The longest war of the Soviet armed forces abroad was connected with the military presence in Afghanistan (December 1979 - February 1989). In total, Soviet and Russian soldiers participated in 21 armed conflicts, commonly called hot spots. The war claimed 30 thousand lives full of strength and desires of people, many of whom died a heroic death. Only Afghanistan gave the country 92 Heroes of the Soviet Union.
From the suppression and limitation of information about hostilities, the state moved on to the heroization and legitimization of the participation of Soviet and Russian military in conflicts of other countries. Today there is no settlement where a monument to internationalist warriors was not erected, where close and simply not indifferent people can come on days of memorable dates to honor the memory of the dead.
Monument on Poklonnaya Hill
One of the most grandiose memorials was conceived in Victory Park (Moscow city), on Poklonnaya Hill. The opening of the monument to soldiers-internationalists took place in 2004, on the anniversary date (the entry of troops into Afghanistan). The bronze figure of a warrior in camouflage, peering into the distance at the foot of the mountain, symbolizes a soldier performing his military duty. His four-meter figure is visible from afar: in his right hand he holds a machine gun, and in his left - a helmet. The red granite pedestal on a bronze bas-relief depicts a battle scene.
Interestingly, the monument was created at the expense of veteran organizations of former Afghans and their personal contributions. The Moscow Government also participated, but the large-scale project was not fully implemented to the end. The sculptors S. A. and S. S. Shcherbakov, architects Yu. And S. Grigoriev are planning to create a memorial complex of three zones: the soldier represents the first of them - the Feat zone. But additional territories of Sorrow and Blessed memory with a bronze figure of an angel are supposed. On 55 steles, similar to mountain ranges, plates will be installed with the names of all those who died in local wars.
Other Russian monuments to soldiers-internationalists: photo, short description
- Yekaterinburg, Black Tulip. The idea of a stylized space of an airplane flying with a “cargo of 200” and which went down in history under the name “Black Tulip” (the name of a funeral home in Uzbekistan) belongs to the sculptor architect A. N. Serov. In the center is a seated soldier with a machine gun. Behind it , pylons with 242 surnames of compatriots who did not return from Afghanistan were installed . If the soldier is 4.7 meters high, then the pylons are directed upward by 10 meters. The metal monument to soldiers-internationalists was inaugurated in 1995, but at the beginning of the two thousandths it was supplemented with a memorial to the dead soldiers in the North Caucasus by decision of veteran organizations.
- The memorial in St. Petersburg. A whole park of Internationalists was created in the Northern capital , where in 1998, a sculptor N. Gordievsky and architect N. Tarasova erected a memorial in memory of the fallen Afghans from stone and metal. It is opened by the figure of the Sorrowful mother just above human height (280 cm with a pedestal) made of pink granite. Behind it are the figures of two fighters among two granite steles in the form of rocks. To the left and right are five similar stone slabs with the names of the dead Petersburgers. A stepwise approach to the main monument, as it were, exalts the feat of soldiers mourned by their mother.
"Winged Infantry" is dedicated
There are monuments built not at the expense of veteran organizations, but by decree of the President of the Russian Federation. Such a document was signed by V.V. Putin in 2002 in order to perpetuate the feat of the 6th company of Russian paratroopers, which almost completely died in a battle near Ulus-Curt in March 2002. Height 776 responds with pain in the heart of every caring person. On it, 90 draftees were held back for 19 hours by a two-thousand gang of separatists trying to get out of the encirclement through the Argun Gorge. Only six survived by a lucky chance. 22 guardsmen are presented to the star of the Hero, 69 are awarded with orders of Courage. The monument in their honor is called the “Dome” and is located in Cherekhe (near Pskov), where the 104th Air Assault Regiment is stationed.
Created by the architect Anatoly Tsarik (Pskov), the “Dome” symbolizes a parachute, the slings of which are based on a pedestal. It is made in the form of a mountain peak and consists of four faces. Their trapezoidal plates recreate the shape of the St. George Cross. 84 names of heroes of paratroopers are immortalized here. Autographs of children are recorded on the snow-white inner part of the dome, and a star of the Hero of Russia crowns the outer dome. The central axis is made in the form of 84 funeral candles that light up in orange in the dark. This is a touching and beautiful sight, because a monument to the fallen internationalist soldiers stands at the highway of federal significance.
Instead of an afterword
On the pages of the Internet, a website for the memory of Afghan soldiers called “Black Tulip” has been created. On it, bit by bit, materials are collected about everyone who passed away and died from wounds in peacetime. The developers keep records of memorial places: each monument to soldiers-internationalists has an address, description and photo. Today, 373 monuments are known not only in Russia, but also in the CIS countries.
Every year on February 15, veteran organizations organize festive processions, rallies, and flower-laying events, organizing Memorial Day for all victims of military duty. The monument to soldiers-internationalists is also a gathering place for those who do not know anything about the fate of their children, brothers, husbands and whose graves are not on this earth. Only Afghanistan gave the country 417 missing people, so the creation of memorial places is the duty of the state, which sent its soldiers to protect the interests of the country on foreign territory.