103rd Airborne Division 317th Regiment. Faces of the Afghan War - dedicated to Eduard Anuchin. separate mobile brigade - successor to the division

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. By Directive of the Commander of the Airborne Forces No. 1466131 dated 02/18/1949, the 317th Guards Airborne Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment of the 103rd Guards Airborne Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Division was renamed and given the name 317th Guards Airborne Order of Alexander Nevsky Regiment.

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.

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.

Belarus Belarus

(abbr. 103rd Guards Airborne Division) - a formation that was part of the Airborne Forces of the USSR Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus.

History of formation

The Great Patriotic War

The division was formed in 1946, as a result of the reorganization of the 103rd Guards. rifle division.

On December 18, 1944, on the basis of an order from the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the 103rd Guards Rifle Division began to be formed on the basis of the 13th Guards Airborne Division.

The formation of the division took place in the city of Bykhov, Mogilev region, Belarusian SSR. The division arrived here from its previous location - the city of Teykovo, Ivanovo region of the RSFSR. Almost all of the division's officers had significant combat experience. Many of them parachuted behind German lines in September 1943 as part of the 3rd Guards Airborne Brigade, ensuring our troops crossed the Dnieper.

By the beginning of January 1945, the division's units were fully equipped with personnel, weapons, and military equipment (the birthday of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division is considered to be January 1, 1945).

She took part in the fighting in the area of ​​Lake Balaton during the Vienna Offensive Operation.

On May 1, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 26, 1945 on awarding the division the Order of the Red Banner and Kutuzov, 2nd degree, was read to the personnel. 317th And 324th Guards Rifle Regiment divisions were awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and 322nd Guards Rifle Regiment- Order of Kutuzov, 2nd degree.

On May 12, units of the division entered the Czechoslovakian city of Trebon, in the vicinity of which they camped and began planned combat training. This marked the end of the division's participation in the battles against fascism. During the entire period of hostilities, the division destroyed more than 10 thousand Nazis and captured about 6 thousand soldiers and officers.

For their heroism, 3,521 servicemen of the division were awarded orders and medals, and five guardsmen were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Post-war period

By May 9, 1945, the division was concentrated near the city of Szeged (Hungary), where it remained until the end of the year. By February 10, 1946, she arrived at the site of her new deployment in the Seltsy camp in the Ryazan region.

On June 3, 1946, in accordance with the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the division was reorganized into 103rd Guards Red Banner Order of Kutuzov, 2nd degree airborne and had the following composition:

• Division management and headquarters
• 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 Separate Guards Fighter Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion
• 105th Separate Guards Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division
• 572nd separate Keletsky Red Banner self-propelled division
• separate guards training battalion
• 130th separate engineer battalion
• 112th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Company
• 13th Separate Guards Communications Company
• 274th delivery company
• 245th field bakery
• 6th separate airborne support company
• 175th separate medical and sanitary company

On August 5, 1946, personnel began combat training according to the airborne forces plan. Soon the division was redeployed to the city of Polotsk.

In 1955-1956, the 114th Guards Vienna Red Banner Airborne Division, which was stationed in the area of ​​the Borovukha station in the Polotsk region, was disbanded. Its two regiments - the 350th Guards Red Banner Order of Suvorov, 3rd class, parachute regiment and the 357th Guards Red Banner Order of Suvorov, 3rd class parachute regiment - became part of the 103rd Guards Airborne Regiment divisions. The 322nd Guards Order of Kutuzov, 2nd Class, Parachute Regiment and the 39th Guards Red Banner Order of Suvorov, 2nd Class, Parachute Regiment, previously part of the 103rd Airborne Division, were also disbanded.

In accordance with the General Staff Directive of January 21, 1955 No. org/2/462396, in order to improve the organization of airborne troops by April 25, 1955 in the 103rd Guards. Airborne Division has 2 regiments left. The 322nd Guards was disbanded. pdp.

In connection with the translation guards airborne divisions to a new organizational structure and an increase in their numbers were formed as part of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division:

• 133rd separate anti-tank artillery division (numbering 165 people) - one of the divisions of the 1185th artillery regiment of the 11th Guards Airborne Division was used. The point of deployment is the city of Vitebsk.
• 50th separate aeronautical detachment (numbering 73 people) - aeronautical units of the regiments of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division were used. The point of deployment is the city of Vitebsk.

On March 4, 1955, a Directive of the General Staff was issued on streamlining the numbering of military units. According to it, on April 30, 1955, the serial number of 572nd separate self-propelled artillery battalion 103rd Guards Airborne Division on 62nd.

December 29, 1958 on the basis of order of the USSR Minister of Defense No. 0228 7 separate military transport aviation squadrons (ovtae) An-2 VTA aircraft (100 people each) were transferred to the Airborne Forces. According to this order, on January 6, 1959, by the Directive of the Commander of the Airborne Forces in the 103rd Guards. airborne department transferred 210th separate military transport aviation squadron (210th ovtae) .

From August 21 to October 20, 1968, 103rd Guards. The airborne division, by order of the government, was on the territory of Czechoslovakia and participated in the armed suppression of the Prague Spring.

Participation in major military exercises

103rd Guards Airborne Division participated in the following major exercises:

Participation in the Afghan War

Combat activities of the division

On December 25, 1979, units of the division crossed the Soviet-Afghan border by air and became part of the Limited Contingent of Soviet Troops in Afghanistan.

Throughout its entire stay on Afghan soil, the division took an active part in military operations of various sizes.

For the successful completion of assigned combat missions in the Republic of Afghanistan, the 103rd division was awarded the highest state award of the USSR - the Order of Lenin.

The first combat mission assigned to the 103rd Division was Operation Baikal-79 to capture important installations in Kabul. The operation plan provided for the capture of 17 important objects in the Afghan capital. Among them are the buildings of ministries, headquarters, a prison for political prisoners, a radio center and television center, a post office and a telegraph office. At the same time, it was planned to blockade the headquarters, military units and formations of the DRA Armed Forces located in the Afghan capital with paratroopers and units of the 108th Motorized Rifle Division arriving in Kabul.

Units of the division were among the last to leave Afghanistan. On February 7, 1989, the following crossed the State Border of the USSR: 317th Guards Parachute Regiment - February 5, Division Control, 357th Guards Parachute Regiment and 1179th Artillery Regiment. The 350th Guards Parachute Regiment was withdrawn on February 12, 1989.

The group under the command of Guard Lieutenant Colonel V.M. Voitko, the basis of which was a reinforced 3rd Parachute Battalion 357th Regiment (guard commander Major V.V. Boltikov), from the end of January to February 14, was guarding the Kabul airport.

At the beginning of March 1989, the entire division's personnel returned to their previous location in the Belarusian SSR.

Awards for participation in the Afghan War

During the Afghan war, 11 thousand officers, warrant officers, soldiers and sergeants who served in the division were awarded orders and medals:

On the division's battle banner, the Order of Lenin was added to the Orders of the Red Banner and Kutuzov, 2nd degree, in 1980.

Heroes of the Soviet Union of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division

For the courage and heroism shown in providing international assistance to the Republic of Afghanistan, by Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the following military personnel of the 103rd Guards were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. wdd:

• Chepik Nikolai Petrovich (Russian). Website "Heroes of the Country".
• Mironenko Alexander Grigorievich (Russian). Website "Heroes of the Country".- April 28, 1980 (posthumous)
• Israfilov Abas Islamovich (Russian). Website "Heroes of the Country".- December 26, 1990 (posthumous)
• Slyusar Albert Evdokimovich (Russian). Website "Heroes of the Country".- November 15, 1983
• Soluyanov Alexander Petrovich (Russian). Website "Heroes of the Country".- November 23, 1984
• Koryavin Alexander Vladimirovich (Russian). Website "Heroes of the Country".
• Zadorozhny Vladimir Vladimirovich (Russian). Website "Heroes of the Country".- October 25, 1985 (posthumous)
• Grachev Pavel Sergeevich (Russian). Website "Heroes of the Country".- May 5, 1988

Composition of the 103rd Guards. Airborne Division

• Division Office
• 317th Guards Parachute Regiment
• 357th Guards Parachute Regiment
• 1179th Guards Red Banner Artillery Regiment
• 62nd separate tank battalion
• 742nd Separate Guards Signal Battalion
• 105th separate anti-aircraft missile division
• 20th separate repair battalion
• 130th separate guards engineer battalion
• 1388th separate logistics battalion
• 175th Separate Medical Battalion
• 80th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Company

Note :

1. Due to the need to strengthen division units 62nd separate self-propelled artillery division armed with outdated ASU-85 self-propelled artillery mounts, in 1985 it was reorganized into 62nd separate tank battalion and received T-55AM tanks for service. With the withdrawal of troops, this military unit was disbanded.
2. Since 1982, in the division's line regiments, all BMD-1s have been replaced by the more protected and powerfully armed BMP-2s, which have a long service life
3. All regiments were disbanded as unnecessary airborne support companies
4. The 609th separate airborne support battalion was not sent to Afghanistan in December 1979

Division in the period after the withdrawal from Afghanistan and before the collapse of the USSR

Business trip to Transcaucasia

In January 1990, due to the difficult situation in Transcaucasia, they were reassigned from the Soviet Army to the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR 103rd Guards Airborne Division and the 75th Motorized Rifle Division. The combat mission of these formations was to strengthen the detachments of border troops guarding the state border of the USSR with Iran and Turkey. The formations were subordinate to the PV KGB of the USSR from January 4, 1990 to August 28, 1991. .
At the same time, from the 103rd Guards. VDD were excluded 1179th Artillery Regiment of the Division, 609th separate airborne support battalion And 105th separate anti-aircraft missile division.

It should be noted that the reassignment of the division to another department caused mixed assessments in the leadership of the USSR Armed Forces:

It must be said that the 103rd division is one of the most honored in the airborne forces. It has a glorious history dating back to the Great Patriotic War. The division never lost its dignity anywhere in the post-war period. Glorious military traditions lived firmly in it. This is probably why in December 1979 the division in. was among the first to enter Afghanistan and among the last to leave it in February 1989. The officers and soldiers of the division clearly fulfilled their duty to the Motherland. During these nine years the division fought almost continuously. Hundreds and thousands of its military personnel were awarded government awards, more than ten people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, including generals: A. E. Slyusar, P. S. Grachev, Lieutenant Colonel A. N. Siluyanov. This was a normal, cool airborne division, which you wouldn’t put your finger in its mouth. At the end of the war in Afghanistan, the division returned to its native Vitebsk, essentially to nothing. In almost ten years, a lot of water has passed under the bridge. The barracks housing stock was transferred to other units. The landfills were looted and seriously dilapidated. The division on its native side was greeted by a picture reminiscent, in the apt expression of General D.S. Sukhorukov, “an old village cemetery with lopsided crosses.” The division (which had just emerged from combat) faced an impenetrable wall of social problems. There were “smart heads” who, taking advantage of the growing tension in society, proposed an unconventional move - to transfer the division to the State Security Committee. No division - no problem. And... they handed it over, creating a situation where the division was no longer “Vedevaesh”, but also not “KGB”. That is, no one needed it at all. “You ate two rabbits, I didn’t eat one, but on average - one each.” Military officers were turned into clowns. The caps are green, the shoulder straps are green, the vests are blue, the symbols on the caps, shoulder straps and chest are airborne. The people aptly dubbed this wild mixture of forms “conductor.”

How many of their boys, born in Belogorsk, Amur Region, visited Afghanistan? Nobody thought...
It’s like in the Afghan song - “Ask the desert how many there are”! I became aware of several names and among them Edik Anuchin.

Anuchin Eduard Dmitrievich
senior warrant officer of reconnaissance company 103 airborne division 317 pdp

Born on November 23, 1959 in Belogorsk, Amur Region. He graduated from high school in Bolgrad.
On October 23, 1978 he was drafted into the Armed Forces of the USSR. Served in the Kerkinsky border detachment of the KGB of the USSR from 1978 to 1980.
He graduated from the airborne ensign school in Rukla in Lithuania.
Since October 1983, he fulfilled his international duty in the DRA - he was the foreman of the reconnaissance company of the 103rd Airborne Division of the 317th Airborne Division.
He took part in 17 combat operations and 28 ambushes (but who counted them?).
During combat operations in the Logar gorge region, when one of the company platoon commanders was wounded, he took command of the platoon.
Tragically died on October 22, 1985. For courage and bravery he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (posthumously). Buried in Bolgrad, Odessa region.
We could put an end to this. Born, studied, died...

But the comments under the Afghan photographs of his friends indicate that Eduard was the most combative, one of the best warrant officers of the 40th Army. Not the best in his reconnaissance company and not even in his 103rd Guards Airborne Division, but in the whole army. And that means something! Such a high praise was given to him by his fellow servicemen who were side by side with him during combat operations.
Therefore, I wanted to write about him in more detail. But the more I understood this topic, the more I realized that I needed to write not only about him alone. I won’t lie, there was a moment when I wanted to give up this idea, but my friends convinced me that I needed to write!

Edik spent his childhood until he was 10 years old in Belogorsk, where at that time 60% of the population were military - units of the 98th Guards Airborne Svir Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Division were located in the city. Many boys in the city dreamed of becoming soldiers. They and even the girls jumped with a parachute.
Edward's father, Dmitry Stepanovich Anuchin, served as an ensign in the 299th airborne regiment, which was relocated to Bolgrad in September 1969. In Bolgrad, he served as a senior warrant officer in a separate squadron of the 98th Airborne Division - a flight mechanic on the AN-2.
Anuchin's mother, Evdokia Alekseevna, was an employee of the Soviet army and worked in a parachute repair shop. Dmitry Stepanovich - Honored Master of Parachuting. He has over 3000 jumps. Naturally, the father was an example for his son. It was in such an atmosphere that Edward's character was formed. Some even consider him a hooligan and a lover of fights. Even then, Edik stood out among his peers for his character, he did not let anyone down, it seemed that he was not afraid of anything or anyone except his father. And when he happened to do something, he called an older comrade with him, hoping that the punishment would be less, but his father was adamant... And Edik was grateful to his father for such an upbringing!

In Bolgrad (where his parents moved with the division), Eduard graduated from high school and a driving school in Izmail, went to work at the Etalon plant, from there he was drafted into the border troops in the city of Kerki on the border of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The Kerkinsky border detachment turned into a legend in the 80s.
While serving in Kerki, he took part in flights to the neighboring side to destroy gangs of Mujahideen. On one of the flights, he was in the same helicopter with the head of reconnaissance of the KSAPO troops, Major General A.A. Artykbaev, during the operation he showed courage and Artykbaev nominated him for the medal “For Courage”.

After demobilization, he entered the Higher Command Red Banner School named after Kirov in Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz). He was a deputy platoon commander and took part in pacifying the riot (Ossetian revolution of 1981). But he failed to graduate from college; due to the injury he received, he was discharged.

This is how eyewitness Oleg Borisenko describes these events.

“...The fourth-year special platoon cadets stomped their boots down the corridor. The platoon commander, Edik Anuchin, left the classroom. Then he returned and took two cadets with him.

They brought ten or eleven soldiers' helmets, and an R-105 radio.
“That’s it, damn it,” Anuchin explained. “While the “grabbers” were clicking, all the helmets were dismantled by other platoons. You are the battalion commander's radio operator! - Edik told me and put the walkie-talkie in his hands, adding:
- You are not entitled to a helmet. If anything, you can cover yourself with a cap.
- From whom? - I asked.
- Not from anyone, but from what! From the stones, idiot! There, rhinoceroses are already dismantling the monument to Sergo Ordzhonikidze! And it’s marble, you’ll hit it on the head, then you’ll spend your whole life showing figs to sparrows.
- And the rest? Are there not enough helmets for a platoon? - I didn’t let up. As a battalion Komsomol organizer, I had some right to argue with junior commanders.

Anuchin climbed onto a stool standing at the commander’s table.
- Attention platoon! Do as I do! - With these words, he turned the brim of his cap with his ears down.
We have all become like captured Germans being led around Moscow...
Forming up on the parade ground! - the command rang out.
We went out into formation, and in front of our noses were freshmen, led by the arms of fourth-year cadets, with broken faces and heads. They also had protective equipment, forty helmets for three companies - no more.
- One senior cadet or sergeant, with a bandage on his head, shouted:
Where are you going with your bare hands??? Break stools and disassemble the legs.
I realized that there were no rubber sticks at the school. Immediately asking myself a question and breaking the platoon stool, I thought:
- How can I hit a living person on the head with a ribbed wooden leg? It will hurt him! But so far only the fourth-year cadets were in pain. I consoled myself with the fact that a wooden leg was still better than a bullet. After all, the twelfth company was given live ammunition, and they sat in the barracks awaiting the command “Fas”..."

And off we go... we used fists, sticks, pieces of granite, paving stones, bird cherry, explosive bags... The cadets got good combat experience.

After his injury, Eduard was discharged, but he did not give up, but threw away all his medical documents and went to enroll in the airborne ensign school in Rukla in Lithuania, specifically the paratrooper school, because he simply did not see himself any other way. His father’s personal example, lessons learned in the service, participation in hostilities in the DRA, all this led him to the path of a military man.

In November 1983 he was already in Afghanistan.

From the memoirs of Misha Khodjaev (Nasrullo).
“On the first day of his arrival in the company, I was the company duty officer and the company was put on alert, since he had not yet been enlisted, I gave him my weapon. And from his first minutes in Afghanistan, he found himself in a combat zone! We were brought together by the fact that he served in his military service in my native place in Turkmenistan. I was a translator. Translated from Afghan into Russian. He translated what the prisoners and civilians in the company, regiment and division were talking about. Once I was sent to deep civilian intelligence, listened to what the Afghans were talking about and collected information. I went to war with Edward many times. And how many times he was in war and in ambushes, no one can say, I can’t even count mine. And 1984 and 1985 were the most active years in combat operations.”

From the memoirs of Andrey Polishchuk
..."Anuchin Edik came to the company when I was there. And he fit into the life of the company with me. Well done, he fit in! Being accepted by the soldiers and being one of them was worth a lot. Not everyone fit in. The reconnaissance unit lived by its own, unspoken, rules . They had their own criteria for assessing people: soldiers and officers. I’m not idealizing, but these men’s “playing games” were in spirit for me. But it didn’t suit everyone. Edik, I suppose, also had a blast. Those who didn’t fit in were out, man he left on his own or was “removed.”

There were about forty people in the company with officers. They were subordinate only to the chief of intelligence and the chief of staff of the regiment. When they went to war, they gave help to an artillery fire spotter, a signalman, a mortar crew, a chemist, a sapper, and a medical instructor. There were about fifty people in total.

From the memoirs of Nikolai Frolov
...- “As soon as our feet set foot on the soil of Afghanistan, representatives from the 317th infantry regiment came to our regiment and came up to us and asked: “Who wants to go into reconnaissance?”
Of course, we turned out to be the fastest. They needed to recruit two gunner and gunner operators. The company location where we immediately arrived was empty, because the company was at war.
When the company returned, our acquaintance began - we saw completely brown guys, lean as goitered gazelles. Of course, we were immediately forced to disassemble the ammunition and take it to the weapons room. Then there was cleaning in the company, dinner, and only after that the foreman lined us up. He was a little tipsy, he tells us, “If any of you can repeat what I will now perform on the horizontal bar, then he will be freed from the “youngsters”, i.e. will not fly on various orders from old-timers. In short, he begins to spin the sun on the horizontal bar without safety belts. Our jaws dropped and we realized that we couldn’t escape from running around. This was the first acquaintance with the foreman.
Then I personally got to know him better. For the first year, I drove the armor as a gunner operator on an armored personnel carrier, and the mechanic was Zhenya Svetlitsky, and after successful shooting, the foreman chose our crew to travel on various combat missions.
Eduard told us to call him Zhora. And only in front of the officers did they address him as required by the regulations - Comrade Senior Warrant Officer. I have never met such people in my life, he was truly brave! And he even carried out combat missions with a little fanaticism, and of course he instilled this in all of us. We, watching him sign with a felt-tip pen on anti-personnel mines, tried to imitate him in this and in general wanted to be like the foreman in everything.
In the absence of the officer, Zhora acted as platoon commander. There was great confidence in him, and we considered it an honor to go into the mountains under his command. Not all warrant officers in the division went to war, but our Zhora always did. Because this man was born for combat. I was generally amazed at his fearless soul. That’s why we say about him that he is the most combative of all ensigns!

Once, when I was on the armor, we were ambushed on the Gardez road. I used up all the ammunition, and the guys manually helped me equip the belts so that I could fire. At this time, the sergeant major was on top of the car and was firing from a machine gun. Through the sight, we saw turbans and bloody pieces of meat flying away. It was just HELL, and we all came out of this hell. The machine gun barrels became orange. Upon arrival at the regiment, I realized that I had become deaf and had burned my cheek on a machine gun while loading the belt. You should have seen Zhora at such moments - he turned into a tough comrade.

I remember how we landed on Panjshir, and as always, they were already waiting for us there! The shelling was so dense that it was impossible to raise your head. The sergeant major gives the command: “Capture group forward, followed by a cover group, run!” We take the mountain literally in one breath. And when you run, there are ricochet fountains nearby. Thanks to the foreman, we stayed alive and took the mountain!

One day our company, together with the division’s reconnaissance company, set out for an ambush. We walked all night through the mountains, covering about 50 kilometers. In the morning we reached the deployment site, we climbed the last hill, already exhausted, and we were given the order to build observation posts. Then there was a dream with guards posted, and finally the spirits appeared. There were seven of them, walking at a distance from each other, stretched out about twenty meters. We let them get closer and a very tough firefight began; they immediately killed three of them on the path, and two more a little lower in the gorge. Two ran up the mountain and lay down in the drainage, and the seventh (we later realized this) climbed the opposite mountain and pecked at us as a sniper. Two people in the drain were also destroyed. And they forgot about the seventh. One of our soldiers was mortally wounded, and a bullet entered the platoon’s neck, passed next to the carotid artery and came out next to a vertebra - a guy was born in his shirt! Everyone was tired, company commander Dmitry Gorbunov gave the command to rest, climbed the hill and settled down. In the morning we saw that seventh one, only he had already gone far away. And according to reconnaissance data, in this gorge there were three warehouses with ammunition and things - sleeping bags, mountain equipment, in general, everything necessary for mountain warfare. We combed the entire gorge, but found nothing. And we walked along the path several times with a large stone lying nearby, which was cut like a knife and on this cut there were lines - inscriptions. From the outside it seemed to us like they usually write “Vasya was here.” But it’s Zhora Anuchin who says, “Let’s stop at this cobblestone and compare it with the map and the terrain. And he was one hundred percent right. It really was a map - we found all the warehouses using this cheat sheet. This is how, thanks to the ingenuity of the foreman, weapons, ammunition and equipment were eliminated.

In the photograph, reconnaissance company 317 airborne division 103 airborne division with the Commander of the USSR Airborne Forces D.S. Sukhorokuvym in the center, Regimental Commander A.V. Kinzersky to the right. Company commander Lieutenant A.N. Kolpachenko is on the right (now Lieutenant General). Kabul, summer 1985, parade ground near the wall of the presidential palace. After the ceremonial march on the occasion of the arrival of the commander. He flew to the division and was in the company, having heard about the events in Kunar, this is in Jalalabad. Then the reconnaissance and a separate divisional reconnaissance reconnaissance, together with other guys, struggled on diamond mines with a “black stork” - that was the name of the gang of spirits, in which there were nigers and various mercenaries along with frostbitten “narics” and fans of Islam. There, through our efforts, more than five hundred of these “monsters” were destroyed. Of course, the guys on breadcrumbs helped from the air. On our side there were also losses then - three killed and fifteen wounded. Severe injuries were mainly to the extremities, because fired cartridges with explosive bullets. The helicopters did not fly for a long time, and the guys’ limbs were dying due to the applied tourniquets and the heat. After all, there is a tropical area with palm trees and monitor lizards running a meter long, plus mosquitoes, scorpions, phalanges, and snakes. To everything else you need to add diseases - from jaundice to tropical fever and typhus.

New 1985 met at war, in the mountains. Zhora brought a real Christmas tree, only God knows where he got it! But obviously he ordered it somewhere in advance, he was prudent! They dressed it up with improvised means - instead of toys there were cartridges, grenades, rocket launchers, and they made rain out of bandages.

Zhora with a guitar and the guys at an impromptu New Year's table.

Zhora was a skilled warrior! And he also knew how to relax. And mind you, officers and soldiers won’t just sit down and eat cans of stew. Well, of course, we had everything to take a good break from the war, otherwise we could go crazy. It was different... It also happened that we went to the hospital at night, but it was easy to be captured. Then there was a bloody “price tag” - for each killed soldier of the Afghan army - seven thousand, for a party activist - up to 15 thousand, for an officer - 30 thousand, for a destroyed tank - 100 thousand Afghanis. An increased coefficient was set for "shuravi".

As we called him, come with us! But he refused, so he said: “I’ll go to one more war and that’s it!” When I received a letter from the “boy” about the death of the foreman, I cried bitterly.

Edward was then 25-26 years old, but for soldiers 18-20 years old he was a great authority! He was different from everyone, not only in his age and stern appearance (by nature, Edik was physically very strong, and the only one of the guys who twirled the “sun” on the crossbar without safety belts), but also in his combat experience, skills, ability to lead and treat all your neighbors in a fatherly manner.

He was an exemplary leader of the soldiers of his company, responsible for the correct performance of their service, for military discipline, internal order, and the safety of weapons and other property. He obeyed the company commander and, in the absence of the officer, performed his duties perfectly. It’s not for nothing that his comrades consider him the best warrant officer of all times! He saved the lives of many soldiers.

And let one of his childhood friends think that being a foreman is not his path! But can someone decide for him what is his and what is not his?! He proved the opposite with his attitude towards his subordinates! He was a leader from birth and had charisma and special magnetism in communicating with people of different classes! He was a technician with an excellent memory and strong determination. All these qualities allowed him to be a good specialist in his field and a humane, caring foreman!

From the memoirs of Ramil Faizov
...He was a good man and an excellent commander. Once my mother wrote a letter to him; apparently I hadn’t written for a long time when I was young. So he forced me to write a letter, sealed it himself and sent it... I even felt ashamed!

From the memoirs of Ignat Popov
...Zhora always made decisions that were not ordinary, bold, and convincing.
I remember in September 1985, he and five soldiers were ambushed, machine gun fire was coming from the cave and there were two firing points at the top. There was a tree growing not far from the cave. Edik called the fighter and explained to him the combat mission - to run to this tree, that if he cannot accomplish this, then everyone here will die. All hope is in him! The guys lay down and began to fire distractingly, and in the meantime the fighter ran to the tree and completed the task assigned to him - he fired a shot from the "Bumblebee" right at the cave. After that, the rest of the guys ran up and took seven people out of the cave! The five of them brought seven people to the field base. The spirits were furious and could not understand how this happened. At the base, a place was set aside for the prisoners and a sentry was posted.

Zhora in the villages, after combing, wrote notes to the hospitable hosts that the chief of intelligence of the airborne forces, Zhora or Georges, had been here and conducted an inspection. Thus, he convinced the farmer that if our people come, show the note, and they will no longer check you. There was some special courage in this!

Those who did not serve in Afghanistan may not understand, but those who served will not judge!

From the memoirs of Igor Moiseev
...Zhora and I traveled quite a bit around Kabul. Once in the Komsomolsk region, I decided to exchange an old lighter that didn’t burn for a new one in the dukan. The dukan-man noticed this and began to be indignant. Then Zhora punched him, broke the window glass and put a mink hat on his head, and told me to choose any lighter.

In battle, he was like a top, a completely different person, in the good sense of the word, a warrior without a tower, he worried about everyone, strived for the best and foresaw the worst, and at the base he became a calm, balanced and caring foreman! The most courageous and courageous foreman, he loved and respected the personnel of the reconnaissance company very much. He deserves much more!

...Sin, of course, but also laughter! You can’t erase it from your memory! One day Georges comes to see me - he has a serious face, and is up to something. Addresses: “Comrade Senior Lieutenant! Winter flannelette blue boots for officers have arrived at the clothing warehouse, may I receive them?” I told him: “Georges, no one wears them here, why do we need them?” He: “Allow me to get it after all! I’ll give it to the Afghan guard, they’re freezing!” "Okay, you've got a bubble!" In the evening, happy Georges poured 100 grams for the officers at dinner, and oh well! The next morning... all the officers of the Afghan Guard ran out to exercise in... blue officer's underpants!!! They proudly parade around the Palace! It turns out that Georges sold our long johns to the Afghans as... "shuravi" tracksuits! That was the foreman! The whole regiment laughed! Well, how can I punish him for this? Although of course they were punished.

From the memoirs of Igor Korostelev
..."....I knew him. I greeted him. I was a soldier, and he was a senior warrant officer. These are different categories, he was much higher in rank than me. But he spoke like a simple person to a person. According to the regulations, you are supposed to give honor to the senior in rank. I acted as required by the regulations. But one day he said: “You don’t need to salute - just say hello and that’s it.” We are all human!" He helped with cigarettes when we ran out, although I did not serve in his reconnaissance company. There was another incident (I don’t think it’s necessary to write about this), but it means a lot to me. I remember it for the rest of my life! And I will never forget Eduard Anuchin, the foreman of our reconnaissance company. He was going on vacation with the Union. I remember he bought a fox fur coat for his wife with his salary! Showed this fur coat and asked whether it was a beautiful fur coat or not. And then asked: “Soldier, what should I bring you?” from your homeland? What could I ask for? I am a simple soldier, and he is a sergeant major... and I randomly said that I wanted to drink beer. I haven’t drank beer for a year and a half. You have no idea... The first three days when he returned from vacation to Kabul, he met with his friends, and then came out of his room and said: “Soldier come in! I came in and he takes out a bottle of beer!!! Gives me and says: “I promised!!! It was a shock!!! The whole platoon drank it one sip at a time! Our Soviet beer! That's the kind of person he was...
How painful it was to learn about his death! He said: “I’m going to the last war of my life.” When they came back from the fighting, I approached the sappers and asked: “How did it go?” I heard in response that Zhora was killed... everyone was simply depressed by this event... He was a man with a capital M. Respected ordinary soldiers. I helped them as much as I could.
It was scary to see the pain of his friend, who came from vacation; he left before Eduard for the Union. Edward gave gifts for his wife through him. The ensign said that he spent a month at home with his wife, and then went to Eduard’s house to give gifts to his wife. I went to them, and there was a coffin with Edward...

From the memoirs of Dmitry Gorbunov
...Ensign Anuchin was the foreman of the reconnaissance company, I was the company commander. We fought a lot and well with him! He was a real fighter and comrade. He was respected throughout the regiment, the soldiers loved him. When this tragedy happened, I was already a battalion commander, and my former reconnaissance company acted separately. However, I personally conducted the investigation.
The bottom line: the reconnaissance company, after completing the mission, returned at night in a column of the main forces on armor. Ahead, sappers discovered a mined section of the road and were clearing mines. The column stood up. Eduard was riding in the cabin of his Ural, which contained the company's supplies. I'm hungry. He sent the driver to the back to find and bring him a canned “Tourist’s Breakfast” snack. The fighter was gone for a long time, so he went on his own. He opened the canned food and began to eat from a knife, standing in the doorway of the kung ("Ural" with a kung covered with boards on the inside).

Following the Ural, 5 meters away there was a BMP-2, in which a young colleague, taking advantage of the stop, decided to study the hardware of the 30 mm rapid-fire aircraft gun, which was installed on the BMP-2, and asked the sergeant-gunner-operator about this. He gave him his place, turned off all the electrical circuits and began to show him. But a young and inexperienced colleague ACCIDENTALLY pressed his foot on a mechanical trigger, the presence of which he did not even suspect! A burst of 3 HE (high explosive fragmentation charge) shells was heard! Right into Edik's chest and stomach!!! He was torn into two parts and died instantly.
The driver, Kaizafar Rashitovich Valiakhmetov, who stood behind the foreman, also died. Zafar was a great guy, very modest and quiet, but he took great care of the car, it was always in good working order and clean. And the car was cut into a colander.
This is not a heroic death for the sergeant major. How many times was he in battle, was not even wounded even once, and then three days before his departure and a month before his birthday he died so absurdly!
Posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

But the memory of the dead is sacredly preserved by their comrades in arms, their families and loved ones.And this memory will live as long as we remember it. And we have no right to forget about this!

Link to photo album -

FIRST BLOOD.
SIGNAL “STORM-333”,
OPERATION “BAIKAL-79”
December 25, 1979 has arrived, a sad historical date - from
the right point in the history of the Afghan war. On this day, according to di-
directive of the Minister of Defense, Soviet units and formations of the 40th Army
began to cross the state border of the USSR and the DRA. Motorstrel-
The military divisions entered Afghanistan in two streams. Via Termez
(city in the south of Uzbekistan, port on the Amu Darya) 108th MSD moved to
Pakistani border (Puli-Khumri and Kunduz), and the 5th MRD through Kushka
(Turkmenistan, the southernmost point of the USSR) in the direction of Herat, Shin-
dand. those. to the Iranian border.
Recalls the first commander of the 40th Army, Colonel General
Yu.V. Tukharinov: “The general plan was to ensure that in two
Routes: Termez – Hairatan – Puli – Khumri – Kabul – Ghazni and Kushka
– Herat – Shindand – Kandahar enter the territory of the DRA and thus
to encircle the most vital centers of the republic with a ring.
The units were supposed to be placed in them as garrisons and thereby
create conditions for ensuring the life of Afghanistan.
However, just before the commissioning began, the plan underwent some changes.
changes. I received orders to send the crossing first
division not to Kabul, but to Kunduz. The entry of the second division - from Kushkin-
sky direction – was carried out a little later.” Grouping
Airborne Forces (103rd Airborne Division in full force, as well as the third battalion and others
units of the 345th regiment) by landing method were to de-
land at the airfields of Kabul and Bagram.
Let us recall that on the eve of the general entry of Soviet troops on December 25
in Bagram on “Soviet” territory there were already the first (former Osh) and second
swarm battalions of the 345th Airborne Regiment. Here, from December 14th, he also stayed.
unit management headed by the commander of the guard regiment, lieutenant colonel
com N.I. Serdyukov. This contingent of paratroopers was to
ensure reception of the main forces of the Airborne Forces group - parts of the 103rd Airborne Division and
units of the 345th GPDP, which until December 25 remained in
Union. On the night of December 24-25, 1979 in Bagram, landing
the artillery division, as well as platoons and units, parachuted
support of the 345th regiment. From December 25, the 345th regiment (without the third ba-
talion, who landed at the Kabul airfield) begins
ensuring reception of personnel and military equipment of regiments and support
divisions of the 103rd Vitebsk Guards Airborne Division
Zia.
Landing in Bagram of paratroopers of the 357th regiment and individual sub-
divisions of the Vitebsk Airborne Division was an impressive
presenting the picture in its scale and organization. Here's how to-
officer of the 357th regiment Vladimir Shulga remembered this moment: “In Bag-
Rama landed at night. Quickly, accurately, without delay. Five
IL-76 came in to land at intervals of three minutes, between aircraft;
there, immediately unloaded the equipment and immediately left for take-off. In five
It took ten minutes for the next group to land. Sun; was calculated
thought out, debugged. Landing, takeoff, landing again. The hum of turbines, pro-
the heavy sound of the engines, the clang of iron. The equipment began to warm up further; V
airplane;tah. In winter, the mercury dropped at night in Afghanistan
to minus forty. Despite the fact that IL-76 was heated in order to avoid
avoid unforeseen hesitations, the engines warmed up ahead of time.”
Not only soldiers, but also officers of the 103rd Vitebsk Division,
when they arrived in Bagram, they did not know that this large airbase already housed
their colleagues, paratroopers from the 345th Fergana Regiment, are fighting. Drive;m
excerpt from their memoirs of Guard Colonel Yuri Ivanovich Dvu-
Groshev, who at the end of December 1979 commanded the group
103rd Airborne Division, which landed in Bagram (before the entry of troops into the DRA Yu.I.
Dvugroshev was deputy commander of the Vitebsk division
Airborne Air Defense. Enjoyed the location of
V.F. Margelova. At the beginning of the Afghan war, he was the first military
commandant of Kabul, was in the DRA for 27 months): “When the unloading
the last plane was coming to an end, it appeared on the flat field
vehicles moving towards us with their headlights on. Knowing that
nearby is a tank unit of the Afghan army, several people
received the command to prepare a grenade; you. They were stopped by a group of
grip To everyone's surprise, this unit included a paratrooper from
battalion - Major O.G. The 345th Parachute Regiment is empty,
who brought drinking water in a GAZ-66 car. Landing ba-
talion of the 345th Parachute Regiment was sent to Afghanistan
camp at the request of the Afghan government under the guise of technical
aviation services to the Bagram airfield, where the Soviets were located
ski planes and helicopters. Of course, we were not told about this because
known (emphasis added by us - D.S.). The unloading of the group was completed
quickly, without incident or fire exposure. Got a question:
where and how to stay? In the car we stopped, I added
ran to battalion command. Upon returning to the battalion, I agreed
took command of the entire group. In not; included the 357th RPD,
engineer battalion, anti-aircraft battalion, repair battalion, medical
Qing battalion, reconnaissance company, auto company. The situation remained
quite clear. I made a decision - to take up a perimeter defense
on the outskirts of the airfield..."
By morning, the Vitebsk paratroopers completed the task.
The positions were prepared, despite the fact that the guards came
I tried to poke around in the rocky ground in the dark. With dawn before
soldiers of the 103rd Airborne Division group opened up a wondrous panorama of the mountains
no country. Near the group’s position there was a highway along which
A swarm of vehicles of various sizes passed by. Many cars remain
poured in, and soon here, near the paratroopers’ positions, a
a large crowd of ordinary Afghans. According to our
Videts, Afghan citizens were friendly towards the “shuravi”,
and many even greeted our soldiers with raised hands.
However, one circumstance darkened the mood of the paratroopers.
Not far from our positions on a hill there was an anti-aircraft battery
calculations of the Afghan army. The barrels of Afghan anti-aircraft guns are menacing
looked at the Soviet landing force. It was noticeable that the Afghan soldiers
the dates were unfriendly, their calculations were in full combat
readiness, their anti-aircraft guns could launch a crushing attack at any moment
fire on our positions. However, this did not happen. Shooting at
Bagram airbase will begin in a day, and then, alas, the first ones will appear
victims.
So, at the end of the day on December 25, 1979, there were two
Airborne forces groupings: 345th regiment under the command of guard lieutenant colonels
Nika N.I. Serdyukov, as well as the 357th regiment of the 103rd Airborne Division with separate
units of the same Vitebsk division, commanded by
Guard Lieutenant Colonel Yu.A. Dvugroshev. Chief paratrooper, general
N.N. Guskov, commander of the Airborne Forces Operational Group in Afghanistan,
was already in Kabul, where in just over a day he had little pre-
was to lead the operation to capture the main rights by paratroopers
government military and other facilities.
Thus, in Bagram at that same moment there was no unity of command.
nickname, to which these two airborne groups were subordinate.
Meanwhile, as history will show, within a day (December 27,
V.F.'s birthday Margelov according to the old style) Fergana and Vi-
Tebsky paratroopers will have to jointly take military and
technical facilities at this powerful Afghan air base.
Apparently, on December 26, the deputy commander of the Airborne Forces for combat
preparation, Lieutenant General V. Kostyl; gave the order to enter
The 345th regiment was part of the 103rd Airborne Division group, led by Yu.I.
Dvugroshev. Now that the landing units in Bagram were to
represent one grouping with one e; temporary commander
Naturally, the question arose about organizing interaction. Before
In all, it was necessary to work out the system of the negotiation table and
code signals. According to the memoirs of Yu.I. Dvugrosheva, re-
the speaking table consisted of six consecutive signals:
1. – “Storm-333” – began combat operations;
2. – “Zarevo-555” – went to the object;
3. – “Hurricane” – completed the task;
4. – “Calm-888” – I complete the task;
5. – “Storm-777” – I am fighting.
6. – “Silence-999” - no resistance
So, just a day later, the soldiers of the united airborne forces group
had to capture a complex of objects and buildings that were located
were under the control of the Afghan military administration. In case of resistance
manifestations of the Afghan side (primarily anti-aircraft gunners), the Soviet de-
Santa was inevitably doomed to irrevocable losses. Therefore, co-
command of the Airborne Forces group and decided to try peaceful tactics
exhortations. However, the difficulty was that the removal of the president
Afghanistan H. Amin from power yet; did not happen (this event is random)
reads every other day, December 27), and among the Afghan military in Bagram
There were his faithful followers, especially among the officers. Re-
negotiation process with the Afghan side, it was decided to entrust the council
to military advisers who, being in Afghanistan under the agreement,
Ghanaian units in Bagram were known to the personnel,
primarily to Afghan officers. Military advisers worked hard,
in general, effective. They convinced the Afghans not to cooperate
resistance to Soviet troops in the event of a change of power (Amin) and
progress towards leadership of the country by progressive forces. The exhortations continued
huddled all day, and at 16-00 hours on December 27, the command of the group
feasts in the ZKP reported that almost all Afghan military units
They gave assurances not to oppose the Shuravi. Exceptions
It was the calculations of the anti-aircraft battery, the barrels of which were
were still turned towards the Soviet troops.
Meanwhile, the transfer of units of the Airborne Forces, the Vitebsk division by air
xy had already ended by this point. As you know, the last liner
with Soviet troops on board landed on Afghan soil at 14
hours 30 minutes December 27. Now the entire general group of airborne forces (103rd
Airborne Division and 345th Civil Defense Division) were assembled and awaiting the order to act.
The time “H” was about to come, the unexpected fate of war was due
wife was accomplished.
The head of the guard group, Lieutenant Colonel Yu.I. Dvugroshev
calls the command staff of all units and subunits of the Airborne Forces to the ZKP
in Bagram, who to one degree or another were to participate in
storming military facilities at the Bagram airbase. According to the order,
The capture groups had to covertly approach at nightfall.
tee to the designated objects and wait for the signal "Storm-333", after
obtaining which to seize the facility and disarm the Afghan military
employees.
The paratroopers of the 345th regiment were obviously given the most
a responsible and dangerous task. They had to seize positions
anti-aircraft division, which was targeting the airfield. How
already noted, the barrels of anti-aircraft guns were deployed on the
paratrooper positions. The Fergana paratroopers also had to capture
There are military barracks and a number of other facilities. According to the recollection
to the memories of the living veterans of the 345th regiment, who took part in
in those events, among these objects were the headquarters of the Afghan garrison
military units in Bagram, a bomb depot, four-barreled machine guns
machine tools (KPVT).
The Afghan anti-aircraft division could be a tough nut to crack.
During the assault on this facility, paratroopers armed with small arms
with automatic weapons, they could, of course, suffer heavy losses.
Therefore, it was decided to strengthen the capture groups from the 345th regiment with two
anti-aircraft batteries. This anti-aircraft division (guard commander
Lieutenant Colonel V.P. Savitsky) was ordered to open fire on the roof
buildings, in case the Afghan side prefers to resist
laziness.
And now the hour “H” has come. This happened at 19-30. At this very time in
Operation Baikal-79 began in Kabul, in which the 103rd participated
airborne division, as well as two units of the 345th regiment, namely the 9th

Company and reconnaissance company. Paratroopers together with special forces
The KGB had to seize the most important military, state facilities
projects, to remove Kh. Amin from power, to paralyze the forces loyal to the evil
deyu. Amin's place was to be taken by Babrak Karmal, who was
creature of the Soviet leadership. At this moment the future president
Afghanistan was in Bagram under the protection of our paratroopers and
special forces. Being in fear, Karmal (“Kolka Bobrov”, as he called him)
called our soldiers in Bagram) obediently awaited his fate.
In Bagram, the operation to seize objects began at the same time
cop, as in Kabul.
So, how did the events take place at this huge airbase?
extending from Kabul 60 km north? The reader will obviously agree,
that it would be better to give the floor to direct witnesses and
participants in the events of December 27, 1979 in Bagram, who in history
In technical literature they are conventionally referred to as Operation Storm-333. IN
We have at our disposal the most valuable historical source - memories
of the Guard Lieutenant Colonel Yu.I. Dvugroshev, who, as already noted,
began, at that moment he commanded a united group of airborne forces in
Bagram. So I put down my pen for a while and give the floor
Yuri Ivanovich: “At 19 hours 30 minutes. ZAS's phone rang.
I was urgently invited to the machine. Called from the Task Force
Airborne Forces E; headed by Deputy Commander Lieutenant General
N.N. Guskov, who led the transfer of the 103rd Airborne Division and the 345th Civil Defense
PDP, and also directly controlled all available forces in
Afghanistan during the overthrow of Amin's regime. Was
task force in Kabul. The expected
the signal "Storm-333", which was immediately reported to the troops.
While waiting for a report from the units on the receipt of the signal and its implementation,
neniya froze... Communication with all units and groups ceased to exist.
howl at the same time. The main thing in a combat situation is the loss of communication
zi. A “frost” passed through my body from the thought that control had been lost.
tion. Why, wherefore and why, I didn’t know. Gave the command urgently
check all types of communication. Time passed slowly. In a few
minutes of general silence, the connection started working smoothly. Why was there a connection?
interrupted, remains a mystery to me to this day.
The airfield immediately came to life. The shooting merged into a single chatter and
hum It became almost light from the tracer bursts. It was unclear
Why did such an organized shooting occur? After all, the assurances
These advisors were convincing. The first to open fire was a single
with heavy shots, the T-54 tank, located closest to the ZKP. Re-
Before me there was a strong-built Major Egorov, deputy
commander of an anti-aircraft division for weapons, with a grenade; then and there
asked permission to suppress it. Fortunately, the tank fell silent on its own and
never fired another shot. The first report arrived
from the group that captured the MIG-21 aircraft parking lot and the barracks where it was stationed
Xia technical and technical composition. Lightning Throw Capture Group
took over the parking lot. The pilots, having received the order to take off, hurried to the
they say there, but it was already too late. Having met the paratroopers, they
They retreated to the barracks, took up defensive positions, ready to fight back. Coman-
director of the anti-aircraft battery, senior lieutenant V.A. Getalov before the assault
barracks gave several bursts of anti-aircraft guns (ZU-23)
projectiles on the roof of the building. Instantly white appeared
flag. The battery burst into the barracks without firing, disarmed 84
man of technical and technical composition. The battery commander decided
The plan is to place them all in the boiler room under heavy security. Operation
passed without casualties on both sides.
During the capture of the barracks where the Afghan personnel were housed
anti-aircraft artillery battalion, a complication arose. When
the capture group burst into the barracks, the division commander's nerves
could not stand it, and their promises not to resist were not
held back. As soon as the first paratrooper passed him, he snatched his letter
tolet and shot him in the back. It’s good that everything; it only cost
injury.
A hot battle flared up in the aircraft hangars and for the command
(control) point. They did not want a peaceful outcome and continued to co-
resistance calculations DShK. Large caliber anti-aircraft battery, which
Raya kept the paratroopers and the ZKP at gunpoint, although she was ready,
I didn’t even have time to load the guns.
After forty minutes the battle began to calm down. I started receiving reports
reports that all objects are blocked, the control tower and the air
the core is ready to receive aircraft. To the medical battalion, which
was deployed to receive and assist the wounded, they arrived
three persons. There were no people killed on our side in Bagram (emphasis-
but by us – D.S.). Large-caliber bullets and single automatic rifles
they continued to fire.
At the ZKP, the ZAS phone rang sharply (classified automatic
sky connection). I was urgently invited to the machine. As soon as I took the pipes -
ku, I heard a female voice that warned me about what was happening to me
The Minister of Defense will speak. Naturally, I was surprised. By-
a calm voice was heard. The first thing I heard was the question: “How
situation?" I reported that the task was completed, no one was killed. In reply
“Thank you” sounded, and the device fell silent.
The telephone rang sharply again. This time the deputy called
Commander of the Airborne Forces for combat training, Lieutenant General V. Kos-
rear, who conveyed the order: “There is only one 345th RPD left in Bagram.
The 357th RPD, all special units and ZKP will leave for the city in thirty minutes
clan Kabul. Upon arrival at the site, receive tasks. I tried to explain
tell him that I can’t leave in thirty minutes, because I’m going;
arrow. I asked permission to enter in an hour. In response I heard a sharp
curses and threats that I would go to trial. I had to make this request
contact the head of the operation, Lieutenant General N.N. Guskov.
After listening to me carefully, he allowed the entire group to leave
in one hour. I called all the unit commanders to the command post and
started setting tasks. As soon as he turned on the flashlight and illuminated
drew the card and opened fire. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Everyone had to
urgently move and take cover behind combat vehicles. Upon departure
from Bagram the column was fired several times by single machine guns
ki, but all; there were no casualties. Having completed the march, all troops arrived at
Kabul city to the airfield. We were met by representatives of the operational
groups..."
Let us recall that the main forces were concentrated in Bagram
345th Regiment, namely: the first (former “Osh” Regiment of the 111th Regiment) and
second battalions, artillery division and regiment command led by
Guard Colonel N.I. Serdyukov. The third battalion under the command
by the guard of Captain A.M. Aliyev on the night of December 25, 1979.
was disembarked at Kabul airfield.
Capital Kabul appeared
The landing force is ready.
BMD roared, and everyone took
For the machine gun. The order to the soldiers has been read.
The main forces of the 103rd Vitebsk Division began to arrive here.
Ziya Airborne Forces (350th RPD and 317th RPD), which on the evening of December 27 was
already in Kabul and participated in Operation Baikal-79, providing
planning to seize 17 important government facilities, including
and the Taj Beg presidential palace, where Hafizullah was located
Amine. To the third battalion of the 345th regiment, as well as to the first and second PDB
in Bagram, it was necessary to capture objects at the Kabul airfield
immediately after receiving the Storm-333 signal. This historical sig-
the cash was received at the airfield at 20:30 already at that time;
me days. Captain Aliyev's paratroopers are tasked with capturing the indicated
facilities at Kabul airfield were completed quite quickly. AT 21
For an hour the airfield was at the mercy of the winged guards.
The reconnaissance unit of the 345th regiment was destined to participate on December 27 in
Operation Baikal-79. The plan for this operation was the result of a collective
active work of the Ministry of Defense and the KGB of the USSR. Among its development
Botchikov was also a representative of the Airborne Forces, Guard Colonel A.V. Kukushkin,
Chief of Airborne Intelligence. (After graduating from military school in
1943 fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. There were two-
waiting wounded. Participated in the Berlin operation. From 1948 to 1951
studied at the Military Academy. Frunze, then served at Dalny
East in the 37th Guards Airborne Corps. In 1968
participated in the operation to bring troops into Czechoslovakia. Under V.F.
Margelov was the head of airborne intelligence. In December 1979 - Jan
brew 1980 - Chief of Staff of the Airborne Forces Operational Group in Afghanistan
nistane. Participated in planning and organizing the entry of units
Airborne Forces in the DRA. Served in the Armed Forces for 43 years, 34 of them in the Airborne Forces).
According to the plan of Operation Baikal-79, the forces of the united council
sky group (about 10 thousand people), consisting of the Airborne Forces (103rd Airborne Division,
units of the 345th Civil Defense Division), special groups of the KGB (Grom), KUOS (Ze-
nit"), companies of border guards and special forces of the GRU General Staff ("Muslim" ba-
talion), it was necessary to capture 17 most important state objects
military and military significance. Among these objects were radio and television
center. The capture of these buildings was entrusted to the scouts of the 345th regiment.
It is no coincidence that this task was entrusted to the reconnaissance company, which
commanded by senior lieutenant A.V. Popov. This elite unit
division of the Fergana regiment needed to capture at any cost
radio and television center; after all, Babrak Karmal, who by the end of the day is 27
December destined to become the new president of the DRA, he had to speak
drink with an appeal to the citizens of Afghanistan.
More; On December 21, 1979, the reconnaissance company of Alexander Popov for four
p;x BMD is redeployed to Kabul. The company was reinforced by a squad
anti-aircraft gunners (ZU-23), and the capture group included several fighters from
special forces "Zenith" under the command of Major Anatoly
Ryabinina.
Before the start of the operation to capture these objects, there was no
how many days. During this time, reconnaissance had to be done. Not-
it was necessary to calculate the options for the capture group to reach the objective
there, study the defense system and the location of fire weapons and armor
non-technical people. The group leaders coped with this task, the plan was
The schedule of the radio and television center was compiled on the eve of hour “H”. The essence
The plan was as follows. The external territory of the objects
a tank company was wounded (eleven tanks and several BMP-1s). Fighters
reconnaissance companies were supposed to suddenly burst into the territory, cut off
fire crews from combat vehicles, thus preventing the Afghan
tankers to return fire. The bet was made on surprise,
because the paratroopers had only four "baemdashki". After liquidation
external protection belt by paratroopers, reconnaissance company officers -
Zenit troops burst into the building of the radio and television center and, suppressing
resistance from internal security, seize objects and take them
under defense. The difficulty was that during the assault on the internal
it was necessary not to damage their premises at all costs
radio-television equipment and electrical communications; almost
immediately after the overthrow of Amin and the capture of the most important objects in Kabul
on the radio with an appeal to the population of Afghanistan was supposed to be
drink the new leader of Afghanistan and the PDPA Babrak Karmal. Plan
received approval from the leadership of the Airborne Forces Operational Group in Kabul.
Colonel A.V. Kukushkin supplied the reconnaissance company of the 345th regiment with the corresponding
a challenging task.
The start of the general operation in Kabul "Baikal-79" was scheduled for
19 hours 30 minutes. 15-20 minutes before the hour “H”, reconnaissance
she began to secretly advance towards the objects, preparing for the assault. Exactly at
the specified time, the operation began. As planned, once
paratroopers from two directions (from the US Embassy
and communications center) broke into the external territory of the radio and television center
completely suddenly, they acted boldly and daringly, like Margelov.
The guards almost immediately knocked out three of the anti-tank grenades
tank and one infantry fighting vehicle. These destroyed Afghan armored vehicles
should burn until the early morning, shaking the atmosphere with explosions of
shells exploding in the ammunition rack. Sun; happened so unexpectedly
Afghans, that their will and fighting spirit were paralyzed, in resistance
These people were incapable of deception. Three infantry fighting vehicles ready to fire, seven
The tanks (besides the ones that were knocked out) did not open fire on the paratroopers. De-
lo it was done. Zenit officers quickly rushed into
building and stormed it. Some Afghan citizens
of the technical staff of the radio and television center, as is clear from some
sources, thanked Soviet soldiers for liberation from the “yoke
Amina." One fact should be noted. Objects stormed by reconnaissance
company and anti-aircraft troops, were not far from the American embassy
stva. During this clash, which began suddenly,
the air was so shaken by explosions and gunshots that the embassy workers
The US government suffered a panic attack when they saw the queues from the traffic
flying bullets; diplomatic workers began to hide under the hundred-
beds and beds, someone managed to hide in the basement out of fear -
NI. Soon the newly-minted DRA President Babrak Karmal was on the radio
made an appeal to the Afghan people.
During this almost fleeting battle (a little over half an hour),
The Soviet side did not suffer irreparable losses. From the reconnaissance company
Four fighters received criticism, one of them received a heavy blow (to the legs). In Group
There were no wounded Zenit soldiers. Among the Afghans, seven warriors were
killed. The entire security contingent of the facility (just over 100 people) was
n;n.
The operation was thus successfully carried out. Coman-
Director of the reconnaissance company, senior lieutenant Alexander Popov and his deputies
Tel Loktev were awarded the Order of the Red Star. Combat on-
Several fighters of this unit were also awarded the hail. Through
the day after the end of the general operation "Baikal-79" the reconnaissance company was
returned to Bagram Air Base, where almost the entire 345th was stationed
regiment GO RDP.
As already noted, the general plan for Operation Baikal-79 was
provision is made for taking by storm the 17 most significant state
military and military facilities in Kabul. The main idea of ​​this opera is
tion boiled down to physically removing Amin from the helm
power and not give the opportunity to those loyal to this damned president
strength to maintain the regime. Therefore, according to the plan of Operation Baikal-
79", a separate and most important operation was envisaged for
the seizure of the Taj Beg presidential palace and the physical liquidation of the Ami-
on the. This operation, codenamed "Agate", was to
be carried out by the forces of the KGB and the GRU Moscow Region, namely: two groups
officer special forces - “Grom” and “Zenith”, as well as the so-called. "Muslims
"skiy" battalion ("musbat"). All of these units were
subordinate to Guard Colonel G.I. Boyarinov (the only official
Tser, who already had combat experience in conducting special operations). Advice-
The Chinese military leadership in Kabul decided to strengthen the “musbat”
an elite airborne unit from the 345th regiment. The choice fell on
9th company of senior lieutenant Valery Vostrotin. Let us remind you that this
the company was the first of the Fer-
Ghanaian Regiment (1 December 1979). On the morning of December 26, by order
regiment commander N.I. Serdyukov 9th company V.A. Vostrotin, as well as a vocational school platoon
under the command of the guard captain Azhislamov and lieutenant A.
Sevostyanov were sent to Kabul, to the Dar-Ul-Aman building. Ro-
They were ordered to strengthen the “Muslim” battalion. About the upcoming
The paratroopers did not know the general assault. In the premises of this facility there is temporary
This is where the “Muslim” battalion (520 people) was located, which
officially had to protect Amin's person. For paratroopers
The location was allocated to two rooms on the second floor of this building.
Here the guardsmen were dressed in the uniform of Afghan army soldiers, as
and a Musbat soldier. Some paratroopers with great height have
It turned out to be problematic to change into a foreign form. V.A. Vostrotin
recalls: “The company personnel were located in one room.
The officers are in the other. We were given Afghan uniforms and ordered to
dress up as a soldier. The uniform was mostly small, and I had the most
the little soldier was 1 meter 78 cm tall. But nothing - they changed clothes.
KGB officers also changed their clothes with us.”
So, the assault group under the leadership of Colonel
G.I. Boyarinov had to complete an almost impossible task -
with small forces to capture Amin's presidential palace, which
In those conditions, it was an impregnable target for the “shuravi”. This
the palace was still built; in the 30s XX century German architects,
was located on a 20-meter hill on the outskirts of Kabul and was surrounded by
powerful walls. The palace had a strong defense system, approaches
were mined towards it, from the side of Kabul there was a single
Vienna serpentine road. According to the plan for Operation Agat, the
a new role in the capture of Taj Beg was assigned to the Thunder special groups (24
people, led by Major M. Romanov) and Zenit (30 people, led by
tel Major Ya. Sem;nov), who, having burst inside the palace building,
Amin should have been eliminated. "Muslim" battalion (154
OO SpN) blocks the 1st and 3rd tank battalions of the Afghans, guarding
building the presidential palace, giving the main attacker the opportunity
group to break through to Taj Bek and capture the object.
December 27, 1979 arrived - the moment the general operation began
"Baikal-79". On this historic day, assault units
groupings the tasks were set several times. It is known that the commanders
units were assembled three times to set tasks: the first
broadcast - at 14.00, the second - at 15.00 and the third - at 18.15. On the last
At the (third) meeting, the start time for the operation was set for
19.00.
The commander of the 9th company of the 345th Civil Defense received the PDP from Major General
Yu.I. Drozdov's combat mission to block and neutralize the 2nd
Afghan motorized rifle battalion. Vostrotintsy should have
go to the line indicated by him (battalion parade ground) and fire from all vi-
weapons (including from guns and bullets from their BMD) to suppress the resistance
resistance of the 2nd battalion, blocking it.
At the beginning of eight o'clock in the evening, the 9th company on "baemdash" arrived
lined up in a common column, taking place behind the Musbat armored personnel carriers. IN
At half past eight the column set off towards the designated lines. When
a line of infantry fighting vehicles approached the Taj Beg Palace, the paratroopers opened
fire on the windows of the second and third floors of the facility. This action was
provided for by the task. However, the fighters fired at the palace
The 9th company could only be fought with automatic weapons, since in front
There was a rampart running through the palace, which did not allow firing at the Taj.
Beku from smooth-bore guns with BMD. In just a few minutes 9-
I company went to the location of the 2nd Afghan battalion. Paratroopers
started to complete the assigned task.
This is how Valery Alexandrovich himself describes this military action
Vostrotin: “Having advanced to the parade ground of the 2nd battalion, we turned around
into the chain and opened fire from all barrels at the barracks. They opened for us
fire from the rear. We left the battalion headquarters in the rear. They led from it
fire on us. We have losses. Private Kalmagambetov died.
Private Baryshnikov was wounded. I ordered my deputy to
suppress fire from battalion headquarters. 1st Platoon turned to the side
headquarters and opened fire on him. After a while the fire came from there
died down, and the Afghans there, led by the battalion commander
surrendered to us as prisoners. The battalion commander suggested going to the ba-
talion and agree on a ceasefire and the surrender of the battalion. I'm with-
read. Reported to Kholbaev. He swore at me. Promised to give
I was court-martialed. I ordered my deputy to return the command
ra battalion. He managed to catch up with him and bring him back. By morning the resistance
the rejoicing subsided. We captured those who did not run away and drove them to
pit next to the battalion headquarters. One platoon moved to the front
rog from Darm-ul-Aman.
After some time, paratroopers came out to meet them - 3 BMD
and a platoon from an artillery division (3 D-30 guns) from the 350th regiment of the 103rd division.
I went to meet them and introduced myself. They were commanded by the elder
Lieutenant Soldatenko, with whom we studied together in Ryazan
school. He began to check if I was really who I thought I was
I give out: I started asking questions about who was the company commander at the school and
etc. When he recognized me, he moved closer. We talked a little
Riley. Neither he nor I disclosed our tasks. After talking to me, he
turned his group around and they drove back. Over time
Kholbaev got in touch and warned that tanks were coming towards us.”
It should probably be admitted that daring and effective actions
the actions of the paratroopers of the 9th company at the line of the 2nd Afghan battalion
or else; are also due to the powerful fire support of the famous “Shi-
lok", ZSU-23 (23-mm quadruple anti-aircraft installation on a common self-
running base). During the assault, several "Shiloks" fought furiously
shooting at the Taj Bek, as well as at the infantry fighting vehicles of the 3rd Afghan motorized rifle
companies. Possessing a very high rate of fire (2 thousand rounds)
catch per minute from one barrel), “Shilkas” turned out to be a formidable weapon,
bringing terror and awe to Afghan fighters. Two other such
self-propelled guns, with their hurricane fire, faithfully supported
lived the 9th company, neutralizing the 2nd Afghan battalion.
With the suppression of resistance, the 2nd Afghan battalion took part
The 9th company of Vostrotin’s special operation “Agat” did not end. Almost
immediately the paratroopers had to participate in more; one military action.
Commander - "Musbat" Major Kh.T. Kholbaev handed over to Vostrotin
radios that columns of Afghan tanks are heading towards Taj Beg. How later did you-
it was clear that this tank battalion was the only unit
Kabul garrison, who decided to come to the aid of Amin. Vale-
Riy Aleksandrovich Vostrotin recalls: “We put forward
The ATGMs began to wait. After some time, 3 columns appeared
tanks. By the number of tanks we determined what was coming towards us
tank battalion. As they approached, we shot several
ko tanks from ATGMs, one T-55 tank and one BRDM tried to escape
side of the General Staff Palace, but we caught up with them and stopped them. There we find
The battalion commander was also concerned. Meanwhile, the crews of the remaining tanks
Kov also surrendered. We put them all in the cauldron with the rest of the prisoners.
van. When the situation calmed down a little, I went to Taj Beg and
reported on the completion of the task. Drozdov thanked me and said,
that will represent me for Hero of the Soviet Union. After the doc-
okay, I returned to the company. After some time, cargo trucks arrived
tires into which we loaded the prisoners. Our dead and wounded
we loaded into our cars that were to accompany
prisoners in position. I went with them."
Special operation "Agat" to remove Hafizullah Amin from power
was successfully completed in less than one hour. During the assault
Taj Beg Palace by officers of "Thunder", "Zenith" and "Muslim"
battalion President Amin was killed; two were also killed in the shootout
his minor son. The president's young daughter, str-
fired a pistol during the assault and was wounded in the legs; e; and others
Many of Amin's relatives were imprisoned in the Pulichar political prison.
hee). By nine o'clock in the evening the general operation "Baikal-79" was in
generally completed. As planned, the most important state
objects in Kabul and Bagram were in the hands of Soviet troops and special
naza. At 20:45, the newly-minted DRA President Babrak Kar-
Mal made an appeal to the people of Afghanistan (or rather, according to the
diocommunications reproduced Karmal's address recorded
in advance to the tape recorder).
For the success of Operation Baikal-79, carried out on December 27
1979 in Kabul and Bagram, paratroopers of the 345th Civil Defense Division and the 103rd Airborne Division
paid with irrevocable losses. The first blood was shed,
The first casualties appeared. According to the list of soldiers of the 345th Airborne Regiment,
died on Afghan soil from 1979 to 1989, on the day when
The signal "Storm-333" sounded, 8 guardsmen said goodbye to their lives -
paratroopers; in the specified list of 412 names, these are the first to die
Our warriors are listed under numbers: 71, 89, 137, 143, 266, 280, 305, 396.
Here are their names:
1. guard corporal, Art. ATGM operator Golovnya Oleg Pavlo-
HIV – December 27, 1979;
2. Guard junior sergeant, commander of the Doubles squad
Alexey Sergeevich - December 27, 1979, Bagram airbase;
3. guard corporal, grenade shooter; tchik Kalmagombetov
Amangeldy Shamshitovich - December 27, 1979, President-
Taj Beg Palace;
4. Guard Private Kashkin Valery Yurievich - December 27
1979;
5. Guards private, shooter Vladimir Ivanovich Ochkin – 27 years old
December 1979, Bagram airbase;
6. Guard private, driver mechanic Vladimir Povoroznyuk
Vasilievich - December 27, 1979;
7. Guard private, anti-aircraft gunner Savoskin Vladimir Va-
silyevich - December 27, 1979;
8. Guard private, Art. radiotelegraphist Mikhail Shelestov
Vasilievich - December 27, 1979

May their memory be blessed!