On Saturday, 16 February 2019, to mark the 30th anniversary of the withdrawal of the Limited Contingent of Soviet Forces from the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, visitors to the Stalin Line Historical and Cultural Complex were shown a military-historical reenactment of an episode from that difficult but not forgotten war.
During the long and bloody civil war in Afghanistan, which began in 1978 and continues to this day, thousands of our fellow countrymen underwent a harsh test of courage and heroism while serving with the Limited Contingent of Soviet Forces in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. Their time in that distant country was a severe and gruelling ordeal. Hundreds of them lost their lives while fulfilling their internationalist duty.
The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan began on 15 May 1988, in accordance with the Geneva Accords on the political settlement of the situation concerning the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, signed on 14 April 1988. The Soviet Union undertook to withdraw its contingent within nine months, by 15 February 1989, with half of the troops to be withdrawn within the first three months, by 15 August 1988.
The troop withdrawal operation was repeatedly attacked by the dushman (mujahideen). According to The Washington Post, a total of 523 Soviet soldiers were killed during this period. Of all the Soviet forces in the Afghan War, the Airborne Forces arguably saw the most combat: most combat operations were carried out by paratroopers, while special forces units were also formed from Airborne Forces units. Their principal tasks were reconnaissance, convoy escort and the interception of supply caravans. Motor rifle units, tank crews and personnel from other branches of the armed forces also served in Afghanistan. For the most part, they either took part in major operations or guarded pipelines, roads and settlements.
The main methods of combat employed by dushman detachments included ambushes, raids, mining and sabotage operations. During raids, the dushman used the ‘one-minute’ tactic: all available weapons were fired for a short period, followed by a rapid withdrawal along predetermined routes. They launched surprise attacks, subjected airfields, checkpoints and garrisons to rocket and mortar fire, and carried out terrorist attacks against government representatives. As a rule, the dushman avoided direct confrontation with superior regular forces. River valleys, which offered the greatest tactical advantages, were used to accommodate large bands and detachments. The episode recreated took place at a Soviet checkpoint on the Hairatan–Kabul highway in Samangan Province in January 1989, during the operation to withdraw Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Before the reenactment began, the “Memory of Afghanistan” Charitable Foundation for Assistance to Internationalist Veterans, together with the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus, commemorated the anniversary with internationalist veterans. The veterans were presented with the keys to new cars, in which they could drive home.
The gifts were presented to the veterans by Colonel Leonid Viktorovich Kosinsky, Assistant Minister of Defence for Ideological Work in the Armed Forces and Head of the Main Directorate for Ideological Work of the Ministry of Defence, and retired Colonel Alexander Mikhailovich Metla, an internationalist veteran and head of the “Memory of Afghanistan” Foundation.
Internationalist veterans honoured:
Ruzil Zinuryevich Gabdrafikov (Minsk) — Private — Group II disability
Alexander Alexandrovich Vitko (Grodno) — Captain — Group II disability
Oleg Mikhailovich Domaev (Kobrin) — Major — Group II disability
Alexander Yevgenyevich Suvorov (Minsk) — Senior Sergeant — Group II disability
Nikolai Pavlovich Kozhemyachenko (Minsk) — Senior Lieutenant — Group I disability
Mikhail Fomich Bykov (Minsk) — Major — Group II disability (he was unable to attend the presentation for health reasons; the gift will be delivered to him)
Vasily Alexandrovich Sokolov (Brest) — Major — Group II disability
The renowned Belarusian athlete Kirill Shimko also attended the gathering to pay tribute to the courage of the internationalist veterans. After the official awards ceremony, he effortlessly tore apart a catalogue and two packs of playing cards before the spectators, and bent steel nails into knots.
Photo: Vitaly Dorosh. Based on material from the website travel.otzyv.by
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