Punishment squad major game read. Million for Kara Major

On October 29, 1981, the 2nd Muslim battalion was introduced into Afghanistan, which later became legendary...

It was formed from Kazakhs, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Kyrgyz. However, representatives of other nationalities could also be found there, but to a much lesser extent.

The battalion was commanded by Major Boris Kerimbaev, about whom our story will go.

But first things first.

So, it's 1979. The leadership of the USSR comes to the conclusion that the situation in Afghanistan is changing rapidly, which means it is necessary to introduce small military units there. To support friendly forces, of course.

In the same year, by directive of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces, the 1st Muslim battalion was created in the city of Chirchik (Tashkent region).

The personnel were mainly Tajiks, Uzbeks and Turkmens. True, Russians also served in the battalion. The number was small - only 532 people, and Major Khabibdzhan Kholbaev was appointed commander.

The battalion took an active part in the overthrow of Hafizullah Amin, the chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Afghanistan. After a successful operation, the unit returned home and was disbanded.

But when it became clear that the situation in Afghanistan was going to drag on, it was decided to form a similar detachment, because past experience was considered successful.

By that time, the 177th separate GRU special forces detachment had already been created in Kapchagai, but it was preparing for combat operations in another region - on the territory of the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. However, Afghanistan posed a greater challenge and it was this unit that later became known as the 2nd Muslim Battalion.

As already mentioned, Boris Kerimbaev, who received a military education at the Tashkent Higher Command School named after. V.I. Lenin.

Boris Kerimbaev

In September 1981, the detachment passed the combat training test, and on October 29 crossed the border of the USSR for redeployment to Afghanistan.

The first location was the city of Meineme. Already on November 7, the detachment received a baptism of fire, suffering its first losses. The personnel had to retrain, adapting to new, very harsh conditions. It was in Meinem that Kerimbaev received the nickname Kara Major - that’s what he was called not only by his own fighters, but also by the Mujahideen.

In January 1982, the detachment took part in a military operation near the village of Darzob, then garrisoned there for four months, conducting reconnaissance and search raids. At the same time, the Muslim battalion provided all possible assistance to the local population and established relationships with the elders. When Kerimbaev’s battalion received the order to relocate, an interesting fact happened - the elders of Darzob wrote a letter to the head of Afghanistan, Babrak Karmal, asking him to leave part of Kara Mayor with them on full allowance. At the end of May, the detachment received the task of occupying the Panjshir Gorge, which had just been liberated by Soviet troops.

Fulfilling the command's order, Kara Major and his detachment entered the Panjshir Gorge and settled in the village of Rukha. It should be noted that this famous gorge was an ideal place for guerrilla warfare.

Also near it begins the famous Salang Pass. It is here that the strategically important Hairatan-Kabul highway passes. It carried military and civilian cargo from the USSR to Afghanistan. The actual owner of this gorge was the famous field commander Ahmad Shah Masud, who was distinguished by his high intelligence, vast experience in guerrilla warfare and enjoyed great authority among the population. His name was the Lion of Panjshir.

Ahmad Shah swore on the Koran that he would drive the Muslim battalion out of Panjshir within a month, but was unable to fulfill his promise. Kara Major had only 500 officers and men against Ahmad Shah's small army. Among the Mujahideen, the warriors of Lev Panjshir were rightfully considered the most selective and motivated fighters.

Initially, Kara Major's detachment needed to hold the gorge for only a month. However, the 177th detachment held out for about a year. The Kerimbaevites themselves very successfully used guerrilla tactics and inflicted very noticeable blows. Enraged by these failures, Lev Panjshir promised 1 million dollars for the head of Kara Major.

Despite these circumstances, Kerimbaev’s detachment forced Masud to conclude a temporary truce with the command of the 40th Army. It is not surprising that the first condition on Masud’s part was the demand to withdraw the Muslim battalion from the Panjshir Gorge. It was carried out - the detachment was taken to the village of Gulbahor in Parvan province.

Subsequently, the unit successfully fought in all the hot spots of Afghanistan. In February 1989, the 177th GRU special forces detachment was the last to leave Afghanistan.

When the Kerimbaevites entered Afghanistan on October 29, 1981, they gave their word that after the war, 28 Panfilovites would meet every year in Alma-Ata in the park. And now it’s almost 30 years since they meet in the park...

Five future generals emerged from the ranks of this glorious military unit: Mukan Dyusekeyev, Saken Zhasuzakov, Mels Bekboev, Taalai Shaatemirov and Rinat Mereddurdyev. They formed the backbone of the armies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

Sergei Yakimansky went into construction business and became the owner of a construction company. He is famous for having built the Rukha boarding house on the southern shore of Issyk-Kul. Next year, he and his fellow soldiers intend to erect a monument there to those killed from the 177th detachment and all participants in the war in Afghanistan.

ASTANA, January 12 - Sputnik, Daniyar Dautaliev. In Almaty, the legend of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, a veteran of the Afghan war, commander of the 177th separate special forces detachment of the main intelligence department of the USSR General Staff, retired colonel Boris Kerimbaev, is celebrating his 70th anniversary.

Kara Major

Boris Kerimbaev was born on January 12, 1948 in the Almaty region. After graduating from the Tashkent Higher Command School in 1970, he was sent to serve in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. In January 1981, he was appointed commander of the 177th separate special forces detachment.

By this time, the war in Afghanistan was already in full swing. The battalion, commanded by Major Kerimbaev, was nicknamed “Muslim”, as it was formed from representatives of Asian nationalities: Kazakhs, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz. It was for the command of this battalion that the nickname “Kara-major” (“Black Major”) was assigned to him for the rest of his life.

In September 1981, a special forces detachment was sent to Afghanistan. The first location of the second “Muslim” battalion was the city of Maymene in the province of Faryab.

“Having occupied all the dominant heights around the village of Rukha, correctly placing security posts, the 177th separate special forces detachment blocked all movement along the Pandshir Gorge and fettered the actions of Ahmad Shah Massoud’s formations for 9 months, despite their numerical superiority,” - this is just one episode from Kerimbaev’s military merits.

Ahmad Shah Massoud offered a million dollars for the head of “Kara Major”, but in the end he was forced to conclude a truce with the Soviet troops.

Shapan from the Akimat of Almaty region

At the end of 1983, Boris Kerimbaev gave up his position as commander of a special forces detachment and was sent to the Central Asian Military District. Demobilized from the army in 1992.

Hero Reward

The anniversary of the legendary officer was celebrated in a solemn atmosphere at the Army House. Representatives of the high command of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, colleagues, active military personnel and cadets arrived to congratulate Boris Tukenovich on his 70th anniversary.

As Mukhamedzhan Talasov, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted, Boris Kerimbaev, having gone through the crucible of the Afghan war, remains in service today and is engaged in public activities. From his students, yesterday's lieutenants and captains, a whole galaxy of generals grew up: the Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan Saken Zhasuzakov, Mukan Dyusekeyev, the Chief of the General Staff of Kyrgyzstan Mels Bekboev. Mukhamedzhan Talasov presented the hero of the day with the “El Korgany” medal of the first degree for his contribution to strengthening the defense capability and military-patriotic activities of Kazakhstan.

Representatives of the akimats of Almaty and the Almaty region also noted the merits of Boris Kerimbaev and gave him gifts. The current commander of the newly formed 177 special forces detachment in Almaty assured Boris Kerimbaev that the traditions he had established would be continued and the fighters would complete the tasks assigned to them. For the servicemen of the unit, he will be an example of courage, honor and bravery and what a real commander should be.

Khabib Khalbaev and Boris Kerimbaev

As part of the anniversary celebration, a presentation of the book “The Second Muslim Battalion. Special forces from Kazakhstan,” written by a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, reserve colonel Amangeldy Zhantasov.

Particularly touching was the meeting of Boris Kerimbaev with the commander of the first Muslim battalion, now colonel of the reserves of Uzbekistan, Habib Khalbaev, with whom they had never met until today.

“I saw a monument to the hero of the Great Patriotic War, a Kazakh son, Bauyrzhan Momyshuly. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union after the end of the war. I think, Boris Tukenovich, his service in Afghanistan, he is worthy of the title of Hero of Kazakhstan. Society needs to petition before President of Kazakhstan, during this man’s lifetime, to award him the title of Hero of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He is worthy of this title,” said Khabib Khalbaev to a storm of applause in the hall.

Boris Kerimbaev kisses the banner of the special forces detachment

"There are no bad soldiers in the army"

“You are learning the science of defending the Motherland. Remember once and for all, this must remain in your brain, since you have cast your lot in becoming officers, that there are no bad soldiers in the army, there are only “bad officers,” Kerimbaev said.

He thanked the leadership of the Almaty Combined Arms Command School, from whose graduates the special forces detachment was mainly formed.

“They needed less training to shoot and run, but I taught them reconnaissance. My main task was to lead them on operations, and the main task was to return them home alive. Yes, in 2 years, 2 months and 5 days I lost 45 people there. There is no war without the dead,” he said, asking the audience to stand and observe a minute of silence in memory of the soldiers who did not return.

The audience in the hall was shown a documentary film about the life and fate of Boris Kerimbaev.

“From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you. Guys, take care of your health, it’s necessary, healthy you are needed everywhere, but you won’t be needed like this. Dear guys, you are all grandfathers, your grandchildren are growing up, your children are growing up. Thank you very much for being were with me, did not give up, went forward wherever I told them. You were courageous guys: soldiers, sergeants, warrant officers, officers. I bow to you. Thank you," Boris Kerimbaev addressed his colleagues in conclusion.

“The most valuable thing is that when you become a commander there, in Afghanistan,

you feel a responsibility that is not easy to bear

shoulders, is, first of all, people’s lives.”

Boris Tukenovich Kerimbaev

War in Afghanistan 1979-1989 remained in history as the most controversial, incomprehensible and even unknown. Its pages are scattered and blurred, its meaning is not defined, its experience has not been studied, it has left problems that we have not yet solved, and we do not know the answers to many questions. Although there are many participants in this war in Kazakhstan, society is little informed about their fate and problems, the significance of their contribution to the military industry of Kazakhstan, etc. After all, there are military secrets, the military experience of the “Afghans,” the strategy and tactics of local wars that are necessary for the new generation of soldiers.

When will we appreciate our heroes?

Any comparison is lame, but without it it is difficult to navigate: if in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. guidelines were basically defined, heroes were recognized, its significance and experience were studied already during the war, but this did not happen in the Afghan war even after decades of its end. For example, what do we know about the famous hero of the Afghan war Boris Kerimbaev, known as “Kara Major” (in Turkic languages ​​the word “Kara” means black, formidable, great, large, etc.)?

Boris Tukenovich does not have the official title of Hero, although at one time they wanted to assign him for a successful special operation... posthumously, but the major not only survived the Afghan “meat grinder”, but also saved the lives of his soldiers. Having appeared in Afghanistan in October 1981, by the summer of 1982 the 177th separate special forces detachment (177th ooSpN) of the 15th separate special forces brigade of the GRU of the USSR General Staff had become the most reliable part of the Soviet contingent. During the time spent in Afghanistan, according to various estimates, about a thousand people passed through this so-called Muslim battalion of Kerimbaev. Of these, only 50 were killed, including four officers. Kerimbaev became the first among the commanders whose combat losses were the least.

If we look at the activities of famous commanders, then this is their talent: to smash a numerically superior enemy, protecting each of their warriors from death. Most of the Kara Major fighters died in Panjshir. But there they are

opposed by a large group of the influential field commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, later the Minister of Defense of Afghanistan, and the “shuravi” (as Soviet soldiers were called in Afghanistan) - only about 500 people.

Did the homeland pay tribute to its hero? Unfortunately, today our native state has practically forgotten about the legendary Grozny Major. Suffice it to say that Kara Major was recognized as a great warrior even by Ahmad Shah, who could not do anything for 8 months with his battalion in the 120 km long Panjshir Gorge. This battalion commander became famous for being called the personal enemy of the “Lion of Panjshir” Ahmad Shah, in contrast to whom Kerimbaev was called the “King of Panjshir.” Ahmad Shah even offered a million dollars for the head of this extraordinary tactician of guerrilla warfare in mountain gorges, but in the end he was forced to conclude a temporary peace treaty with the leadership of the 40th Army.

At the beginning of March 1983, having held out in Panjshir for more than 8 months, having lost 45 people killed and one soldier missing, the 177th detachment emerged from the gorge undefeated by a numerous enemy.

The military merits of Major Kara were awarded with the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Service to the Motherland, third degree. Of course, the battalion commander deserves more. Although they say: there is honor according to merit, in life the opposite often happens - honor is not due to merit.

Recently I asked Boris Tukenovich: “How does our state treat you?” The retired colonel answered laconically: “As for all Afghans.”

Of course, this attitude towards their illustrious war veterans is surprising. At one time, we were indignant at the unfair treatment of national heroes in the USSR: Bauyrzhan Momyshuly, Rakhimzhan Koshkarbaev, etc. After gaining independence, little changed in this regard. Among those who are worthy of the title of Khalyk Kaharmany, without a doubt, the legendary Kara Major is in the first line. Of course, heroes should be honored and given honor during their lifetime, and not posthumously. When will we learn to appreciate our heroes?

Now retired colonel Boris Kerimbaev lives in a dacha near Almaty. In recent years, he has often been sick - his injuries make him aware, and instead of a quiet dacha, sometimes the veteran has to spend time in a military hospital in Almaty. And if the state would adequately celebrate the merits of Kara Major, this would be the best therapy for the war hero.

“Momyshuly Spiral” or false flight

To my question: “Is your experience of the war in Afghanistan studied in our military institutions?” he said, “I don’t know.” Judging by this answer, extensive information about the special operation in Panjshir, about the soldiers and officers who took part in it, the Kara major who led it, the experience of special forces in guerrilla warfare in mountainous conditions is not studied in military universities.

Yes, our special forces train in the mountains, and the possibility of waging war in mountainous conditions is relevant in Central Asia, for example, with the same terrorists. Why not study the ready-made survival experience of the 177th Special Forces Detachment in the same conditions?

Everyone is learning from someone else's experience. When Kara Major's detachment ousted the dushmans in one of the partisan onslaughts, in Rukh, in the house of Ahmad Shah, a curious trophy was found - a book by the famous commander of the partisan detachment in the Great Patriotic War, Sidor Kovpak. It turned out that it was for the “Lion of Panjshir” a reference manual on the tactics and strategy of guerrilla warfare. By the way, Boris Kerimbaev also mentions the need to study experience in his book “Kapchagai Battalion”: “The situation itself taught us a lot, and the experience of the Great Patriotic War, especially the partisan war, helped us.”

If the partisans of the experienced Ahmad Shah could not resist the small “Kapchagai battalion,” then it turns out that Kara Major had an unsurpassed strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare in mountainous conditions. It is unlikely that the “Lion of Panjshir” was able to guess the military secret - how was it that a handful of fighters were able to resist his numerous and heavily armed warriors for almost a year?

Again for comparison. Bauyrzhan Momyshuly was known already in the first year of the war, and with the publication of Alexander Bek’s story “Volokolamsk Highway” in 1943, the name of the senior lieutenant spread throughout the world. Bauyrzhan Momyshuly went down in the history of military science as the author of tactical maneuvers and strategies that are still studied in higher military educational institutions in many countries around the world. For example, in the Israeli Defense Forces, at the officer school, along with weapons and a siddur (prayer book), they gave out the book “Volokolamsk Highway” in Hebrew, which served as a training manual for officers.

B. Momyshuly brilliantly put into practice the tactics of fighting with small forces against an enemy many times superior in strength, which later received the name “Momyshuly’s spiral.” As B. Momyshuly explained: “I call it a spiral because all the battles of the Panfilov division near Moscow are characterized by the fact that it cut the path, jumped to the side and carried the enemy along with it, took him 10 kilometers away, then with a jerk stood in his path again , left again. With such maneuvers, the enemy’s forces are dispersed, and our units again enter the highway. This, in the real sense of the word, exhausting the enemy gave a gain in time.”

Historically, this is a war tactic used by steppe nomads. This is psychological “sabotage”, introducing split and confusion into the enemy’s camp, maneuverability, stretching out a numerous enemy with false, disorderly retreats, feigned flights, wearing him down and leading him away from the main supply base, ambushes

the path of his advance, sudden attacks by individual detachments from the flanks, an unexpected turn towards a tired enemy, etc. Essentially, this is the same guerrilla strategy.

Special forces of Kara Major: these are saboteurs and... creators

This guerrilla strategy was used by Boris Tukenovich in the mountainous areas. As the colonel said, he had to learn to navigate at night as during the day in order to move at night and use the factor of surprise; taught his fighters, like hunters, to patiently wait for hours for the enemy under the scorching sun. Like a nomad in the steppe, Kara Major, looking at the sky, could determine what the weather would be like tomorrow. He knew in the mountains all the inconspicuous caravan routes for pack animals, which served as channels for the transfer of enemy weapons and ammunition.

After all, the “Kapchagai battalion” was initially trained as a special forces detachment in Kapchagai, where the fighters were taught the basics of sabotage work behind enemy lines by reconnaissance captain Boris Kerimbaev. Daily cross-country runs of 20-30 km, thousands of push-ups, shooting, hand-to-hand combat, jumping from helicopters and airplanes, training in mine warfare, sabotage operations, etc. As a result, the soldiers under the leadership of Kara Major in combat conditions turned not just into partisans, but into universal, elusive and professional saboteurs who created chaos behind enemy lines, thus drawing off most of their forces.

And in accordance with the words of Alexander the Great, “Attack is the best form of defense,” the battalion commander and his soldiers undertook offensive actions very similar to the tactics of the nomads. They avoided open battles, preferring sabotage, raids on caravans, ambushes, false maneuvers, unexpected assaults on heights, they tried to push the Mujahideen against each other, “set them up”, etc. The eternal art of partisans - to be unnoticed, to sneak, to hide, to wait, to destroy and to leave unnoticed - was fully mastered by the “Afghans” of the 177th detachment.

In addition, Kerimbaev successfully combined the talent of a combat commander, analytical abilities and diplomatic gifts. Kara Major knew how not only to fight, but also to establish contacts with numerous opponents. After all, in that region of Afghanistan there were different forces and groups operating: some had to be fought, some had to be negotiated with, and some had to be pitted against each other.

Who are the partisans? These are military units operating deep behind enemy lines, where there are also civilians. And here the organizational, diplomatic, and economic abilities of the commander and his subordinates come into play in order to win over the local population. And on this front, Kara Major won a victory: he established trusting relationships with the elders of nearby villages, and provided all possible assistance to the local population. For example, local residents fell ill - help came in the form of Soviet military doctors. "Afghans" built schools, roads, hospitals.

Gaining the trust of the local population in a country at war is worth a lot. This is the highest assessment of the commander’s humanity and justice. As Colonel Boris Kerimbaev recalls, “war is war, but even between battles it was necessary to engage in peaceful labor. This was the case when we were engaged in restoring everything destroyed in Darzob.

Seeing this, the people began to return to the village. Every week on Thursday, the commander of the Afghan regiment and I gathered the elders, and we planned work to ensure the livelihoods of the population. The good attitude of the local population towards us was also evidenced by the fact that when I received the command to return to our previous place of deployment and we began to gather, the elders of Darzob wrote a letter to Babrak Karmal with a request to leave part of it with them at their full allowance.”

One of my questions concerned the secret of the military successes of the “Kapchagai battalion”. Boris Tukenovich’s answer to this question: “He taught, demanded from his subordinates, and he himself organized military operations in such a way as to prevent the death of his soldiers. Therefore, the detachment never rushed headlong into the unknown; there was always well-prepared intelligence information about the enemy, about his location, forces and plans, and there were local informants. Of course, this includes physical, combat, tactical, moral and other training of personnel. Yes, sometimes it was very scary - what if during the battle I, as a commander, did not have enough knowledge, skills, determination or courage and because of this the soldiers subordinate to me would die. Therefore, we planned every battle, even a small military operation, in the most careful manner.”

Without Afghan War Syndrome

As for the place of the Afghan war in the history of Kazakhstan, there are many different interpretations. Of course, they will say: the war in Afghanistan - on foreign territory - was waged by a country that no longer exists. Yes it is. But there are still soldiers and officers who fulfilled their military duty to their former homeland and lived their best years in this war, there are still military traditions, military service, the same military duty to their homeland, the military experience of the “Afghans” that needs to be studied, etc. .d. Many participants in the Afghan war still live with memories of the past - this was their life, their campaigns, the loss of friends, injuries and the meaning of their life at that time, which they did not choose.

Ernest Hemingway, who took part in many wars and was very biased in this matter, in the preface to the novel “A Farewell to Arms!” expressed his attitude towards the war in this way: “Those who fight in the war are the most wonderful people, and the closer you are to the front line, the more wonderful people you meet there; but those who start, incite and wage war are pigs who think only about economic competition and the fact that they can make money from it. “I believe that everyone who profits from the war and who helps to incite it should be shot on the very first day of hostilities by the trusted representatives of the honest citizens of their country whom they send to fight.”

Needless to say, our soldiers in Afghanistan were not of their own free will all the time on the front line, where the front line often ran everywhere, “here and now”: during the day, the “peaceful” Afghan peasant was on the field, and at night he went out on the warpath. This front line passed through every village located near the military unit; if there was contact with its inhabitants, or better yet, their trust, material, medical and other assistance from the “shuravi”, then this line was moved back to the next village.

But the main “front line” in the war was in the souls and hearts of soldiers and officers. War is always evil, but in combat conditions it is more difficult to preserve a person within oneself, the ability to value someone else’s life as one’s own; it is in war that people begin to understand male friendship, the feeling of a brotherly shoulder, the support of a commander. And the words of Kara Major are the words of a real commander and hero: “The most valuable thing is that when you become a commander there, in Afghanistan, you feel a responsibility that is not easy to carry on your shoulders - this is, first of all, the lives of people.” Although Boris Tukenovich was not much older than his subordinates, they called him “Batya” for his paternal attitude towards his soldiers, for his paternal responsibility for his children.

And, of course, the state and society must change their attitude towards this war and its participants. Now we must learn to live without the syndrome of the Afghan war and pay tribute to its participants...

When will the law on Afghans be adopted?

February 15, 2016. On the 27th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, the legendary intelligence officer and hero of “Afghan” was sent a medal from Moscow.

Of course, I couldn’t help but ask the following question: what is the main problem our “Afghans” have?

Boris Tukenovich answered bitterly: “The Afghans have a lot of problems. Where to put more than 2000 disabled people? Yes, little can be changed in their lives now, but they especially need social benefits, because these are already elderly people, these are the most vulnerable segments of the population. After Afghanistan, in peacetime, people die, and sometimes their relatives have nothing to bury them with. And there are also problems with treatment - we have to negotiate privately with military hospitals in order to admit the guys for treatment.

The main problem is when will the law on participants in the war in Afghanistan be adopted? 27 years have passed since the end of this war, but the status of the “Afghans” has not yet been determined! We were equated with participants in the Second World War, but we are participants in another war. Although, I think, until this law is passed, many problems will become irrelevant. Life is changing so rapidly that the provisions of the old law have long been outdated. For example, you can no longer get medicines for free anywhere. The same applies to free prosthetics, summer cottages, etc. Yes, war was not officially declared in Afghanistan, but it happened and we fought there. Therefore, we should be considered full participants in the war - the state sent us there and we carried out the order. The position of some officials “we didn’t send you there” still exists today. It’s as if all 22 thousand veterans from Kazakhstan went there voluntarily to earn money. This attitude greatly humiliates the “Afghans” and embitters them.”

My last question: how should we view the Afghan war and its place in the soul of a battalion commander.

Colonel Boris Kerimbaev replied: “History should not be forgotten! I cannot betray the memory of my guys. Why do I celebrate February 23? I was carrying the body of a friend who had been hit by a shrapnel in the cervical artery, he died in my arms, and this happened right before February 23rd. And I understand this day as a day of remembrance, as a day of continuity of generations, in any case, we all came out of the Soviet military overcoat.

As for the place of this war in my soul, these are, of course, individual impressions, personal perceptions and memories. A person has a soul, a restless heart, and I, like any “Afghan,” cannot help but think about what happened in Afghanistan. Sleepless nights in thought, the teasing voice of conscience, thoughts about the countless victims of the Afghan war, scenes of the death of comrades... In this difficult spiritual struggle, something grows in you, moral suffering opens up the abyss of existence deeper. And you understand that your enemy on the other side of the front could turn out to be the same person as you, perhaps even morally and intellectually more developed than you, because his unfortunate, tormented people were not covered by the shield of the empire. The colossal sacrifices of his people, the daily scenes of the misfortunes of war turned him into a thinker, but not an avenger..."