Faces of the Afghan War - dedicated to Eduard Anuchin. Flag of the Airborne Forces "103rd Guards Airborne Forces" Combat route 3rd battalion 317th regiment

14.12.1959 - 20.12.1980
Didn't surrender to the enemy

Alexander prepared himself in advance for service in the airborne forces. I didn’t give myself any indulgences: I went to the mountains, there are plenty of them in Tajikistan, and I tempered my body with oxygen starvation. While still at school, he fell in love with boxing, repeatedly competed as part of the youth republican team and always won. At the same time, he was distinguished by amazing nobility in the sports ring. And already in the first year of service in the army, where he was drafted in September 1978, Alexander Mironenko showed himself to be a real man. This is what the unit commander wrote to his parents: “In our military family, your son won the love and respect of his comrades with his modesty, readiness to help in difficult times, and his courage.”
Alexander was born and raised in Dushanbe. After the eighth grade, he graduated from a construction technical school, receiving a diploma with honors. He was fond of music and actively participated in the ensemble created at the technical school. He played the guitar and sang. Was at

him and his beloved girl Irina, who also liked his mother. But until the last minute, Valentina Gavrilovna hoped that her son would not be accepted into the paratroopers. However, it turned out the way Alexander dreamed. After completing sergeant “training,” he began serving in the 103rd Vitebsk Guards Airborne Division. The service was not easy, but it suited him. “I understand that I have a heavy load,” he wrote to his parents, “but I have to manage to do everything, otherwise it will be more difficult later. In the army you can’t put anything off until tomorrow.”
On December 11, 1979, the 103rd Airborne Division was brought into full combat readiness to carry out a combat mission in Afghanistan. At night, the airborne units left their military camps in marching order and headed to the airfield. During the march, light rain and snow began, and at night there was severe frost. So preparations for takeoff took place in rather difficult conditions. It was transferred by plane to the airfield of the city of Balkhash, and from there on December 25, the formation landed at the airfields of Kabul and Bagram. Among the first was the reconnaissance company of the 317th regiment, in which senior sergeant Mironenko served.
At first, their regiment did not participate in combat operations; it guarded important facilities in Kabul. But by mid-February 1980, the situation in the northern and eastern provinces of Afghanistan had become so complicated that it required decisive military intervention from the leadership of the 40th Army.
The situation is particularly difficult in Kunar province. The Afghan Asmara Mountain Infantry Regiment has practically lost control. In the mutinous regiment, communist officers and their Soviet advisers were killed. Many Afghan officers who were loyal to the Kabul regime were arrested. Some of the soldiers fled to their homes. Those who remained with equipment and weapons went over to the side of the rebels. The regiment was stationed in a key direction, covering the route to Kabul from Pakistan through Jalalabad. Thus, the road to the capital of Afghanistan was practically open.
The command of the 40th Army decided to use motorized rifle and airborne units, together with regular Afghan units, to surround the rebel regiment and disarm it. To carry out this task, a motorized rifle battalion, reinforced by a tank company, and the 3rd battalion of the 317th Guards were involved. PDP, engineer company and reconnaissance platoon of this regiment.
In accordance with the plan, it was envisaged that paratroopers and reconnaissance troops would be dropped by MI-8 helicopters onto a site in the foothills near the mountain infantry regiment, then block the regiment and, in cooperation with motorized riflemen, force the rebels to lay down their arms. The rebel headquarters was in the village of Shigal.
In the quiet offices of Amin's former palace, where the army headquarters was located, in the tents of the division headquarters, the mapped plans of operations looked simply beautiful. However, the Vitebsk division was well prepared for combat operations in the western theater of operations. And the majority of the paratroopers saw mountains for the first time only in Afghanistan; for many they were simply incomprehensible. And the time allotted for preparation for the operation was only two days. The battalion, allocated to suppress the rebellion, performed security functions in the center of the capital before receiving the task. I did not engage in tactical training in the mountains. Literally on the eve of the landing, he was taken to the Khoja-Burga mountains north of the airfield to conduct practical training on the ground. The personnel managed to climb into the mountains during the day, designate battle formations, descend from the mountains, and dusk fell. That's where the training ended. The next morning, February 29, 1980, the battalion was loaded into helicopters. Soon they took off and headed for Kunar. The landing site was shrouded in fog, the landing of paratroopers with reinforcements, only three hundred people (they were later called “three hundred Spartans”), took place in a calm atmosphere, without shooting. Apparently, the “spirits” simply did not expect such impudence from the Shuravi: to land under their noses, almost in the center of the rebel regiment’s location.
The units began to rapidly descend towards the village of Shigal. The seventh company in a column went down one by one, going to the left, towards the nameless village, in order to block the road from Shigal to the north to the city of Asmar. The 8th company was moving along another gorge. The 9th company at this time reached the Kunar River and began to approach the village. It was here that the commanders made a mistake when operating in the mountains. First of all, it was necessary to occupy and hold the heights dominating the combat area, and the battalion units, without rear guards, continued to descend along the watershed down to the foot of the mountains, leaving the heights behind the enemy. And the “spirits” were already climbing the slopes to peaks and ridges, taking up convenient firing positions.
A few minutes before the landing, army aviation struck suspected rebel positions. The rebels fled in small groups in different directions, but began to prepare for battle. They were not going to give up.
After some time, two kilometers from the landing site, the battalion encountered fierce resistance from a superior enemy. A heavy battle broke out in the mountains, and not in the valley, as envisaged by the plan. The motorized rifle battalion on the BMP was not in the intended area: it was stuck on the way, clearing numerous rubble. The Asmara regiment was not blocked. The paratroopers were caught in a ring of fire. Fighting, they slowly moved down, carrying out the dead and wounded.
The ferocity of the battle grew. In some places the opponents came within grenade throw distance. Sometimes it came to hand-to-hand combat. The bandits from the occupied heights tried first of all to disable our officers and signalmen, as a result of which communications were temporarily lost and troop control was disrupted.
Mironenko's reconnaissance platoon covered the rear of the battalion making its way forward. The scouts met with point-blank fire a group of “spirits” trying to attack the paratroopers. After suffering heavy losses, the rebels retreated. But those who occupied the slopes of the gorge intensified the fire from above, and then, using their numerical superiority and advantage in height, they also attacked.
Two soldiers remained with Alexander - the rest carried away the wounded and dead. From continuous fire trunks The machine guns became so hot that the forend was smoking. Bullets were already flying from all sides: the “spirits” still managed to surround and cut off the covering group. And soon Mironenko realized that now he was the only one firing back - the bodies of his dead comrades lay nearby. When the machine gun finally fell silent - the cartridges ran out, the scout took up grenades. Each explosion was accompanied by screams of wounded “spirits” and even more fierce shooting. But then the grenades ran out, except for one, the last one.
The reconnaissance commander seemed to have woken up from the heat of battle; a kind of detachment and calm came into his soul. He pulled the pin, tightly grasped the grenade, lay down on his back and peered intently into the blue of the alien sky, as if trying to drown in its saving depths. And when someone else’s guttural voices were heard very close by, and a bearded head in a dirty turban suddenly climbed into the blue sky, he unclenched his fingers... The explosion scattered the ring of rebels. For a long time, the survivors did not dare to approach the place of death of the brave paratrooper. Even dead, he inspired fear in them...
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, senior sergeant Alexander Mironenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). He was buried on the Walk of Fame of the Dushanbe city cemetery. On October 7, 1987, a bust of the hero was solemnly unveiled in Javani Park in Dushanbe, where “Afghans” later gathered for their holidays.
The parents of the hero warrior did not think that they would have to leave Dushanbe. But when pogroms began in the capital, we no longer had the strength to endure it, so we moved to Penza, where our mother’s roots came from. Her parents, grandfathers and great-grandfathers lived in Mokshan. But my soul ached: no matter how they violated the grave! Thanks to the help of the Union of Afghanistan Veterans, the son’s ashes were transported to Russia and on May 4, 1991, they were reburied at the Novozapadnoe cemetery in Penza.

Details Created 05/06/2013 08:40 Updated 01/04/2014 14:32

The regiment was formed in the city of Bykhov, Mogilev region of the Belarusian USSR. The formation began on December 29, 1944 and ended on January 8, 1945. The basis of the formation was the 3rd Guards Airborne Brigade of the 13th Guards Airborne Division. When formed, the regiment was given the name “317th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 103rd Guards Rifle Division.”

From December 29, 1944 to January 15, 1945, the 317th Guards Rifle Regiment was stationed in the city of Bykhov, Mogilev Region.

From January 15, 1945 to February 21, 1945, the 317th Guards Rifle Regiment marched from Bykhov station to Titsobicki station (Hungary).
From 02/25/1945 to 05/09/1945, the 317th Guards Rifle Regiment took part in battles in Hungary and Austria.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 26, 1945, for the battles during the defeat of an enemy tank group southwest of Budapest and crossing the Rab River, the 317th Guards Rifle Regiment was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky and a special diploma of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

From 07/09/1945 to 01/09/1946, the 317th Guards Rifle Regiment was stationed in the village of Aldier (Hungary) and the city of Szeget (Hungary).

From 01/09/1946 to 08/01/1946, the 317th Guards Rifle Regiment was stationed in the village of Seltsy, Ryazan Region.

From June 15, 1946 to June 25, 1946, in the Seltsy camp, Ryazan region, on the basis of the 317th Guards Rifle Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment, the 317th Guards Landing Airborne Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment of the 103rd Guards Airborne Regiment was formed. Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Airborne Division.

From 08/01/1946 to 05/09/1948, the 317th Guards Landing Airborne Regiment was stationed in the city of Polotsk.

From May 20, 1948 to December 25, 1979 in the city of Vitebsk. The directive of the commander of the VDA No. 1466131 dated 02/18/1949, the 317th Guards Landing Airborne Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment of the 103rd Airborne Red Banner Order of the Kutuzov Division was renamed and he was awarded the name of the 317th Guards Parachute Order of Alexander Nevsky Polk.

In 1968, the 317th Guards Landing Airborne Regiment participated in a tactical landing exercise in the GDR.

On December 25, 1979, the 317th Guards Parachute Regiment in full force was transferred by air from the airfields of Vitebsk and the populated area. Balbasovo (Orsha) to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA), to provide international assistance in defense against revolutionary conquests and aggressions.

The pride of the paratroopers was the exploits of fellow guard senior sergeants Nikolai Chepik and Alexander Mironeno. They were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously, and they were forever included in the unit's lists.

By order of the USSR Minister of Defense dated April 30, 1980, for exemplary performance of tasks in providing international assistance to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, displaying high moral and business qualities, high skill, determination and courage, he was awarded the pennant of the USSR Minister of Defense.

On January 5, 1990, the 317th Guards Parachute Regiment as part of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division was withdrawn from the Airborne Forces and transferred to the border troops of the KGB of the USSR.

On August 27, 1991, the 317th Guards Parachute Regiment as part of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division was withdrawn from the border troops of the KGB of the USSR to the disposal of the Ministry of Defense and the USSR.

On October 2, 1991, the 317th Guards Parachute Regiment as part of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division was transferred to the Airborne Forces.
On July 15, 1992, the 317th Guards Parachute Regiment became part of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus with the assignment of the code name 52287.

On September 1, 1995, the 317th Guards Parachute Regiment was reorganized into the 317th Separate Guards Mobile Brigade, which included its successor, the 3171st Separate Guards Mobile Battalion.

On September 20, 2002, on the basis of the 317th, 350th separate Guards mobile brigades and the management of mobile forces, the 103rd Guards separate mobile Order of Lenin, Red Banner Order of Kutuzov II degree, named after the 60th anniversary of the USSR brigade was formed with the presentation of the Battle Banner 103 1st Airborne Division, and the 317th Separate Guards Battalion - the Battle Banner of the 317th Parachute Regiment with the name "317th Separate Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Mobile Battalion".

On November 5, 2002, the Chief of the Main Staff of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus presented the Battle Banner to the 317th Separate Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky mobile battalion.

Paratroopers of the renowned 317th Separate Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Mobile Battalion repeatedly took part in numerous exercises, during which they improved airborne and field training, techniques and methods of conducting combat operations, and mastered new types of weapons and equipment.

Since 2005, the battalion has taken part in parades for the Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus.

Russia
Belarus Included in Dislocation Insignia

103rd Guards Airborne Division(abbr. 103 Guards Airborne Division) - an airborne formation that was part of the Airborne Forces of the USSR and Russia and, for a short time, was part of the Armed Forces of Belarus. The division was formed in 1946, as a result of the reorganization of the 103rd Guards. rifle division. In 1993, the division was reorganized into a brigade.

History of formation

In accordance with the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated June 3, 1946, the 103rd Guards Rifle Division was reorganized into the 103rd Guards Red Banner Order of Kutuzov, 2nd degree, airborne, consisting of: Division Directorate, 317th Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Parachute airborne regiment, 322nd Guards Order of Kutuzov 2nd class parachute regiment, 39th Guards Red Banner Order of Suvorov 2nd class parachute regiment, 15th Guards Artillery Regiment, units and support units. On August 5, 1946, personnel began combat training according to the plan of the Airborne Forces. Soon the division was redeployed to the city of Polotsk.

Combat path connection

Major military exercises and plans for using the formation in the event of the outbreak of World War III

In 1970, the division participated in the "Brotherhood in Arms" exercises that were held in the GDR; in 1972, she took part in the Shield-72 exercise; in 1975, the division's guardsmen were the first in the USSR Airborne Forces to make parachute jumps from high-speed An-22 and Il-76 aircraft; The division also took part in the Spring-75 and Avangard-76 exercises. In February 1978, the combined arms exercise “Berezina” took place on the territory of Belarus, in which the 103rd Guards Airborne Division took part. For the first time, paratroopers in full force with equipment and weapons parachuted from Il-76 aircraft. The actions of the paratroopers during the exercises were very highly appreciated by the highest Soviet military command.

Compound

The division was formed as follows: Division Office 317th Guards Order of Alexander Nevsky Parachute Regiment 322nd Guards Order of Kutuzov Parachute Regiment 39th Guards Red Banner Order of Suvorov II degree parachute regiment 15th Guards Artillery Regiment 116th Guards Separate Fighter Anti-Tank Artillery Division 105th Guards Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division 572nd separate Keletsky Red Banner self-propelled division separate guards training battalion 130th separate engineer battalion 112th Guards Separate Reconnaissance Company 13th Guards Separate Communications Company 274th delivery company 245th field bakery 6th separate airborne support company 175th separate medical and sanitary company

Division Office 317th Guards parachute regiment 350th Guards parachute regiment 357th Guards parachute regiment 1179th Artillery Regiment 62nd separate tank battalion (from 1985 to 1989) 742nd separate communications battalion 105th separate anti-aircraft missile division 130th Guards separate engineer battalion 1388th separate logistics battalion 115th Guards separate medical battalion 80th separate reconnaissance company

	103rd Guards Airborne Forces in Afghanistan on Wikimedia Commons

In accordance with the General Staff directive of January 21, 1955 No. org/2/462396, in order to improve the organization of the Airborne Forces, by April 25, 1955, two regiments remained in the 103rd Guards Airborne Division, it was then that the 322nd Guards was disbanded. pdp. In connection with the transfer of the Guards Airborne Divisions to a new organization and an increase in their numbers, the following were formed as part of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division: the 133rd Separate Anti-Tank Artillery Division (numbering 165 people), one of the 1185- th artillery regiment of the 11th Guards Airborne Division. Deployment point: Vitebsk; The 50th separate aeronautical detachment (numbering 73 people), used aeronautical units of the regiments of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division. Deployment point is the city of Vitebsk. .

By a directive of the General Staff of March 4, 1955, in order to streamline the numbering of military units, from April 30, 1955, the number was changed - the 572nd separate self-propelled artillery division of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division to the 62nd separate self-propelled artillery division. Based on the order of the USSR Minister of Defense dated December 29, 1958 No. 0228, seven separate military transport aviation squadrons of An-2 military transport aircraft of the Air Force (100 people each) were transferred to the Airborne Forces. By directive of the Commander of the Airborne Forces of January 6, 1959, separate military transport aviation squadrons were transferred to the airborne divisions, and the 210th separate military transport aviation squadron was transferred to the 103rd Guards Airborne Division.

Award ceremony for officers on the parade ground	On top of one of the Afghan mountains	The convoy is walking along an Afghan mountain road

List of commanders

Rank	Name	Years
guard colonel	Stepanov, Sergei Prokhorovich	1944–1945
guard major general	Bochkov, Fedor Fedorovich	1945–1948
guard major general	Denisenko, Mikhail Ivanovich	1948–1949
guard colonel	Kozlov, Viktor Georgievich	1949–1952
guard major general	Popov, Illarion Grigorievich	1952–1956
guard major general	Aglitsky, Mikhail Pavlovich	1956–1959
guard colonel	Shkrudnev, Dmitry Grigorievich	1959–1961
guard colonel	Kobzar, Ivan Vasilievich	1961–1964
guard major general	Kashnikov, Mikhail Ivanovich	1964–1968
guard colonel	Yatsenko, Alexander Ivanovich	1968–1974
guard major general	Makarov, Nikolai Arsenievich	1974–1976
guard major general	Ryabchenko, Ivan Fedorovich	1976–1981
guard major general	Slyusar, Albert Evdokimovich	1981–1984
guard major general	Yarygin, Yurantin Vasilievich	1984–1985
guard major general	Grachev, Pavel Sergeevich	1985–1988
guard major general	Bocharov, Evgeniy Mikhailovich	1988–1991
guard colonel	Kalabukhov, Grigory Andreevich	1991–1992

After the collapse of the USSR

Personnel of the 103rd Guards Separate Mobile Brigade during a demonstration performance

On May 20, 1992, by directive of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus No. 5/0251, the 103rd Guards Airborne Order of Lenin, Red Banner, Order of Kutuzov Division was included in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. In 1993, on the basis of the management of the 103rd Guards. The Airborne Forces Directorate of the Mobile Forces of the Republic of Belarus was created. Based on the 317th Guards. PDP - 317th separate mobile brigade. Based on the 350th Guards. PDP - 350th separate mobile brigade. Based on the 357th Guards. PDP - 357th separate training mobile battalion. The 1179th artillery regiment of the division was disbanded. At the end of 2002, the 317th separate mobile brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus was given the battle banner of the 103rd Guards. vdd. From now on it bears the name 103rd separate mobile brigade(belor. 103rd Guards Special Mobile Brigade).

Famous military personnel

• Kirpichenko, Vadim Alekseevich - Lieutenant General, First Deputy Head of the First Main Directorate of the KGB (intelligence). As part of the 103rd Guards. SD as a foreman participated in the battles near Lake Balaton in 1945.

See also

• Mobile forces of the Republic of Belarus

Notes

Literature

Links

Russian Airborne Forces
Compound	Brigades withdrawn from the Airborne Forces: 11th Separate Airborne · 27th Guards Separate Motorized Rifle ·

Flag of the Airborne Forces of the 103rd Guards. VDD. On this page you will learn the history of the Vitebsk paratroopers, as well as the fact that the famous division is now called the 103rd mobile brigade.

Characteristics

• 103 Guards VDD
• 103 Guards VDD
• Vitebsk
• military unit 07197

Flag of the Airborne Forces of the 103rd Guards. VDD

Absolutely all formations of the Airborne Forces deserve enormous respect for their fortitude and ability to carry out missions in the most difficult terrain conditions and fierce enemy resistance. But among all the legendary units and units, there are those that can be talked about for a very long time and to which paratroopers can be especially proud of belonging. Without a doubt, 103 Guards. VDD from this number.

103rd Vitebsk Division as part of the USSR Airborne Forces

In June 1946, an airborne division was formed in place of the 103rd Guards Division. The initial composition of the formation included: 39 Guards. PDP, 317 Guards. PDP and 322 Guards. PDP, as well as 15 Guards. artillery regiment, support and support units.

In the mid-50s, the 114th Airborne Division was disbanded, of which 350 Guards. Airborne Regiment and 357 Guards. PDPs become part of the Vitebsk Airborne Division. These regiments replace the disbanded 39th and 322nd parachute regiments.

The Prague Spring of 1968 became a test for the paratroopers. Carrying out the task of the Soviet government and the command of the Airborne Forces, the soldiers of the 103rd division proved themselves very worthy, without disgracing the colors of the Airborne Forces.

Afghanistan

Operation Baikal-79, which became the first combat mission of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, largely fell on the shoulders of the 103rd Guards Division of the Airborne Forces. The division's operational plans included 17 key objectives that needed to be captured and held. The most famous for a wide range of people interested in the war in the DRA is the assault on Amin's palace - the famous Taj Beg fortress. Vadim Alekseevich Kirpichenko led the assault, and the Vitebsk paratroopers played the main role.

Perhaps, in the entire Armed Forces of the USSR there was no other such division that participated in so many official and unofficial command operations. Every minute, units of the Vitebsk division: 350 PDP, 357 PDP, 317 PDP were ready to leave their place of permanent deployment and head to any point in this mountainous and desert country. One could be sure of one thing - where our landing is, there is victory.

Almost 10 years spent in Afghanistan gave the country many heroes. About 11 thousand paratroopers of the division were awarded military medals and orders, 7 soldiers and commanders were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. The division's paratroopers were among the last to leave Afghanistan. Having unfurled the Battle Banners, on February 5, 1989, he crossed the Soviet border of the 317th Guards. parachute regiment, February 7 - 357 Airborne Regiment and February 12 - 350 airborne regiment. Until February 14, the airfield in Kabul was guarded by a consolidated formation based on the 357th airborne division battalion.

103rd separate mobile brigade - successor to the division

Since May 20, 1992, the 103rd Airborne Division (commander - Kalabukhov Grigory Andreevich) has been part of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. The command of the Belarusian Armed Forces made a decision to rebuild the army structure on a brigade basis. As a result, on the basis of the division’s management, a management of the Mobile Forces of the Republic of Belarus was created (currently transformed into the management of Special Operations Forces). The 317th airborne division was reorganized into the 317th mobile brigade, and the 350th airborne regiment into the 350th mobile brigade. It was decided to transform the 357th PDP into the 357th battalion (separate training battalion). The artillery regiment and other units were withdrawn from the division back in 1990-1991.

In 2002, the 317th Mobile Brigade received the Battle Banner of the 103rd Guards. Airborne Forces and is called the 103rd separate mobile brigade. Today, the guards separate 103rd mobile brigade is a well-trained unit that continues the traditions of its predecessor. The 103rd Vitebsk brigade is still ready to go into battle at any moment if the enemy crosses the borders of the Republic of Belarus.

According to the latest information, presumably in 2014-2015, the 103rd mobile brigade will leave Vitebsk, relocating to another garrison on the territory of Belarus.

Over the years, many thousands of brave paratroopers passed through the 103rd Airborne Division and its successor, showing what real warriors should be.

During the entire period of service in Afghanistan (almost a year and a half) starting in December 1979. I have heard so many stories of how our paratroopers simply killed civilians that they simply cannot be counted, and I have never heard of our soldiers saving one of the Afghans - among soldiers, such an act would be regarded as aiding the enemies.

Even during the December coup in Kabul, which lasted all night on December 27, 1979, some paratroopers shot at unarmed people they saw on the streets - then, without a shadow of regret, they cheerfully recalled this as funny incidents.

Two months after the entry of troops - February 29, 1980. - The first military operation began in the province of Kunar. The main striking force was the paratroopers of our regiment - 300 soldiers who parachuted from helicopters on a high-mountain plateau and went down to restore order. As the participants in that operation told me, order was restored in the following way: food supplies were destroyed in the villages, all livestock were killed; usually, before entering a house, they threw a grenade there, then fired with a fan in all directions - only after that they looked at who was there; all men and even teenagers were immediately shot on the spot. The operation lasted almost two weeks, no one counted how many people were killed then.

What our paratroopers did for the first two years in remote areas of Afghanistan was complete arbitrariness. Since the summer of 1980 The 3rd battalion of our regiment was sent to Kandahar province to patrol the territory. Without fearing anyone, they calmly drove along the roads and desert of Kandahar and could, without any explanation, kill any person they met on their way.

They killed him just like that, with a burst of machine gun fire, without leaving his BMD armor. Kandahar, summer 1981 Photograph taken from things
that killed Afghan.

Here is the most common story that an eyewitness told me. Summer 1981 Kandahar province. Photo - a dead Afghan man and his donkey are lying on the ground. The Afghan man walked his way and led a donkey. The only weapon the Afghan had was a stick, with which he drove the donkey. A column of our paratroopers was traveling along this road. They killed him just like that, with a burst of machine gun fire, without leaving his BMD armor.

The column stopped. One paratrooper came up and cut off the ears of a killed Afghan - as a memory of his military exploits. Then a mine was placed under the Afghan's corpse to kill anyone else who discovered the body. Only this time the idea didn’t work - when the column started moving, someone couldn’t resist and finally fired a burst at the corpse from a machine gun - the mine exploded and tore the Afghan’s body into pieces.

The caravans they encountered were searched, and if weapons were found (and the Afghans almost always had old rifles and shotguns), then they killed all the people who were in the caravan, and even animals. And when the travelers did not have any weapons, then, sometimes, they used a proven trick - during a search, they quietly pulled out a cartridge from their pocket, and, pretending that this cartridge was found in the pocket or in the things of an Afghan, they presented it to the Afghan as evidence his guilt.

These photographs were taken from killed Afghans. They were killed because
that their caravan met a column of our paratroopers.
Kandahar summer 1981

Now it was possible to make fun of him: after listening to how the man hotly justified himself, convincing him that the cartridge was not his, they began to beat him, then watched him on his knees begging for mercy, but they beat him again and then shot him. Then they killed the rest of the people who were in the caravan.

In addition to patrolling the territory, paratroopers often ambushed enemies on roads and trails. These “caravan hunters” never found out anything - not even whether the travelers had weapons - they simply suddenly shot from cover at everyone who passed in that place, sparing no one, even women and children.

I remember one paratrooper, a participant in the hostilities, was delighted:

I would never have thought that this was possible! We kill everyone in a row - and we are only praised for it and given awards!

Here is the documentary evidence. Wall newspaper with information about the military operations of the 3rd battalion in the summer of 1981. in Kandahar province.
It can be seen here that the number of recorded killed Afghans is three times higher than the number of captured weapons: 2 machine guns, 2 grenade launchers and 43 rifles were seized, and 137 people were killed.

The Mystery of the Kabul Mutiny

Two months after the entry of troops into Afghanistan, on February 22-23, 1980, Kabul was rocked by a major anti-government uprising. Everyone who was in Kabul at that time remembered these days well: the streets were filled with crowds of protesting people, they shouted, rioted, and there was shooting throughout the city. This rebellion was not prepared by any opposition forces or foreign intelligence services; it began completely unexpectedly for everyone: both for the Soviet military stationed in Kabul and for the Afghan leadership. This is how Colonel General Viktor Merimsky recalls those events in his memoirs:

"... All the central streets of the city were filled with excited people. The number of demonstrators reached 400 thousand people... Confusion was felt in the Afghan government. Marshal S.L. Sokolov, Army General S.F. Akhromeev and I left our residence for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, where we met with the Minister of Defense of Afghanistan M. Rafi. He could not answer our question about what was happening in the capital...”

The reason that served as the impetus for such a violent protest by the townspeople was never clarified. Only after 28 years did I manage to find out the whole background of those events. As it turned out, the mutiny was provoked by the reckless behavior of our paratroopers.

senior lieutenant
Alexander Vovk First Commandant of Kabul
Major Yuri Nozdryakov (right).
Afghanistan, Kabul, 1980

It all started with the fact that on February 22, 1980, in Kabul, senior lieutenant Alexander Vovk, a senior Komsomol instructor in the political department of the 103rd Airborne Division, was killed in broad daylight.

The story of Vovk’s death was told to me by the first commandant of Kabul, Major Yuri Nozdryakov. This happened near the Green Market, where Vovk arrived in a UAZ along with the head of the air defense of the 103rd Airborne Division, Colonel Yuri Dvugroshev. They were not performing any task, but, most likely, they just wanted to buy something at the market. They were in the car when suddenly one shot was fired - the bullet hit Vovk. Dvugroshev and the soldier-driver did not even understand where the shots were coming from and quickly left the place. However, Vovk’s wound turned out to be fatal, and he died almost immediately.

Deputy commander of the 357th regiment
Major Vitaly Zababurin (in the middle).
Afghanistan, Kabul, 1980

And then something happened that shook the whole city. Having learned about the death of their comrade in arms, a group of officers and warrant officers of the 357th Parachute Regiment, led by the deputy regiment commander, Major Vitaly Zababurin, got into armored personnel carriers and went to the scene of the incident to confront the local residents. But, having arrived at the scene of the incident, they did not bother themselves with finding the culprit, but in the heat of the moment decided to simply punish everyone who was there. Moving along the street, they began to smash and destroy everything in their path: they threw grenades at houses, fired from machine guns and machine guns on armored personnel carriers. Dozens of innocent people fell under the hot hand of the officers.

The massacre ended, but news of the bloody pogrom quickly spread throughout the city. Thousands of indignant citizens began to flood the streets of Kabul, and riots began. At this time I was on the territory of the government residence, behind the high stone wall of the Palace of the People. I will never forget that wild howl of the crowd, instilling fear that made my blood run cold. The feeling was the most terrible...

The rebellion was suppressed within two days. Hundreds of Kabul residents died. However, the real instigators of those riots, who massacred innocent people, remained in the shadows.

Three thousand civilians in one punitive operation

At the end of December 1980 Two sergeants from the 3rd battalion of our regiment came to our guardhouse (it was in the Palace of the Peoples, in Kabul). By that time, the 3rd battalion had been stationed near Kandahar for six months and was constantly participating in combat operations. Everyone who was in the guardhouse at that time, including myself, listened carefully to their stories about how they were fighting. It was from them that I first learned about this major military operation, and heard this figure - about 3,000 Afghans killed in one day.

In addition, this information was confirmed by Viktor Marochkin, who served as a driver mechanic in the 70th brigade stationed near Kandahar (it was there that the 3rd battalion of our 317th parachute regiment was included). He said that the entire 70th brigade took part in that combat operation. The operation proceeded as follows.

In the second half of December 1980, the settlement of Sutian (40 km southwest of Kandahar) was surrounded in a semi-ring. They stood like that for about three days. By this time, artillery and Grad multiple rocket launchers had been brought up.

December 20 The operation began: the populated area was hit by Grad and artillery. After the first salvos, everything was plunged into a continuous cloud of dust. The shelling of the populated area continued almost continuously. Residents ran from their houses into the field to escape the shell explosions. But there they began to shoot them from machine guns, BMD guns, four “Shilkas” (self-propelled guns with four combined large-caliber machine guns) fired non-stop, almost all the soldiers fired from their machine guns, killing everyone: including women and children.

After the shelling, the brigade entered Sutian, and the remaining residents were killed there. When the military operation ended, the entire ground around was strewn with corpses of people. We counted about 3000 (three thousand) corpses.

Kandahar, summer 1981