Meeting with Veterans of Afghan War

Exactly 30 years have passed this year since withdrawal of Soviet combatant forces from Afghanistan. Despite the long but already forgotten history, a ten-year war has not yet been given a decent mark. Nevertheless, the internationalist warriors who took the military oath and fulfilled their duty to defend the homeland away from their home are the role models for younger generation. Some of them were invited to “Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics” in Semey in order to meet with our students.

During the meeting with our students, the internationalist warriors who devoted their youth to the war talked about their military life. Alexander Tsvetkov and Sovet Aitbayev, who came to the meeting, told many interesting stories. The Deputy Director Raigul Kaiyrkenova noted that the students are aware of the Afghan war.

“Dear students! You read about the cold war in World History. Moreover, you are aware of the battles of the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. In that war, among young people were our compatriots who fulfilled their civic duty towards their homeland. Today we will meet with them and learn about the situation during the battle. If you have any questions, your guests are ready to answer”, said Raigul Altynbekovna in her opening speech.

The students learned about how the soldiers entered the army, from what time they were accepted, how they went through all the way on the battle field, and about their difficulties. Children even learned about what veterans are doing in the modern world and what support the government provides them now.

“In July 1979, I graduated from the Transport College in Semipalatinsk and received a diploma. After graduating from this college, I was immediately invited to the military commissariat. As you know, the army recruitment season is held in spring and autumn. Despite this, they took me into the army in the middle of summer, and after several months of training, I was sent to the border of Afghanistan, where the war was taking place. No one asked us if we want to go to war. We took a military oath and took up arms. Although the war was fought on the territory of another state, we have already fulfilled our internationalist duty. I want you to understand that we were not invaders, we did not kill peaceful people”, said Alexander Tsvetkov, a veteran of the Afghan war.

“I agree with Alexander. Many make different assumptions about why Soviet troops entered Afghanistan, although they do not know the whole truth. One of the reasons for our intervention in the Afghan war was that at that time the ruler of Afghanistan asked our country to help them. Secondly, we defended the south of our country from various armed groups which now called “terrorists”. It is not easy to describe war in words. We have lost so many friends. Therefore, do not believe those who say that it was easy for them during the Afghan war. Despite the fact that we fought for two years, we did not tell our parents and relatives that we were fighting. Of course, they knew that we were in Afghanistan, but they did not know that we were at war”, said Sovet Aitbayev.

In addition to the theme of war, the students who carefully listened to the stories of the veterans, alsi asked personal questions regarding the internationalists themselves.

Raigul Altynbekovna summed up the meeting and, on behalf of the school staff and students, thanked the veterans of the Afghan war. At the end of the meeting, two soldiers were presented with the original works of our school students.

Press Service of Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Semey