size of the Palace of Schoolchildren allowed, we would accept thousands of children, because they came, they really wanted to study. We talked with them on topics of interest to them, taught hand-to-hand combat, parachuting. We went to the mountains - to Mashat, Ugam. There was a climbing wall. Children were attracted by an applied sport, not an armchair one. For difficult teenagers, this was what they needed. You can't attract them with chess. A military uniform, weapons have always attracted men, regardless of their age. We, using this psychology, maximally dragged into our clubs those who were difficult to educate. And many of them later went through Afghanistan, and the hot spots of the Soviet Union - Karabakh, there was a war in Tajikistan. The guys also participated in the conflict on the Tajik-Afghan border after Kazakhstan gained independence.
We are still continuing military-patriotic work among schoolchildren, holding training camps. For example, in Astana I held a rally "Zhas Berkut", in Kokchetav, in Shymkent.
But it all comes down to funding. I am outraged that the money is allocated as a state order for military-patriotic education and through various ministries: culture, education, defense, but the work is not visible, because we do not conduct it systematically. And how is the tender carried out? I drew it on paper - I supposedly have a club, handed over all the reports - and that's it. Some are satisfied that the report has been handed over, others that this money has been laundered.
… AND THEIR STRANGE TEACHERS
We once collected data on the military-patriotic clubs of Kazakhstan. We have about 500 of them. Moreover, I know that there are clubs in Shymkent that are headed by former convicts who served time for banditry, rape of minors, and robberies. And they are now engaged in patriotic education of children.
Unfortunately, our law on public organizations is imperfect. It needs to be improved. In terms of the fact that you need to know everything about the leader - whether he has experience, whether he has an education and whether his moral qualities are in line with raising children. And the main thing for us is to pay the state duty - 18-20 thousand tenge - and come to the justice authorities. In the evening you can pick up documents. They will write the charter for you, then you can do whatever you want. And nobody cares about your past.
But children are plasticine, from which you can sculpt anything. Therefore, I believe that if you have submitted documents to justice, then justice should demand from you all documented information: who you are, up to some summary, characteristics, recommendations, so that someone is responsible for it. Indeed, under the guise of such organizations, the same extremists can open and then educate children in the way they need.
ON THE THRESHOLD OF WAR...
Now, in the light of recent events in the world, against the backdrop of an Islamic state, war may also be on our doorstep. The best springboard for this is Afghanistan. ISIS militants are already negotiating with the Taliban, concluding some kind of cooperation agreement, trying to undermine the situation. If they unite, war could break out in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on the same day. Moreover, there is good ground there, which means social disorder.
We recently held a conference in Almaty on Veterans for Peace and Stability and Veterans Against Terrorism. They came out with an appeal that the Taliban is an ideology that cannot be defeated by force. For example, the United States, a coalition of 30 states fought with the Taliban, who, in the whole of Afghanistan, may be 10-15 thousand in total. The 130,000-strong group, armed to the teeth with the most modern weapons, could not cope with them to the end. Because the Taliban is an ideology. And you can defeat an ideology by opposing your own ideology. We must educate our youth in the spirit of non-acceptance of extremism and terrorism, explain to them what this can lead to.
I have always been against the fact that we have opened monthly courses for those who at one time "hooked" from the army. At the age of 22, they can go to a military-technical school (former DOSAAF), pay 220 thousand tenge, and a month later they give you a military ID, as if you had served a year or two. There they are given the basics of martial arts - shooting, hand-to-hand combat, drill, and who knows where this trained person will end up tomorrow. When we served in the army, we had ideological training, we were brought up. We came from there as patriots, ready to defend the Motherland at any moment.
ABOUT THE BROTHERHOOD
Now we are promoting the ideas of friendship, brotherhood of peoples. Our only Afghan structure in the entire post-Soviet space has retained its ties. SCO, CSTO, Eurasian, Customs Union - each of these entities has several states. And now there is no organization that would represent all 15 republics of the former USSR. We are one of a kind. But now, unfortunately, politics has intervened here too: if you go to the congress in Armenia, the Azerbaijanis will not come, and vice versa: if you go to Georgia, the Russians will not come. Kazakhstan is the only state in the entire post-Soviet space where everyone comes, which is interesting to everyone. I held conventions in 2006, 2009 and this year in April. Everyone came. This suggests that Kazakhstan is pursuing a correct interethnic and international policy.
UNNAMED COMPANY
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan. We want to hold an action similar to the Immortal Regiment. Now everyone is hearing the film "9th Company". I want to call this action "Nameless Company". This idea was born a long time ago.
I think the procession will start from the regional offices of the Nur Otan party, for example, in Shymkent from Beibitshilik Avenue to the Memorial of Glory. Lay flowers, and then hold a rally at the monument to the "Afghans". We plan to hold this republican action on December 25th.
I believe that the relatives of the “Afghan” children, the schoolchildren, will support us.
Saida TURSUMETOVA
MBOU "PETUHOVSKAYA SOSH"
"The guys from Afghanistan were leaving ... - the scenario of the evening-meeting with the Afghans"
(scenario dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan)
Prepared and conducted by the teacher-organizer
Vakolova Ludmila Nikolaevna
February 2013 year
Target: On the example of the fulfillment of international duty, the education of patriotism, citizenship and love for the Motherland.
Tasks:- development of creative abilities of students;
Improving the skills of correct intonation coloring of speech;
Compliance with the pace and general expressiveness when reading poetry;
Compliance with the correct articulation when pronouncing sounds;
Enriching students' vocabulary.
Event progress
Against the background of the melody from the song "Cranes" a poem is read:
1 student:
The guys were leaving
From Afghanistan
Through the passes
And Salang...
The guys were leaving
Early in the morning
And in the mosque
The mullah spoke.
And there was a prayer
Like salvation
What guys
Allah save...
Don't forget February and Sunday
Joy and smiles
On the lips.
2 student:
Much water has flowed under the bridge since that time. Slowly wounds healed, matured, became wiser, soldiers and officers grew old. But only the memory of the distant Afghan war is alive and neither years nor distances can erase the events of that war.
From our village participated in the Afghan war:
Krasnov Alexey Anatolievich
Sofronov Valery Vasilievich
Albartsev Boris Alekseevich
Stolbov Vladimir Alekseevich
Skvortsov Yuri Nikolaevich
Maksimov Boris Nikolaevich
Shadrikov Yury Vitalievich
Nikiforov Yuri Vasilievich
Chumarkov Alexander Nikolaevich
3 student:
It has become a good tradition for all Afghans to gather together on this memorable day. Many from that war returned stronger, matured, their chests were decorated with orders and medals. Awards for courage, bravery and honor. But many were not destined to return to their native threshold, quite a few very young boys died on the rocky Afghan land, among them our fellow countrymen, natives of the Yalchik region:
Borisov Yury Gennadievich
Grigoriev Yuri Petrovich
Patshin Anatoly Mitrofanovich
The memory of many guys who did not return from that war, the memory of those who passed away in peacetime will be eternal.
4 student:
A moment of silence...
Comrades, stand up
And in memory of the fallen
Imagine heroes.
Forever in our heart
Immortal names their sound.
A moment of silence, a moment of silence...
(After a moment of silence, a song sounds "I believe" )
5 student:
The events of those years are assessed differently. Those who gave orders and those who carried them out look differently at the Afghan war. But for those and other actions that took place on the territory of Afghanistan fit into one capacious and terrible word - war. A war that must never be repeated, the lessons of which must be learned for the rest of one's life.
Interviews with Afghans:
- In your opinion, what are the main lessons of that war?
The experience is impossible to forget. And how did your service begin, how did you enter into a clear army rhythm, what do you remember about Afghanistan?
The soldier's service consists not only of difficulties and problems. No. I think that there were many joys and bright moments. Do you remember similar episodes today?
From time immemorial, our people have believed that helping a friend, saving him is the highest honor. This unwritten principle helped Soviet soldiers win during the Great Patriotic War, and it also helped on the soil of Afghanistan. Have there been similar cases with you ... (questions for conversation)
6 student:
No matter what they say, no matter what they think, but you managed to go through the fire of battles and the smoke of conflagrations with dignity and honor ...
No matter what they say, no matter what they think, and you know the price, male friendship, tempered in fire, you know how to mourn the loss, you are honest with your conscience and holy memory.
7 student:
No matter what they say, you managed to get through.
Everything that the war measured out to you,
And not in vain today you put on
Your military orders.
(the song "Russian soldiers" sounds)
8 student:
When the war ended, soldiers, sergeants, officers returned to their native land with a sense of accomplishment. Their fathers and mothers, wives and children, friends and loved ones met them with great joy. And a calm, peaceful life began ...
Yes, you know how to work, you have managed to overcome physical and spiritual traumas and, relying on your solidarity and mutual support, you stand firmly and reliably on your feet and have become real men in civilian life - strong, reliable, wise.
9 student:
You can’t buy for any money, you can’t borrow, you can’t rent a person who would love you, worry about you, protect and pray, who was ready to give his life for you like a mother. The closest and dearest person for each of us is our mother.
Mothers accompanied their sons to the army. They did not know where the service of very young, fragile boys would take place, but for some reason tears rolled down their cheeks and whispered the words like a prayer: “Goodbye, relatives. Come back alive." And the short-haired boys braved themselves on the platforms of railway stations, sang hoarsely to the guitar and went to war ...
(young man reads a letter)
10 student:
“Hello, dear relatives!
My service is going well, every other day we go to the guard. You, mother, write that you had frosts on March 14th. And we have a heat here, though in two days it is raining, as per schedule.
I probably wrote to you that our unit is in the mountains, at an altitude of 1800m, so spring will come to us later than in the valleys. Everything is green there. A week ago I was in the valley. Flowers are blooming... And all around us are gloomy rocks.
I read your letter and remembered our forests and lakes. I’ll come, I’ll pick up a bunch of mushrooms for you ... Mom, don’t worry too much about me, everything will be fine ... ”
Your Victor
(the song “Leaf fall” sounds )
Leading:
Our today's meeting is taking place on the eve of another wonderful holiday on February 23 - Defenders of the Fatherland Day. On this day, we honor those who at different times defended the honor, dignity and freedom of the Motherland. Happy holiday to you, dear men. And may the numerous congratulations on this day give you fortitude, courage, cheerfulness and optimism!
( the song "Vivat, Victory" sounds)
Time inexorably does its job. The war in Afghanistan goes deep into history. And God forbid that it was the last.
With these words, we would like to end our meeting today. All the best to you: health, joy, confidence in the future, peace and harmony. See you soon!
(the final song “Do not forget our meeting” sounds)
02/11/2015 at 06:41, views: 30586Today, he associates the sounds of gunshots with the holiday. For 11 years, Alexey Nalimov has been organizing fireworks in the Altai Territory. He himself can not exactly explain why he chose this particular business. Just once I wanted life to become one big firework, symbolizing the victory that his grandfather was waiting for in the distant forties, for which he, a veteran of the Afghan events, had a chance to fight.
After the oath - to Kabul
In 1986, Nalimov, like many of his comrades, received a summons to the draft board. Healthy, serious about serving in the army, he even looked forward to this event, because he always believed that a real man should go through this school of courage. From the military registration and enlistment office of the Leninsky district of Barnaul, he was sent straight to Fergana, a beautiful city in Uzbekistan. The training unit of the airborne assault battalion was based there. Alexey wanted to be a paratrooper since childhood: a blue beret, a striped T-shirt, inflated biceps were the ultimate dream of a growing boy, and then fate itself threw such an opportunity. It doesn't matter that it's far from home. Loving parents promised to visit him periodically. And they didn't lie. They could not miss an important event in the life of their son - the military oath, which their Alyoshka accepted with honor. They just didn’t expect at all that after the father happily says: “We are proud of you, son!”, He will announce that their battalion is being sent to Kabul.
Mother did not immediately understand where it was. After all, she barely found the Uzbek Ferghana on the map. Looking inquiringly at her husband, dumbfounded by the unexpected news on such a holiday, the woman waited for an explanation. The son did not make me languish for a long time: "This is Afghanistan."
“You know, my mother did not shed a tear, she held on with all her might. I saw that it was hard for her, that she was ready to scream in pain and resentment, that a dumb question lurked in her eyes: “Why?”, To which I was able to answer unequivocally: “It must be so. This is an order,” recalls an Afghan veteran.
And in fact, no one asked for a wish. They just gave us time to get ready, loaded them into trains and took us in some new, completely unfamiliar direction.
In the Afghan wilderness
It was the height of the war. Then the young guys did not know that in three years the Soviet troops would be withdrawn from the territory of the republic, and the situation itself, heating up either from the scorching Afghan sun, or from explosions of live shells, did not even hint at the end of the campaign.
“Kabul was a big transfer. From here we were scattered throughout the territory of Afghanistan, where hostilities were taking place. I ended up in Jalalabad. The city was located very far from the capital, practically on the border with Pakistan. If artists with concert programs came to other parts of the republic, they brought movies, then we had a real wilderness, ”says the veteran.
Therefore, sitting in one place was boring and uninteresting. Youthful maximalism asked for bright events and active participation in the battles, because they brought them to the war.
“Then there was no fear at all, perhaps due to age or because they did not understand where they were. After all, when you don’t know what awaits you, you can’t assess the danger of the situation and it seems that trouble will definitely not overtake you, ”says Alexey.
To not be excruciatingly painful to die
Awareness came later, when I had to drive out in BMP-2 vehicles, escorting a convoy of trucks, explore caravan routes, lie in ambush waiting for a caravan and destroy dushmans (as the Russians called their potential enemy). Here for the first time he had a chance to shoot, kill and, worst of all, to see the death of his comrades, with whom a few hours ago he literally had to eat from the same cup, share a towel and fall asleep under pleasant stories about the house, relatives and mother's pies.
“We had a medical officer Lapochkin, and so, a sniper bullet hit him right in the stomach. Everything happened in front of my eyes, ”the interlocutor reluctantly says.
Alexey rushed to the aid of a friend. Convulsively, he began to recall how in the very initial classes, upon arrival in Afghanistan, they were taught to provide first aid. In a hurry, he bandaged the gunshot wound, found an ampoule of Promedol in his first-aid kit, and with a trembling hand injected the drug to a colleague. Nalimov understood that after such an injury, it was unlikely that the medical instructor would be able to survive, so at least it would not be so excruciatingly painful. The anesthetic worked, but the orderlies did not have time to take the wounded man to the hospital, the fighter died ...
Here came the understanding that this, brother, is a war. For the first time in a whole year, 19-year-old boys were shrouded in terrible fear. They tried to drive him away, telling funny stories to each other, just not to be silent, just not to withdraw into themselves, otherwise you could go crazy. However, at night, the horror raised in a cold sweat, at lunchtime it took away appetite, causing fierce hatred for the enemy, but not for the native state, which sent them, still completely “unfired” youths, into the thick of events.
“No matter what they say, but I believe that our country needed it. If we had not come there, the Americans would have come, and it is not known what everything would have turned out to be. This means that we defended not only the friendly Afghan people, but also the interests of our state,” the Afghan said.
The entire crew was thrown out by the blast
Today, on the lapel of his festive jacket, which is kept in the family closet for special occasions, along with anniversary medals, the Order of the Red Star flaunts. So Alexei Nalimov would have modestly kept silent about this high award if, before starting the interview with the hero, Valentina Bulgakova, chairman of the Altai regional branch of the All-Russian Public Organization of the Families of the Fallen Defenders of the Fatherland, had not shared an important fact with the MK correspondent.
After a little hesitation, the veteran began his story: “Yes, I did not commit any heroic deeds. As usual, we went on an operation to capture the enemy ... "
... It was a typical autumn day in 1987. In the usual way, the column of Soviet armored vehicles moved along an already familiar route. The BMP-2, in which Alexei was riding, was far from the first in a long automobile formation. Everything around him breathed calmness. The terrain is familiar, which means that nothing could portend trouble, but for some reason the driver of the armored car decided to slightly turn over to the side of the road. Suddenly, something thundered, and all seven members of the crew were thrown out by the blast wave. Only in the hospital Alexey came to his senses. The crippled shoulder ached terribly, but the question that worried me most was: “How are the guys there?” Doctors reassured Nalimov that everyone survived. But they didn't have to see each other again. Because for a month and a half he was taken to hospitals: first to Puli-Khumri, then to Kunduz, then to Kabul, then to Tashkent. The protracted "hospital tour" ended with demobilization to his homeland.
“This is what the reward is for. Apparently, all seven of us were born in shirts, or the mine was weak, ”explains the veteran.
Shuravi Brotherhood
It is no coincidence that those who once went through Afghanistan are called “Combat Brotherhood” today, because, just like there, in the hot sands, they continue to support each other at home. War brings together, makes you stand with your chest for a comrade, help in difficult times.
Upon returning to Altai, Alexei found Shuravi comrades-in-arms. Together they created the Leninsky regional branch of the Union of Afghan Veterans in Barnaul. Nalimov was entrusted to head the organization. They began to gather, share plans for the future, organize actions of mutual assistance, as well as support for mothers whose sons never returned from the war.
“As part of a public organization, we conducted economic activities so that we could earn money for charity and for our personal needs. We had a security company, then a construction company, there was a patriotic club for teenagers. From the money we earned, we provided material assistance to the mothers and widows of the dead children: someone needed money, someone needed potatoes for the winter, coal, firewood. They made gifts for the New Year to everyone, ”says the paratrooper.
Today the organization no longer exists. Each of the guys has got his own business, but they invariably keep in touch with the regional branch of the All-Russian Public Organization of Veterans: whether to fix the grave of a deceased comrade in the cemetery, or to take his sick elderly mother to the hospital in his car. These responsiveness and mutual assistance, absorbed into the subcortex of the brain back in the Afghan battle, do not allow today to pass by someone's problem.
Now Alexei has a wonderful family: a wife, two daughters and already have a grandson. Girls are girls - they were not particularly interested in their father's military past, and he has practically no photographs from Afghanistan. After all, the fighter was sent home immediately from a hospital bed. Only a couple of black-and-white photographs have survived, sent at one time to relatives in an envelope. He plans to show them to his grandson when he grows up. To him, he, perhaps, will tell the details of his stay in Afghanistan, one year and three months long. He will tell, without the help of cinema. Because Aleksey does not watch feature films about Afghanistan at all, just as his grandfather did not like films about the Great Patriotic War: “The task of any director is to attract the viewer, which means to bring action, heroism and peppercorns to the plot. Much is distorted, but I love the truth. The documentary is another matter."
He also does not like celebrations and pomposity on the occasion of the Day of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, so he prefers to meet with friends behind the scenes. He believes that a holiday is not a specific date, but a state of mind, and sincerely believes that one day he will go out into the street, launch a dozen rockets into the sky, which will explode on the starry canvas with bright fireworks, marking the cessation of all hostilities that still excite planet.
Viewed: 1 032
He ended up in Afghanistan at the age of 20, a young student pulled out of his university career and the favorite son of his parents. To release the eldest Igor, and then the youngest son, to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Sergei The last one was especially hard.
Today Igor Ippolitovich Kunitsky works at the BSAA as a senior lecturer in the department of law, raised with his wife Alla two daughters. He reluctantly recalls those events, like any Afghan, but he considers it his duty not to forget about them and the people who did not return home on the Day of Remembrance of the Internationalist Warriors.
– Igor Ippolitovich, how did you get to Afghanistan?
– From my native Pinsk, I had just moved to Minsk to study at the Faculty of History of the Belarusian State University, when I was drafted into the army. Before, after all, there were no such deferments from service that are now available in Belarus. So I first served in the Baltic States for a year, then ended up in Kabul, and later in Kandahar. I also stayed there for almost a year.
Whom did you serve as?
I was a radio spy. They are also called "hearers". Our main goal was to use the coordinate system to determine the location of the radio transmissions coming from the Dushman gangs and send a team there to destroy them.
- What was the most difficult thing for a 20-year-old guy in such conditions?
– Everything was difficult. It's one thing - a native country with its forests and fields, another - a state with mountains, deserts, high temperatures up to 50 degrees in the summer, which never happens in Belarus. At the same time, the dress code was not the most suitable. Everything, from everyday life, the environment and ending with food, was different. But man is a creature that can adapt to almost any conditions. And we got used to it too.
What about morally?
– War always implies "dirty work", including one tied to murder. I had to shoot, not always at the military. When you are attacked, you don't have to figure out who is doing it. The first reaction is to repel a dangerous action, to defend oneself. Even specially trained children could shoot at us - Russian Shuravi. And we had to be ready for bullets overhead and death at any moment.
- Have you seen the death of colleagues?
– Fortunately, I didn’t have to face this, but I am a witness of how wounded people did not survive. It was painful to watch.
After returning to Minsk to study, I had to recover for some time and return to a normal life.
– How do you usually spend the Day of Remembrance of Internationalist Warriors?
– We do not like in our circle to remember and stir up the past. But be sure to visit the memorial sign installed in the area of the academic Palace of Culture, the graves of comrades and the homes of the mothers of the dead soldiers, who never waited for their relatives to go home. We try to remember all those who are not with us: friends, brothers, comrades in arms.
- Many today ambiguously assess the decision to send Soviet troops to Afghanistan ...
– Maybe we were there in vain, or maybe not. Each nation creates its own history, and outside interference does not always lead to a positive result. But any such events are tied to economics and politics. The latter is determined by the state and those who are at its helm. They make the appropriate decisions. At that time (late 1970s) it was Leonid Brezhnev. They did not ask the military: if you are in the army, then you must follow the order.
- Taking this opportunity, you can express your wishes to everyone who was affected by the events of those years.
– To the mothers of the fallen soldiers-internationalists and to everyone, I wish you health and long life.
Interviewed
Katya Karpitskaya.
Photo by Mikhail LEVTSOV.
