Glory and bitterness ... How often these words go together in the characteristics of wars, because war is death, the death of young people who could still do so much in their lives. But bitterness becomes especially unbearable when it would be possible to avoid human casualties, but someone did not give the right order and forbade them to go to the aid of their own.
Argun Gorge is a beautiful place in the whole Caucasus. The Long Canyon plays a strategically important role in communication throughout the
Chechen Republic: the forces that control it have the opportunity to dominate the country.
The counter-terrorist operation - that was the official name for the fighting in Chechnya since September 1999, which today has subsided, but has not stopped completely. And although the federal troops showed their best side, the Argun Gorge is written in a tragic line in the annals of history. The year 2000 was marked by the capture of Chatoy and the announcement of the successful completion of the operation. Since 2001, the contingent of Russian troops in Chechnya has been declining.
On February 29, 2000, the Russian group of troops in the Shatoi region numbered about one hundred thousand people. How did it happen that the Argun Gorge became a grave for a company of Russian soldiers who were left face to face with 2,500 armed militants to the teeth, with snipers who "took off" the soldiers so quickly that they couldn’t even fire a shot? So, company commander Sergey Molodov died almost immediately from a sniper bullet, whose place was taken by Mark Evtyukhin. Young and experienced fighters held on to the previously occupied 776 altitude, not retreating, not panicking, because they were waiting for help, support from their own, which never came. On the first day of the battle, 31 people died, but a handful of Russian soldiers kept the height for another day. When it became clear that the help would not be in time, the only surviving officer, although he was seriously injured, diverted the fire and ordered two young privates to escape, who jumped off a cliff.
The Argun Gorge passed into the hands of the militants, but only for a day. On March 2, federal troops occupied a height, and only a part of the militants managed to get out of the encirclement along secret paths.
Of the entire company of paratroopers defending the Argun Gorge, 6 people survived. Some were injured, someone lost consciousness and was regarded by the opponents as dead; Private Andrei Porshnev and Alexander Suponinsky owe their lives to Captain Romanov, who sacrificed himself to save them. Major Alexander Dostovalov, not waiting for an order, rushed with his small group of 15 people to help the paratroopers who entered the battle and died as a man of honor. These are exactly what we call heroes. Why are these sacrifices needed? Who gave orders to neighboring locations not to engage in battle under the fear of the tribunal? What are the media not talking about? It seemed that the soldiers had not been considered by the generals as "cannon fodder" for a long time, was it really so?
Nevertheless, the battle in the Argun Gorge testifies to lively military prowess and honor, that there are those who are ready to be faithful, but not to be traitors to either the Homeland or comrades. Without such courage, military glory is unthinkable, the upbringing of the future generation is unthinkable.