Views: 1,030
He found himself in Afghanistan at the age of 20, a young student who had been pulled out of university to serve, and the beloved son of his parents. Release the elder Igor to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan first, and then youngest son Sergei it was especially difficult for the latter.
Today Igor Ippolitovich Kunitsky works at the Belarusian State Academy of Agricultural Sciences as a senior lecturer in the department of law, raised with his wife Alloy two daughters. He, like any Afghan, remembers those events reluctantly, 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 Internationalist Soldiers.
– Igor Ippolitovich, how did you get to Afghanistan?
– I had just moved from my native Pinsk to Minsk to study at the history department of BSU when I was drafted into the army. Previously, there were no such deferments from service that exist now in Belarus. So I first served for a year in the Baltic states, then I ended up in Kabul, and subsequently in Kandahar. I also stayed there for almost a year.
– In what capacity did you serve?
– I was a radio intelligence officer. They are also called “listeners”. Our main goal was to use a coordinate system to determine the location of radio transmissions coming from Dushman gangs and send a team there for destruction.
– What was the most difficult thing for a 20-year-old guy in such conditions?
– Everything was difficult. One thing is a native country with its forests and fields, another is a state with mountains, deserts, high temperature up to 50 degrees in the summer, which never happens in Belarus. The uniform was not the most appropriate. Everything from everyday life environment and ending with food, it was different. But man is a creature that can adapt to almost any conditions. And we also got used to it.
- And in moral terms?
– War always involves “dirty work,” including murder. We had to shoot, not always at military personnel. When you are attacked, you don’t have to figure out who is doing it. The first reaction is to reflect dangerous action, defend. Even specially trained children could shoot at us - the Russian Shuravi. And we had to be prepared for bullets overhead and death at any moment.
-Have you seen the death of your colleagues?
– Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with this, but I am a witness to 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 normal life.
– How do you usually spend the Day of Remembrance of Internationalist Soldiers?
– We don’t like to remember and stir up the past in our circle. But we definitely visit the memorial sign installed in the area of the Academic Palace of Culture, the graves of comrades and the houses of the mothers of fallen soldiers who never saw their relatives home. We try to remember all those who are not with us: friends, brothers, comrades in arms.
– Many today have ambivalent assessments of the decision to send Soviet troops into Afghanistan...
– Maybe we were there in vain, maybe not. Each nation creates its own history, and outside interventions do 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 stand at its helm. They make decisions accordingly. At that time (late 70s of the twentieth century) it was Leonid Brezhnev. They didn’t ask the military: if you are in the army, that means you must follow orders.
– 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 internationalist soldiers and to everyone, I wish you health and long life.
Interviewed
Katya KARPITSKAYA.
Photo by Mikhail LEVTSOV.
February 15, 2011 is the 22nd anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Oleg Antipov, an expert on security and defense in the post-Soviet space, an internationalist warrior, and retired colonel, spoke about the difficult war in an interview with REX news agency.
On December 24, 1979, units of the 105th Guards Airborne Division landed at Bagram airfield, near Kabul. At the same time, the 357th and 66th motorized rifle divisions entered Afghanistan through Kushka and other border points. In February 1980, the contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan reached 58 thousand people, and in the middle of 1980, the additional 16th and 54th motorized rifle divisions were introduced into Afghanistan. The Afghan army offered zealous resistance to the interventionists. She was helped by the mountains (they occupy most of the country) and the difficult terrain. Any ground operation took place with incredible difficulties. Afghan war lasted from December 25, 1978 to February 15, 1989, almost 10 years. Today, February 15, 2011, is the 22nd anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
An expert on security and defense in the post-Soviet space, an internationalist soldier, and a retired colonel spoke in an interview about the difficult years in Afghanistan and participation in special operations Oleg Antipov.
: Did the leadership of the USSR make the right decision in December 1979 by introducing a limited contingent of Soviet troops into the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan?
In 1979, the leadership of the USSR adopted the right decision. The main task was to prevent the future deployment of American medium-range missiles on Afghan territory. This would be the same if Russian missiles were stationed in Cuba. Our officers and soldiers did everything possible that was in their power! Using the example of our military, we need to teach the younger generation how to defend the Motherland!
Nobody controls global processes in the country. No one cares, no one realizes the size of the impending danger. Look at our officials. Do they care about the well-being of the country and people? About defending the Fatherland!?
: How did you end up among the internationalist warriors?
In 1983, having completed my studies at the Yu.A. Gagarin Academy, I was assigned to the warring Turkestan Military District in the city of Kagan, Bukhara Region, as commander of a squadron of combat helicopters. This was a unique part. The regiment commander at that time was an excellent pilot and leader Mikhailidi Valery Rigovich. I have always easily tolerated the heat, but it wasn’t easy for me there either. In the sun, the cabin of the MI-24 became so hot that you had to put on kid gloves to climb up the built-in steps into the cabin. But another surprise awaited you in the cockpit. The temperature in the cabin reached 72-78 degrees, and you are in full gear, streams of sweat flowing through you, and you are doing your job.
: Did you have any air battles and awards for them?
There were battles, Soviet and Afghan orders from the hands of Afghan President Najibullah. And even certificate of honor from the hands of the President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev.
There have been so many losses over the years that awards and memories of battle are always associated with memories of fallen comrades. Was there until the end. During this time, the country lost 333 helicopters there. I often had to rescue groups of paratroopers under fire in difficult mountain conditions. Each time the family saw us off as if it was the last time.
: Can you compare the effectiveness of two wars (the Soviet war of the last century in Afghanistan and the American one in Iraq)?
The war in Afghanistan lasted nine years.
Total losses:
1979 - 86 people
1980 - 1484 people
1981 - 1298 people
1982 - 1948 people
1983 - 1446 people
1984 - 2346 people
1985 - 1868 people
1986 - 1333 people
1987 - 1215 people
1988 - 759 people
1989 - 53 people
It should be noted that in Afghanistan we fought not only and not even so much with Afghans. Pakistan, on whose territory the Dushman bases were located, actively acted against us. The United States acted no less actively against us, funding and supplying the enemy with weapons and intelligence through Pakistan. Total soviet army, leading active fighting on foreign territory in the mountains and with the active support of the enemy by the best Western military consultants, lost an average of 1,668 people per year.
We must not forget that we fought mainly ordinary guys 19-20 years old for conscription.
The Iraq War (March 20, 2003 - to this day) is a military conflict that began with the invasion of Iraq by US forces and its allies to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein. The formal reason for the war was CIA information about the presence of stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which was subsequently not confirmed. Now a significant part of the country's politicians and population are convinced that the purpose of the military operation was to establish US control over the oil fields of Iraq.
US troops fought for more than 7.5 years in Iraq. There are no mountains or forests there. Everything from the air at a glance. The rebels could not take advantage of serious external support.
The total losses of the coalition forces were about 4,900 people and more than a thousand civilian specialists from the United States (often the same military experts under contract), on average more than 800 people per year. And how effective can we talk about the American army?
Reference:
Oleg Antipov was born on February 17, 1951 in Lankaran (Azerbaijan) in the family of a military man. Graduated from Syzranskoye military school pilots in 1974 and the Air Force Academy. Yu. Gagarin in Monino in 1983
He worked his way up from a squadron commander to the chief of aviation of the 8th Tank Army, which was stationed in Zhitomir. He served in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany in 1976-1981. From 1983 to 1989 he trained flight personnel for combat operations in Afghanistan. He was elected as a deputy of the Bukhara Regional Council.
During his service in aviation, he mastered many types of aviation equipment, flew more than 3,000 hours, and performed 250 parachute jumps. First class pilot. Reserve Colonel. He was awarded the Order of the Red Star and medals, as well as military awards from other states. After being transferred to the reserve in 1993, he worked in management positions in various industries. People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 5th convocation.
VKontakte Facebook Odnoklassniki
"I've gotten so used to it new life, that upon returning home to the USSR I was drawn back to Afghanistan"
Today in our “Afghan” series we are publishing an interview Oleg Kondratyevich Krasnoperov..
-Who were you during the war?
I served in the communications platoon of the first battalion of the 357th regiment. He was in Afghanistan from 1983 to 1985. But first I spent six months in “training” in Fergana, where we were prepared for combat. I think that they prepared us perfectly: they strengthened us physically, conducted tactical training, taught us how to operate equipment, etc. And when I found out that I was going to war, I had this somewhat gambling attitude. I even felt a buzz! Don't forget that we were young guys then and were eager to fight. Seriousness came later.
- What are your first impressions of Afghanistan?
Kabul seemed to me a gray and dirty city. This is not the USSR, no home, and the foreign land did not accept us very well. And then everything went as usual: getting up in the morning, exercising, etc.
- How did you turn from a peaceful person into a fighter?
You know, before the war I thought that bullets whistled, but they actually rustled. The sound is not at all the same as it is shown in the movies. Moreover, at first I did not feel fear, because I simply did not realize the danger. But then, when I returned from the mission and began to think about what happened, it became creepy. I saw how a comrade was wounded, and whether you want it or not, you turn it over in your head that this could happen to me too.
But I didn’t have to think about fear for long. We were busy with physical activities, political training, and so on. And, by the way, I had become so accustomed to my new life that upon returning home to the USSR I was drawn back to Afghanistan.
- Can you name the hardest moment of your service?
Yes. I remember we were escorting a convoy and were ambushed. I had to maintain contact and hide from the fire. I tell my comrade: “Hide behind the armor, lie down behind the tower!” We were already breaking out of the ambush, almost leaving, and then from afar, on the verge of flight, a bullet came towards him and hit him right in the heart... This was hard for me to survive.
- Was there anything fun during the war?
Yes, and what else! I laugh even now, remembering how I caught a wild goat. We went to the mountains, taking dry rations with us, and usually, when the ration came to an end, provisions were dropped from helicopters to us. But that time the “spirits” occupied the heights next to us and did not let our “turntables” approach. Time goes by, we are already hungry, and then I see a herd of goats. I grabbed one and started catching it. And he leaves me, and moves precisely towards the “spirits”.
I couldn’t shoot him, because then I would have drawn enemy fire on myself. So I’m sneaking behind the goat, he’s getting closer and closer to the dushmans’ position, and they warn me from below on the radio that the “spirits” are watching me. But then I still grabbed him, threw him on my back and let him run to his people. I dragged him in, lit a fire, but so that the enemy would not notice it: they covered the flames from above with a tent. The platoon commander butchered the goat, made a barbecue on ramrods and began to eat. The meat is bitter! No salt. In general, I still can’t stand goat meat.
- By the way, what was included in the ration?
There were several rations different types. There were five standards, all excellent. The first standard included so much food that daily norm could last for a week. They fed us porridge, biscuits, minced sausage, “tourist’s breakfast,” pate, and chocolate. We drank fruit juice and tea.
- What is the most valuable award for you?
I participated in various tasks. For example, air and artillery gunners were sent to heights. We covered them, and I provided communications. I had to shoot. By the way, Soviet weapons are the best.
And the most memorable award is the medal “For Courage”. That day, a bullet pierced the batteries in the radio, and the antenna was also cut, but I was taught what to do in such cases. I quickly plugged the batteries with improvised means so that the acid would not leak out completely, and I continued to maintain contact with the command, which coordinated the movement of our paratrooper detachment. The “spirits” followed us, and over the radio they told me how to properly get away from them. My task was to provide communication and get people out. This is what I was awarded for.
The level is very high. I often remember Captain Sergei Ilyich Kapustin. He is a hereditary officer; his grandfather also served in the army under the Tsar. Sergei is an excellent commander, he will give his soul for a soldier. The rank and file also showed themselves to be real, solid warriors. We understood that we were defending the southern borders of the USSR and fulfilling our international duty. We knew what we were fighting for. Now they say all sorts of things about that war, but I say it as it is, as those who served really thought. By the way, the then Minister of Defense of the USSR Sergei Leonidovich Sokolov also came to us. In everyday life he behaved like a simple person.
- How did interethnic relations develop in the Soviet army?
There were no problems. Russians and Belarusians served normally together; we called the Uzbek Sergeman Sergei. By the way, he was an excellent translator. I am personally friends with the Tatar “Afghan”, Rodion Shaizhanov (an interview with him was published - Ed.). By the way, there was no bullying of the “grandfathers” against the young. They treated each other as comrades.
- How did the locals treat you?
Children are the same everywhere. They run to us, we give them biscuits, condensed milk, sugar. They knew the word “give”, and, coming up to us, they said: “give-give-give.” But the adults behaved warily and tensely. In general, a feudal system reigned there, people worked the land with a hoe, although there could also be a Japanese Panasonic receiver lying nearby. I can’t even imagine why they bought it. Not for drugs, that's for sure. Others dealt with drugs there; we called them “caravan workers.” And the rest mainly cultivated wheat, traded wheat, as well as tea.
- What can you say about the enemy?
He was even better equipped than ours. Comfortable sleeping bags, boots, camouflage - everything is American. Supplies to the “spirits” came through Pakistan. As for fighting qualities, there were also dushmans who were well trained in Pakistan, but mostly they were ordinary peasants, and they cannot be called seasoned warriors. They were armed with Chinese Kalash rifles, British Bur rifles, and in large groups there were mortars and light artillery. They were essentially fighting a guerrilla war, and I never saw them have tanks or infantry fighting vehicles.
- How was your life after the war?
I'm fine. You know, people often complain that they either don’t have a job, or that they were received somehow wrong, or something else. But I think differently. Those who want to work work, those who want to drink will always find a bottle. And I do not agree with those “Afghans” who began to blame the authorities for their problems.
Today he associates the sounds of gunfire with the holiday. For 11 years now, Alexey Nalimov has been organizing fireworks displays on the territory of Altai Territory. He himself cannot explain exactly why he chose this particular business. Just one day he wanted life to become one big fireworks display, symbolizing the victory that his grandfather was waiting for in the distant forties, for which he, a veteran of the Afghan events, had to fight.
After the oath - to Kabul
In 1986, Nalimov, like many of his comrades, received a summons to the military registration and enlistment office. Healthy, serious about serving in the army, he even looked forward to this event, because he always believed that a real man must 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, pumped up biceps were the ultimate dream of a growing boy, and then fate itself presented such an opportunity. It doesn't matter that it's far from home. Loving parents promised to visit him periodically. And they weren’t lying. They couldn't miss important event in his son’s life - the military oath, which Alyoshka accepted with honor. But they didn’t expect at all that after the father joyfully said: “We are proud of you, son!”, he would announce that their battalion was being sent to Kabul.
The mother did not immediately understand where it was. After all, she barely found Uzbek Fergana on the map. Looking questioningly at her husband, dumbfounded by the unexpected news on such a holiday, the woman waited for an explanation. The son did not make him languish for long: “This is Afghanistan.”
“You know, mom didn’t shed a tear, she held on with all her might. I saw that it was hard for her, that she was ready to scream from pain and resentment, that a silent question lurked in her eyes: “Why?”, to which I was able to answer unequivocally: “It’s necessary. This is an order,” recalls the Afghan veteran.
And in fact, no one asked for wishes. They simply gave us time to get ready, loaded us into trains and took us in some new, completely unfamiliar direction.
In the Afghan wilderness
It was the very height of the war. At that time, the young guys did not know that within three years 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 the explosions of military shells, did not even hint at the end of the campaign.
“Kabul was a big transfer. From here we were scattered throughout Afghanistan, where the fighting was taking place. I ended up in Jalalabad. The city was located very far from the capital, almost on the border with Pakistan. If artists came to the children in other parts of the republic with concert programs, they were 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 battles, because they were brought to war.
“Then there was no fear at all, maybe due to age or because they didn’t understand where they were. After all, when you don’t know what awaits you, you can’t assess the full danger of the situation and it seems that trouble will definitely not overtake you,” shares Alexey.
So that it would not be excruciatingly painful to die
The realization came later, when I had to drive out in BMP-2 vehicles, accompanying a convoy of trucks, study caravan routes, lie in ambush while waiting for the caravan and destroy dushmans (as the Russians called their potential enemy). Here, for the first time, he had the opportunity to shoot, kill and, worst of all, see the death of his comrades, with whom just a few hours ago he had literally eaten from the same cup, shared a towel and fell asleep to pleasant stories about home, family and mother’s pies.
“We had a medical instructor Lapochkin, and a sniper bullet hit him right in the stomach. “Everything happened before my eyes,” the interlocutor reluctantly says.
Alexey rushed to help his comrade. Frantically, he began to remember 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 into his colleague. Nalimov understood that after such a wound it was unlikely that the medical instructor would be able to survive, so at least it wouldn’t hurt so excruciatingly. The painkiller worked, but the orderlies did not have time to take the wounded man to the hospital, and the soldier died...
This is where the understanding came that this, brother, is war. For the first time in a whole year, 19-year-old boys were enveloped in terrible fear. They tried to drive him away by telling each other funny stories - just so as not to remain silent, just not to withdraw into themselves, otherwise you could go crazy. However, at night, horror brought them into a cold sweat, and at lunchtime it took away their appetite, causing fierce hatred for the enemy, but not for their native state, which sent them, still completely “untested” youths, into the thick of things.
“No matter what they say, I believe that our country needed this. If we had not come there, the Americans would have come, and no one knows how everything would have turned out. This means that we defended not only the Afghan people, friendly to us, but also the interests of our state,” said the Afghan.
The entire crew was thrown out by the blast wave
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 adorns. Aleksey Nalimov would have remained modestly silent about this high award if, before the interview with the hero, Valentina Bulgakova, chairman of the Altai regional branch of the All-Russian public organization of families of fallen defenders of the Fatherland, had not shared an important fact with the MK correspondent.
After hesitating a little, the veteran began his story: “I didn’t commit any heroic deeds. As usual, we went on an operation to capture the enemy..."
...It was an ordinary 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 Alexey was traveling, was far from the first in the long automobile formation. Everything around was breathing calm. The terrain was familiar, which meant that nothing could foreshadow trouble, but for some reason the driver of the armored car decided to pull slightly 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 did Alexey come to his senses. The crippled shoulder ached terribly, but what worried me most was the question: “How are the guys doing?” The doctors reassured Nalimov that everyone had survived. But they never had 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.
“That’s what the reward is for. Apparently, all seven of us were born wearing shirts, or the mine was weak,” explains the veteran.
Shuravi Brotherhood
It is no coincidence that today it is no coincidence that those who once went through Afghanistan are called the “Combat Brotherhood”, because, just like there, in the sultry sands, they continue to support each other at home. War brings us together, makes us stand for our comrades, help in difficult moment.
Upon returning to Altai, Alexey found Shuravi comrades. Together they created the Leninsky district branch of the Union of Afghanistan Veterans in Barnaul. Nalimov was entrusted to head the organization. They began to gather, share plans for the future, organize mutual aid events, as well as support for mothers whose sons never returned from the war.
“As part of a public organization, we carried out business activities so that we could earn money for charity and our personal needs. We had security company, then construction, 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: some needed money, others needed potatoes for the winter, coal, firewood. Gifts for New Year They did it to everyone,” says the paratrooper.
Today the organization no longer exists. Each of the guys got their own 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 at the cemetery, or to take his sick elderly mother to the hospital in their car. These responsiveness and mutual assistance, absorbed into the subcortex of the brain back in the Afghan battle, do not allow us to ignore someone’s problem today.
Now Alexey has a wonderful family: a wife, two daughters and already a grandson. Girls are girls - they were not particularly interested in their father’s military past, and he had practically no photographs from Afghanistan. After all, the fighter was sent home straight from his hospital bed. Only a couple of black and white photographs, sent to relatives in an envelope at one time, have survived. He plans to show them to his grandson when he grows up. He will probably tell him the details of his stay in Afghanistan, which lasted one year and three months. He will tell you himself, without the help of cinema. Because feature films Alexey doesn’t watch anything about Afghanistan at all, just as his grandfather didn’t like movies about the Great Patriotic War: “The task of any director is to attract the viewer, which means to bring “action”, heroism and spice into the plot. Much is distorted, but I love the truth. “Documentary” is a different matter.”
He also does not like celebrations and pomp on the occasion of the Day of 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 are still disturbing planet.
Russian is not a matter of blood. You can become Russian. There is even such a word as “Russianize.”
I was told about one of the Russians, this time of “Pashtun nationality,” during a trip to Donbass.
This Russian warrior's name is Abdullah. He is a sniper who recently suffered a severe wound - he lost both legs. But he is not going to give up or lose heart.
Warrior of New Russia
Afghan Abdullah:“If we don’t help the Russians in Donbass, then who will help us later?”There is relative calm on all fronts of the LDPR today. The war has been politically transformed into a conditional truce, frozen, but the border, as always, is bleeding. On the Ukrainian side there are constant provocations, shelling, reconnaissance and sabotage attacks. While stopping one of these attacks, a well-known reconnaissance fighter and activist of a number of people was seriously wounded (lost his legs). public organizations, apologist for the Red Empire - USSR-2, left-wing Muslim Rafi Jabar, call sign - “Abdula”. A warrior of Afghan origin, Pashtun by blood, Russian by spirit. He, like all volunteers of different nationalities fighting in Novorossiya, is guided by the principle: Russia or disappearance, Empire or death.
"TOMORROW". The first question is traditional: how and when did this war begin for you?
Abdul. This war for me began a very long time ago. In 1985, according to an intergovernmental agreement between the USSR and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, 4.5 thousand children were taken to the Union. Each of us was kissed on the plane's steps by the wife of Babrak Karmal, the chairman of the Revolutionary Council of our republic. Each of us had two passports: for a poor person, for no one famous family and a real passport. It was secret because almost all of us were from the families of the military-political elite of the DRA.
My father, Abdul Jabar, is a teacher, activist of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, participant in the April Revolution of 1978. He was sent to Kunduz, elected mayor, and then headed the province of Badakhshan. There he was brutally killed by the Mujahideen. And my second cousin, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (“The Butcher of Kabul”), was the leader of the Islamic Party, fought against Soviet troops, later became prime minister, and in 2003, at the initiative of the United States, he was declared a “global terrorist” and included in the UN “black list.”
In the Union, we were raised in special boarding schools under the supervision of the KGB and the Afghan intelligence service KHAD. The attitude towards us was the best, they taught us thoroughly, without ideological restrictions. The history of our country was taught in its entirety, including the basics of Islam. The goal was to educate a galaxy of ideological specialists: doctors, military men, officials - who would create a just society in Afghanistan and lead the country out of the feudal-archaic dead end. I am very grateful to Russian teachers. They instilled in us a love for the Empire, for what the great - one of the most revered thinkers - Konstantin Leontiev, called “flourishing complexity.”
From the first days of the Russian Spring, I closely followed all events. And the day came when I realized: what happened in Afghanistan could be repeated here. The war in Donbass is just the beginning, a prelude, and the goal of those who are pitting peoples against each other is clear: to spread the war to Russian territory.
I did not want such a fate for the country that became my second homeland. You know, for many fighters, what is happening in Novorossiya is a continuation of the war against Nazism, which their grandfathers and great-grandfathers waged during the Great Patriotic War, but for me here it is a continuation of the war that took place in Afghanistan. After all, both there and here the bloodshed is caused by the same external forces. There, some Afghans killed other Afghans, who were striving for the justice commanded by the Prophet, for the glory of Allah. Here some Russians, who consider themselves “Europeans,” kill others who do not want to betray their Russianness, their historical destiny. If we don’t help the Russians in Donbass, then who will help us later?
The Russian Empire was held together by the monarchy - everyone was subjects and accepted the White Tsar as a Protector from external and internal arbitrariness, and while the monarch fulfilled his function, no one doubted his right to autocratic power. Soviet society was united by ideology, and as long as the ideas of equality and justice were shared by the majority, and the ruling party really tried to implement these ideas, the USSR was indestructible. New Russia united by nothing except the personality of Vladimir Putin and the desire of Russians for self-preservation, they were convinced from historical experience: the collapse of a state (even as imperfect as the current one) will lead to the destruction of ethnic groups united in this state.
To everyone who closely follows what is happening in the world, everything is already clear. In Novorossiya, this is not a local conflict; there is a war going on here for the physical survival of peoples who have linked their fate with Russia. They came and are coming here in longing for the Russian Empire, without which there will be no Kazakhs, no Russians, no Dagestanis, no Ukrainians, no Tatars, no Yakuts on the planet...
"TOMORROW". At that time there were many emissaries who recruited Muslims of the Russian Federation to participate in various wars against the “infidels.” Have you ever met those who were seduced by the idea of jihad, distorted by extremist interpreters, and went to fight for the great caliphate?
Abdul. Please note: among the arrested emissaries of ISIS (an organization banned in the Russian Federation - Ed.) and other organizations engaged in recruitment on the territory of the Russian Federation, there were no Afghans. As far as I know, not a single Afghan who lived in Russia succumbed to ISIS propaganda and is not fighting for the caliphate either in Syria or in other places. Why? It’s simple: in our historical homeland we have already seen what calls for purity of faith lead to. We were blatantly deceived: Russian atheists will destroy everything, ban the study of the Koran, will corrupt women, and take away everyone’s land. Then we believed, and now we, Afghans, have developed immunity. We are already sick of all speculation on the topic of protecting the purity of faith and the caliphate.
"TOMORROW". Have you had discussions on these topics with Muslims of other nationalities, native Russians?
Abdul. Yes, sure! They fought with everyone - from the Tatars to the Dagestanis. The division is clear: some are forever with the Russians and the country in which they were born, others - such a minority - consider themselves oppressed and believe any nonsense of the emissaries. This is explained by the fact that they do not have the experience of deception and bloody disappointment that we have. They haven't seen grief yet. We didn’t starve to the point of stomach cramps. They didn’t huddle in rags, dirty and lousy, together with rats in a forgotten village where they dream not of a crossover or a smartphone, but of a throat clean water. They didn’t work until they had bloody blisters on their palms as a stonecutter for one dollar a day. They are well-fed, well-dressed, educated - they want romance, they convince themselves that Russia is bad, but in the illusory caliphate they will be happy...
This is the eternal problem of neophytes: I just started getting acquainted with the Koran - and immediately there is a fiery desire to crush the “infidels”, fantasies about jihad; radicalism where patient, thoughtful, long-term comprehension is required. They do not understand that the Qur'an is a Revelation, immense for human perception, and one can only absorb the Qur'anic wisdom drop by drop. Create your own inner world and, according to the teachings of the Prophet, organizing the external world is difficult and painful, it requires real self-denial, but going to kill and being killed for someone’s interests is simple; intelligence and will are not required for this. It is said in the Koran: “Fight in the path of Allah with those who fight against you, but do not transgress the boundaries of what is permitted. Verily, Allah does not love criminals.” I asked the candidates for “martyrs” who were bewitched by the emissaries: is anyone in Russia fighting against you, closing mosques, banning the Hajj? No answer...
"TOMORROW". You have been here since May 2014, constantly on the front line. What battle was significant for you, highlighting the essence of this war?
Abdul. The most significant and most memorable one was the fight at the airport on May 26, shortly after my arrival. Our group (28 Chechen volunteers and I, then deputy commander) came to the aid of our Donetsk brothers. We settled on the roof of the new terminal. I look: on the roof of the old terminal there is a full height Ukrainian paratrooper-sniper (the Kirovograd Airborne Brigade was there). I also stood up to my full height... I remember thinking about what kind of person was in front of me, did he have a family, did he understand who he was fighting against and for what. And at that time he began to make circular movements with his hand... At first I didn’t understand what was going on, but five minutes later six helicopters arrived from the direction of Avdeevka, and it became clear: he was warning us - hide!
The helicopters went on the attack (we didn’t have any trace of MANPADS at that time) and - simultaneously with fire from the old terminal from AGS, machine guns, SVD, grenade launchers, "zushki" - they used up all the ammunition on us. The spectacle was wow, the sensations were the most invigorating! We have one dead and three wounded. The “turntables” disappeared and a long battle began. There I understood what real courage and military brotherhood are, when everyone acts in concert, orienting themselves in a split second, sacrificing themselves for the sake of their comrades. I think that fight is significant for this reason. It involved Russians and Chechens who once fought each other in Chechnya. At first, their relationship was very tense. But as soon as the battle began, the first wounded man appeared - everything changed instantly... People who experienced mutual hatred were now ready to give their lives just to save the one who had recently been their enemy. When the Russians pulled out the wounded Chechens, everyone rejoiced and shouted: “Allah Akbar!” and “Christ is Risen!” Then I felt from my own experience: military brotherhood is the essence of the Empire, its semantic core.
"TOMORROW". Which of the fighters you met during this war do you remember most often and why?
Abdul. In 2015, near Yasinovataya, I ended up with an extraordinary commander, call sign “Cross”. He is still fighting, the front line has become his home. It was his fighters who entered the “industrial zone” (Avdeevskaya industrial zone) in two days, and since then no one has been able to advance a single meter further. Cross took me with him on reconnaissance. I thought that I was already quite an experienced warrior, but looking at the work of the Cross, I realized how much more I need to learn. I was left in the rear, but I didn’t understand when to look behind the rear, how to properly keep my distance during unexpected movements, and at what moment to switch to the signals of the scouts and act exactly according to their signals. The Cross group worked masterfully: the coordination was simply telepathic, the sense of mines and tripwires was wolflike, the orientation was like that of bats, the reaction to the approach of the enemy was instantaneous, the fire on the enemy was economical and accurate, like in a shooting range. The movie American special forces, in comparison with the skill of the Cross, are just boys playing paintball. Cross later told me: “One more mistake and you won’t go on reconnaissance missions again.” But there were no more “jambs”, I drew conclusions. The cross taught me the main thing - the ability to correctly assess the situation on the battlefield, instant mobilization of mental energy, and turning on all the abilities needed at the moment to their full potential.
I also learned a lot from our fighter, last name Lazarenko, call sign “Ross”. He is the pain of my heart. Sevastopolsky, served in the Ukrainian army, came over to our side in 2014, a fourth-generation intelligence officer, his grandfather is the founder of Cascade. He died at the airport, in a situation that I cannot talk about yet. In the last moments before his death, he, terribly wounded, made an incredible effort to make his face peaceful, almost joyful. Never again have I seen such a transformation... Ross, a Christian, knew the history of Islam well. I remember when someone asked if he was afraid of death, he smiled and answered with a hadith: “A place in Paradise, small as an eyelash, is better than this whole world and everything that is in it.”
He was a Warrior. Real. Some will never accomplish as much in their entire lives as he did in this war. I’ll give just one example, and everything will be clear. In May 2014, during the battles for Karlovka, the Nazis of the Donbass battalion acquired a professional sniper. He killed many of our people, the freak... And among our professionals at that time there were only two ex-Alfa members without real experience in anti-sniper warfare and - Ross. He figured out the sniper's position, threw a Vogue there, making a hole in the slate, and threw another Vogue into the hole.
I thank God that I met people like Cross and Ross; it was a great honor to fight with them. I happy man, I have many such brothers, real Warriors.
Gennady Dubovoy
P.S. Issue of the Donetsk channel, which talks about Abdullah.
