The participation of the USSR in wars abroad. Participation of the ussr in conflicts during the cold war

After World War II, the USSR took part in many local military conflicts. This participation was unofficial and even secret. Feats of the same Soviet soldiers in these wars will forever remain unknown.

Chinese Civil War 1946-1950

By the end of World War II, two governments had formed in China, and the country's territory was divided into two parts. One of them was controlled by the Kuomintang party, led by Chiang Kai-shek, the second - by the communist government headed by Mao Zedong. The United States supported the Kuomintang, and the USSR supported the Chinese Communist Party.
The trigger of the war was launched in March 1946, when a 310,000-strong Kuomintang force group, with the direct support of the United States, launched an offensive against the CPC positions. They captured almost all of southern Manchuria, pushing the communists back across the Songhua River. At the same time, the deterioration of relations with the USSR begins - the Kuomintang, under various pretexts, does not fulfill the conditions of the Soviet-Chinese treaty "on friendship and alliance": the property of the Chinese Eastern Railway is being plundered, Soviet media are being closed, anti-Soviet organizations are being created.

In 1947, Soviet pilots, tank crews and gunners arrived at the United Democratic Army (later the People's Liberation Army of China). The decisive role in the subsequent victory of the CPC was also played by the weapons supplied to the Chinese communists from the USSR. According to some reports, in the fall of 1945 alone, the PLA received from the USSR 327,877 rifles and carbines, 5207 machine guns, 5219 artillery pieces, 743 tanks and armored vehicles, 612 aircraft, as well as ships of the Sungaria flotilla.

In addition, Soviet military specialists developed a strategic defense and counteroffensive management plan. All this contributed to the success of the NAO and the establishment communist regime Mao Zedong. During the war, about a thousand Soviet soldiers died on the territory of China.

Korean War (1950-1953).

Information about the participation of the armed forces of the USSR in the Korean War was classified for a long time. At the beginning of the conflict, the Kremlin did not plan for the participation of Soviet troops in it, however, the large-scale involvement of the United States in the confrontation between the two Koreas changed the position of the Soviet Union. In addition, the provocations of the Americans also influenced the Kremlin's decision to enter the conflict: for example, on October 8, 1950, two American attack aircraft even bombed the Pacific Fleet Air Force base in the Sukhaya Rechka area.

The military support of the DPRK by the Soviet Union was mainly aimed at repelling the US aggression and was carried out at the expense of gratuitous supplies of weapons. Specialists from the USSR trained command, staff and engineering personnel.

The main military assistance was provided by aviation: Soviet pilots flew combat missions in MiG-15s, repainted in the colors of the Chinese Air Force. At the same time, the pilots were forbidden to operate over the Yellow Sea and pursue enemy aircraft south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line.

Military advisers from the USSR were present at the front headquarters only in civilian clothes, under the guise of correspondents of the Pravda newspaper. This special "camouflage" is mentioned in Stalin's telegram to General Shtykov, an employee of the Far Eastern department of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

It is still unclear how many Soviet soldiers actually were in Korea. According to official figures, during the conflict, the USSR lost 315 people and 335 MiG-15 fighters. By comparison, the Korean War claimed the lives of 54,246,000 Americans and over 103,000 were injured.

Vietnam War (1965-1975)

In 1945, the creation of Democratic Republic Vietnam, power in the country passed to the communist leader Ho Chi Minh. But the West was in no hurry to give up its former colonial possessions. Soon French troops landed on the territory of Vietnam in order to restore their influence in the region. In 1954, a document was signed in Geneva, according to which the independence of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia was recognized, and the country was divided into two parts: North Vietnam, headed by Ho Chi Minh, and South Vietnam, with Ngo Dinh Diem. The latter quickly lost popularity among the people, and a guerrilla war broke out in South Vietnam, especially since the impenetrable jungle provided it with high efficiency.

On March 2, 1965, the United States began regular bombing raids on North Vietnam, accusing the country of expanding partisan movement on South. The Soviet Union's reaction was immediate. Large-scale deliveries begin in 1965 military equipment, specialists and soldiers to Vietnam. Everything happened in the strictest secrecy.

According to the recollections of the veterans, before the flight, the soldiers were dressed in civilian clothes, their letters home were so severely censored that if they fell into the hands of a stranger, the latter could understand only one thing: the authors are resting somewhere in the south and enjoying their serene vacation.

The participation of the USSR in the Vietnam War was so classified that it is still not clear what role the Soviet military played in this conflict. There are numerous legends about Soviet aces pilots fighting "phantoms", whose collective image was embodied in the pilot Li-Si-Tsin from a famous folk song. However, according to the recollections of the participants in the events, our pilots were strictly forbidden to engage in combat with American planes. The exact number and names of Soviet soldiers who participated in the conflict are still unknown.

War in Algeria (1954-1964)

The national liberation movement in Algeria, which gained momentum after the Second World War, in 1954 grew into a real war against French colonial rule. In the conflict, the USSR took the side of the rebels. Khrushchev noted that the struggle of the Algerians against the French organizers is in the nature of a liberation war, in connection with which the UN should support it.

but Soviet Union provided the Algerians not only with diplomatic support: the Kremlin supplied the Algerian army with weapons and military personnel.

The Soviet military contributed to the organizational strengthening of the Algerian army, participated in planning operations against the French troops, as a result of which the latter had to negotiate.

The parties entered into an agreement according to which hostilities ceased, and Algeria was granted independence.

After the signing of the agreement, the Soviet sappers carried out the largest operation to clear the territory of the country. During the war, French sapper battalions on the border of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia mined a strip from 3 to 15 km, where there were up to 20 thousand "surprises" per kilometer. Soviet sappers cleared 1,350 sq. km of territory, destroying 2 million anti-personnel mines.

A small victorious war, which was supposed to calm down revolutionary sentiments in society, is still regarded by many as aggression from Russia, but few people look into history books and know that it was Japan that unexpectedly began military operations.

The results of the war were very, very sad - the loss of the Pacific fleet, the lives of 100 thousand soldiers and the phenomenon of complete mediocrity, both tsarist generals, and the most royal dynasty in Russia.

2. World War I (1914-1918)

The long-brewing conflict of the leading world powers, the first large-scale war, which revealed all the shortcomings and backwardness of tsarist Russia, which entered the war without even completing its rearmament. The allies in the Entente were frankly weak, and only heroic efforts and talented commanders at the end of the war made it possible to begin to tip the scales in the direction of Russia.

However, society did not need the Brusilov Breakthrough, it needed changes and bread. Not without the help of German intelligence, the revolution was accomplished and peace was achieved, on very difficult conditions for Russia.

3. Civil War (1918-1922)

The time of troubles of the twentieth century for Russia continued. The Russians defended themselves from the occupying countries, brother went against brother, and indeed these four years were one of the most difficult, on a par with the Second World War. It makes no sense to describe these events in such material, and military actions took place only on the territory of the former Russian Empire.

4. Fight against Basmachism (1922-1931)

Not everyone accepted the new government and collectivization. The remnants of the White Guard found refuge in Fergana, Samarkand and Khorezm, easily knocked out the dissatisfied Basmachi to the resistance of the young Soviet army and could not calm them down until 1931.

In principle, this conflict, again, cannot be regarded as external, because it was an echo of the Civil War, the "White Sun of the Desert" will help you.

Under tsarist Russia, the Chinese Eastern Railway was an important strategic target Of the Far East, simplified the development of wild territories and was jointly managed by China and Russia. In 1929, the Chinese decided that the time was right for the weakened USSR. railroad and adjacent territories to select.

However, the Chinese grouping 5 times outnumbered was defeated near Harbin and in Manchuria.

6. Provision of international military assistance to Spain (1936-1939)

Russian volunteers in the amount of 500 people went to fight the nascent fascist and General Franco. Also, the USSR delivered to Spain about a thousand units of ground and air combat equipment and about 2 thousand guns.

Reflection of Japanese aggression at Lake Khasan (1938) and hostilities at the Khalkin-Gol River (1939)

The defeat of the Japanese by the small forces of the Soviet border guards and the subsequent large military operations were again aimed at protecting the state border of the USSR. By the way, after the Second World War, 13 military leaders were executed in Japan for unleashing a conflict near Lake Hassan.

7. Hike to Western Ukraine and Western Belarus (1939)

The campaign was aimed at protecting the borders and preventing hostilities from Germany, which had already openly attacked Poland. The Soviet Army, oddly enough, as the hostilities progressed, repeatedly faced resistance from both Polish and German forces.

Unconditional aggression on the part of the USSR, hoping to expand the northern territories and cover Leningrad, cost the Soviet army very heavy losses. Having spent 1.5 years instead of three weeks on hostilities, and having received 65 thousand killed and 250 thousand wounded, the USSR pushed back the border and provided Germany with a new ally in the coming war.

9. Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)

The current rewriters of history textbooks shout about the insignificant role of the USSR in the victory over fascism and atrocities Soviet troops in the liberated territories. However, adequate people still consider this great feat to be a war of liberation, and are advised to look at at least the monument to the Soviet liberator soldier erected by the people of Germany.

10. Fighting in Hungary: 1956

The introduction of Soviet troops to maintain the communist regime in Hungary was undoubtedly a manifestation of strength in the Cold War. The USSR showed the whole world that it would be extremely cruel measures to protect its geopolitical interests.

11. Events on Damansky Island: March 1969

The Chinese again took up the old, but 58 border guards and the Grad UZO defeated three companies of the Chinese infantry and discouraged the Chinese from challenging the border territories.

12. Fighting in Algeria: 1962-1964.

Volunteer and armament assistance to the Algerians who fought for independence from France again confirmed the growing sphere of interests of the USSR.

This is followed by a list of military operations involving Soviet military instructors, pilots, volunteers, and other reconnaissance groups. Undoubtedly, all these facts are interference in the affairs of another state, but in essence - a response to exactly the same interventions from the United States, England, France, Great Britain, Japan, etc. Here is a list of the largest arenas of confrontation in the Cold War.

• 13. Fighting in the Yemen Arab Republic: from October 1962 to March 1963; from November 1967 to December 1969
• 14. Fighting in Vietnam: from January 1961 to December 1974
• 15. Fighting in Syria: June 1967: March - July 1970; September - November 1972; March - July 1970; September - November 1972; October 1973
• 16. Fighting in Angola: from November 1975 to November 1979
• 17. Fighting in Mozambique: 1967-1969; from November 1975 to November 1979
• 18. Fighting in Ethiopia: from December 1977 to November 1979
• 19. War in Afghanistan: December 1979 to February 1989
• 20. Fighting in Cambodia: from April to December 1970
• 22. Fighting in Bangladesh: 1972-1973. (for personnel of ships and auxiliary vessels Navy THE USSR).
• 23. Fighting in Laos: from January 1960 to December 1963; from August 1964 to November 1968; from November 1969 to December 1970
• 24. Fighting in Syria and Lebanon: July 1982

25. Entry of troops into Czechoslovakia 1968

The "Prague Spring" was the last direct military intervention in the affairs of another state in the history of the USSR, which received loud condemnation, including in Russia. "Swan song" of a powerful totalitarian government and Soviet army turned out to be cruel and short-sighted and only hastened the collapse of the Department of Internal Affairs and the USSR.

26. Chechen wars (1994-1996, 1999-2009)

The brutal and bloody civil war in the North Caucasus happened again at a time when the new government was weak and was only gaining strength and rebuilding the army. Despite the coverage of these wars in the Western media as an aggression on the part of Russia, most historians regard these events as the struggle of the Russian Federation for the integrity of its territory.

For the period from 1945 to early XXI v. more than 500 local wars and armed conflicts have occurred in the world. They not only influenced the formation of relations between countries directly in conflict zones, but also reflected on the politics and economies of many countries of the world. According to many political analysts, the likelihood of new local wars and armed conflicts not only persists, but also increases. In this regard, the study of the causes of their occurrence, the methods of unleashing, the experience of preparation and conduct of hostilities, the peculiarities of the art of war in them is of particular relevance.

The term "local war" is understood as a war involving two or more states within the boundaries of their territories, limited in purpose and scale from the point of view of the interests of the great powers. Local wars, as a rule, are waged with the direct or indirect support of major powers, which can use them to achieve their own political goals.

An armed conflict is a limited-scale armed clash between states (international armed conflict) or opposing parties within the territory of one state (internal armed conflict). In armed conflicts, war is not declared and the transition to a wartime regime is not carried out. An international armed conflict can develop into a local war, an internal armed conflict - into civil war.

The largest local wars of the 2nd half of the 20th century, which had a significant impact on the development of military affairs, include: the war in Korea (1950-1953), the war in Vietnam (1964-1975), the Indo-Pakistani war (1971), the Arab-Israeli wars, the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989), the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), the war in the Persian Gulf (1991), the wars in Yugoslavia and Iraq.

1. Brief overview of local wars and armed conflicts

Korean War (1950-1953)

V In August 1945, the Red Army liberated the northern part of Korea from the Japanese invaders. Part of the peninsula south of the 38th parallel was occupied by American troops. In the future, it was planned to create a unified Korean state. The Soviet Union in 1948 withdrew its troops from the territory of North Korea. However, the United States continued its policy of splitting this country. In August 1948, a pro-American government was formed in South Korea, headed by Rhee Seung Man. In the north of the country, in the fall of the same year, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was proclaimed. The governments of both the DPRK and South Korea believed that the creation of a united state under their rule was possible only by destroying a hostile regime in another part of Korea. Both countries began to actively create and build up their armed forces.

By the summer of 1950, the size of the South Korean army had reached 100,000. It was armed with 840 guns and mortars, 1.9 thousand anti-tank rifles "bazooka" and 27 armored vehicles. In addition, this army had 20 combat aircraft and 79 naval ships.

The Korean People's Army (KPA) consisted of 10 rifle divisions, a tank brigade, and a motorcycle regiment. She had 1.6 thousand guns and mortars, 258 tanks, 172 combat aircraft.

The US-South Korean war plan was to encircle and destroy the main KPA forces in the areas of Pyongyang and south of Wonsan by advancing ground forces from the front and landing troops in the rear, after which, developing an offensive to the north, reach the border with China ...

Their actions were ready to support 3 American infantry and 1 armored divisions, a separate infantry regiment and a regimental battle group that were part of the US 8th Army, which were based in Japan.

In early May 1950, the DPRK government received reliable information about the impending aggression. With the help of a group of Soviet military advisers, a military action plan was developed, which provided for repelling enemy strikes with the subsequent transition to a counteroffensive. The USSR provided North Korea with material assistance, including equipment and heavy weapons. The advance deployment of troops along the 38th parallel made it possible to achieve a balance of forces and equipment that was advantageous for the KPA. The transition of the KPA troops to the offensive on June 25, 1950 is considered by many historians as a forced measure in connection with the numerous military provocations on the part of South Korea.

Military operations in the Korean War can be roughly divided into four periods.

1st period (June 25 - September 14, 1950). On June 25, 1950, the KPA launched an offensive. Under pressure from the United States and in the absence of a Soviet representative, the UN Security Council authorized the creation of UN troops to "repel aggression." On July 5, units of the 8th American Army under the UN flag entered the battle against the KPA. The enemy's resistance increased. Despite this, the KPA troops continued their successful offensive and in 1.5 months advanced 250-350 km southward.

The American air superiority in the air forced the command of the KPA to increasingly switch to night operations, which negatively affected the pace of the offensive. By August 20, the KPA offensive was stopped at the turn of the river. Naktongan. The enemy managed to hold on to the Busan bridgehead in the south of the Korean Peninsula.

2nd period (September 15 - October 24, 1950). By mid-September, the enemy had transferred up to 6 American divisions and an English brigade to the Pusan ​​bridgehead. The balance of power changed in his favor. The 8th American Army alone had 14 infantry divisions, 2 brigades, up to 500 tanks, over 1.6 thousand guns and mortars, and more than 1,000 aircraft. The plan of the American command was to encircle and destroy the main forces of the KPA by striking troops from the Pusan ​​bridgehead and landing an amphibious assault in the area of ​​Incheon.

The operation began on 15 September with an amphibious assault in the rear of the KPA. On September 16, troops went over to the offensive from the Pusan ​​bridgehead. They managed to break through the KPA defenses and develop an offensive to the north. On October 23, the enemy captured Pyongyang. On the west coast, American forces managed to reach the Korean-Chinese border by the end of October. Their further advance was delayed by the stubborn defense of the KPA units together with the partisans operating behind enemy lines.

3rd period (October 25, 1950 - July 9, 1951). Since October 19, 1950, Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) took part in hostilities on the side of the DPRK. On October 25, the forward units of the KPA and CPV launched a counterattack on the enemy. Developing the successfully launched offensive, the KPA and CPV forces cleared the entire territory of North Korea from the enemy in 8 months of hostilities. Attempts by the American-South Korean troops to undertake a new offensive in the first half of 1951 were unsuccessful. In July 1951, the front stabilized along the 38th parallel, and the belligerents began peace negotiations.

4th period (July 10, 1951 - July 27, 1953). The American command has repeatedly disrupted negotiations and reopened hostilities. Enemy aviation carried out massive strikes against rear objects and troops of the DPRK. However, as a result of the active resistance and staunchness of the KPA and CPV forces in defense, the next attempts of the enemy's offensive were not successful.

have had. The firm position of the USSR, heavy losses of UN troops and the growing demands of the world community to put an end to the war led to the signing of a ceasefire agreement on July 27, 1953.

As a result, the war ended in the same place where it began - at the 38th parallel, along which the border between North and South Korea passed. One of the important military and political results of the war was that the United States and its allies, despite all their enormous potential, were unable to win the war against a much less technically equipped enemy, such as the North Korean army and Chinese volunteers.

Vietnam War (1964-1975)

The Vietnam War was one of the largest and longest-running armed clashes since World War II. Victory over the French colonialists in the War of Independence 1945-1954 created favorable conditions for the peaceful unification of the Vietnamese people. However, this did not happen. In the northern part of Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) was created. In South Vietnam, a pro-American government was formed, which, using military and economic assistance from the United States, began hastily to create its own army. By the end of 1958, it numbered 150 thousand people and more than 200 thousand were in paramilitary formations. Using these forces, the South Vietnamese regime launched punitive operations against the national-patriotic forces of South Vietnam. In response to the repressive measures, the Vietnamese people launched an active guerrilla war. The fighting covered the entire territory of the country. The DRV provided all-round assistance to the rebels. By the middle of 1964, 2/3 of the country's territory was under the control of the partisans.

To save its ally, the US government decided to go over to direct military intervention in South Vietnam. Taking advantage of the collision of American ships with torpedo boats of the DRV in the Gulf of Tonkin as an excuse, US aviation began systematic bombing of the territory of the DRV on August 5, 1964. Large contingents of American troops were deployed to South Vietnam.

The course of the armed struggle in Vietnam can be roughly divided into 3 periods: the first (August 5, 1964 - November 1, 1968) - the period of escalation of American military intervention; the second (November 1968 - January 27, 1973) - a period of gradual curtailment of the scale of the war; the third (January 28, 1973 - May 1, 1975) - the period of the final strikes of the patriotic forces and the end of the war.

The plan of the American command provided for air strikes on the most important objects of the DRV and communications of the South Vietnamese partisans, to isolate them from

incoming aid, block and destroy. Units of American infantry, the latest equipment and weapons began to be transferred to South Vietnam. Subsequently, the number of American troops in South Vietnam constantly increased and amounted to: in 1965 - 155 thousand, in 1966 - 385.3 thousand, in 1967 - 485.8 thousand, in 1968 - 543 thousand people.

In 1965-1966. the American command launched a major offensive with the aim of seizing important points in Central Vietnam, pushing the guerrillas back to the mountainous, wooded and sparsely populated areas of the country. However, this plan was thwarted by the maneuverable and active actions of the Liberation Army. The air war against the DRV also ended in failure. Having strengthened the air defense system with anti-aircraft weapons (mainly with Soviet anti-aircraft guided missiles), the anti-aircraft gunners of the DRV inflicted significant damage on the enemy's aviation. For 4 years over the territory of North Vietnam were shot down over 3 thousand American combat aircraft.

1968-1972 the patriotic forces launched three large-scale offensives that liberated areas of over 2.5 million. Saigon and American forces suffered heavy losses and were forced to go on the defensive.

1970-1971 the flames of war spread to the neighboring states of Vietnam - Cambodia and Laos. The purpose of the invasion of the American-Saigon troops was to cut the Indochina Peninsula in two, isolate the South Vietnamese patriots from the DRV, and strangle the national liberation movement in this region. However, the aggression failed. Having met resolute resistance and suffering heavy losses, the interventionists withdrew their troops from the territories of these two states. At the same time, the American command began a gradual withdrawal of its troops from South Vietnam, shifting the brunt of the struggle onto the troops of the Saigon regime.

The successful actions of the air defense of the DRV and the South Vietnamese partisans, as well as the demands of the world community, forced the United States to sign on January 27, 1973, an agreement to end the participation of their armed forces in the Vietnam war. In total, up to 2.6 million American soldiers and officers participated in this war. American troops were armed with over 5 thousand combat aircraft and helicopters, 2.5 thousand guns, hundreds of tanks. According to American data, the United States lost in Vietnam about 60 thousand people killed, over 300 thousand people wounded, over 8.6 thousand aircraft and helicopters and a large number of other military equipment.

In 1975, the troops of the DRV and the partisans completed the defeat of the Saigon army and on May 1 captured the city of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. The puppet regime fell. The heroic 30-year struggle of the Vietnamese people for independence ended in complete victory. In 1976, the DRV and the Republic of South Vietnam formed a single state - the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The main military-political results of the war consisted in the fact that the impotence of the most modern military power against the people fighting for their national liberation was again revealed. After the defeat in Vietnam, the United States largely lost its influence in Southeast Asia.

Indo-Pakistani War (1971)

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a consequence of the colonial past of the two countries that were part of British India until 1947, and the result of the incorrect division of the territory of the colony by the British after independence.

The main reasons for the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War were:

unresolved territorial disputes, among which the problem of Jammu and Kashmir occupied a key position;

political and economic contradictions within Pakistan, between its western and eastern parts;

the problem of refugees from East Bengal (9.5 million people by the beginning of the war).

The number of the Indian Armed Forces by the beginning of 1971 was about 950 thousand people. In service there were more than 1.1 thousand tanks, 5.6 thousand guns and mortars, over 900 aircraft and helicopters (about 600 combat), more than 80 warships, boats and auxiliary vessels.

The armed forces of Pakistan numbered about 370 thousand people, over 900 tanks, about 3.3 thousand guns and mortars, 450 aircraft (350 combat), 30 warships and auxiliary vessels.

The Indian Armed Forces outnumbered the Pakistani Armed Forces in terms of the number of personnel by 2.6 times; tanks - 1.3; field artillery guns and mortars - 1.7 times; combat aircraft - 1.7; warships and boats - 2.3 times.

The Indian Armed Forces mainly used modern Soviet-made military equipment, including T-54, T-55, PT-76 tanks, 100-mm and 130-mm artillery mounts, MiG-21 fighters, Su-7b fighter-bombers, destroyers (large anti-submarine ships), submarines and missile boats.

The armed forces of Pakistan were built with the help of the United States (1954-1965), and later China, France, Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany. The instability of foreign policy orientation in matters of military development was reflected in the composition and quality of weapons. Only Chinese-made T-59 tanks were comparable in terms of combat capabilities to Indian tanks. The rest of the types of weapons were for the most part inferior to Indian models.

The Indo-Pakistani conflict can be divided into 2 periods: the threatened period (April-November 1971), the hostilities of the parties (December 1971).

In December 1970, the People's League party won the elections in East Pakistan (East Bengal). However, the Pakistani government refused to hand over power to it and grant East Pakistan internal autonomy. By order of President Yahya Khan, on March 26, 1971, political activity in the country was banned, the People's League was outlawed, and troops were sent into East Pakistan to launch punitive operations against the population. On April 14, 1971, the leadership of the People's League announced the creation of an interim government in Bangladesh and began preparations for armed struggle by the Mukti Bahini rebels. However, Pakistani troops broke the resistance of the armed detachments of East Bengal nationalists by the end of May and regained control over major cities. Repressions against the population led to a massive exodus of Bengalis to neighboring India, where by mid-November 1971 the number of refugees amounted to 9.5 million people.

India supported the Bengali rebels by providing them with weapons and bases on its territory. After preparation, the detachments were transferred to the territory of East Bengal, where by the beginning of the war their number was up to 100 thousand people. In late October, Mukti Bahini units, often with the direct support of Indian forces, took control of areas along the border and inland in East Pakistan, and on November 21, regular Indian troops crossed the border and joined the insurgents against Pakistani forces.

Pakistan, faced with the threat of East Bengal separatism, at the beginning of 1971 transferred 2 additional divisions to East Pakistan, and began to form new civil defense units and detachments in this province. Partial mobilization was announced and 40 thousand reservists were called up. The troops advanced to the borders, forming 2 groupings - 13 divisions on the western border with India, and 5 divisions on the east. In mid-November 1971, the Armed Forces were brought to full combat readiness, and on November 23, a state of emergency was declared in the country.

India, in response, carried out the resupply of formations and units to wartime states by calling in reservists. By the end of October, two groups of troops were deployed, consisting of 13 divisions in the west and 7 in the east. At the same time, India was building up aid, including military, to the units of the East Bengal liberation movement.

The government of Pakistan on December 3, 1971, seeing a real threat of loss of the eastern part of the country, declared war on India. At 17:45 local time, Pakistani planes attacked Indian air bases. The strikes did not give the expected results: the Indian Air Force carried out the dispersal of the aircraft fleet and its camouflage in advance. Following this, Pakistani forces attempted to launch an offensive on the western front.

A state of emergency was declared in India, and the troops were ordered to begin active hostilities on the western and eastern fronts, as well as at sea. On the morning of December 4, the Indian troops launched an offensive in East Bengal. The offensive was organized in the direction of Dhaka from the west, north-west and north-east (the territory of India covers East Bengal on three sides). Here India had a two-fold superiority in ground forces and significant air superiority. In 8 days of fighting, Indian troops, in cooperation with Mukti Bahini detachments, broke the stubborn resistance of the Pakistanis and advanced 65-90 km, creating a threat of encirclement for Pakistani troops in the Dhaka area.

On the western front, the fighting took on a positional character. Here the sides had approximately equal forces. The offensive of Pakistani troops, launched on December 3, was unsuccessful and was stopped.

On December 11, the Indian command invited the Pakistani troops on the eastern front to surrender. Having received a refusal, the Indian troops continued their offensive and by December 14, they finally closed the encirclement around Dhaka. Indian units entered the city on December 16. On the same day, the act of surrender of the Pakistani forces in East Bengal was signed. In the west, the grouping of Pakistani troops ceased hostilities by agreement of the parties.

An important role in achieving victory in the war was played by the Indian Navy, which was tasked with conducting active offensive operations, disrupting Pakistan's sea communications, destroying enemy ships at sea and at bases, and striking coastal targets. To solve these problems, two temporary formations were formed: "Zapadnoye" (a cruiser, patrol ships and 6 missile boats) for operations in the Arabian Sea and "Vostochnoye" (an aircraft carrier with escort ships) for operations in the Bay of Bengal. Submarines (submarines) were tasked with blocking the Pakistani coast in the Arabian Sea (2 submarines) and the Bay of Bengal (2 submarines).

With the outbreak of war, the Indian Navy blocked the naval bases and ports of West and East Pakistan. On December 4, an official statement was made about the naval blockade of the Pakistani coast. Indian naval ships deployed in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal have begun to inspect all ships en route to and from Pakistani ports.

On the night of December 5, Indian ships attacked the main naval base of Pakistan - the city of Karachi. The blow was delivered by 3 Soviet-made missile boats in support of 2 patrol ships. When approaching the base, the lead boat attacked and destroyed the Pakistani destroyer Khyber with two missiles. The first missile from another boat hit a minesweeper

"Mukhafiz", the second missile was the destroyer "Badr" (the entire command staff was killed). The transport at the roadstead was also damaged. Approaching the base, the boats fired two more missiles at the port facilities, and the patrol ships opened artillery fire, damaging the Pakistani minesweeper.

This success of the Indian Navy was of great importance for the subsequent struggle at sea. In the Arabian Sea, the Pakistani command returned all its ships to the bases, giving the enemy freedom of action.

Other Soviet-made ships also proved to be excellent in the course of military operations at sea. So, on December 3, the Indian destroyer "Rajput" in the Bay of Bengal, using depth charges, destroyed the Pakistani submarine "Gazi".

As a result of two weeks of hostilities, the Indian Armed Forces defeated Pakistani troops, occupied the territory of East Bengal and forced the Pakistani grouping to surrender. In the west, Indian troops occupied several sections of Pakistani territory with a total area of ​​14.5 thousand km2. Supremacy at sea was won and Pakistani shipping was completely blocked.

Losses of Pakistan: over 4 thousand killed, about 10 thousand wounded, 93 thousand prisoners; more than 180 tanks, about 1,000 guns and mortars, about 100 aircraft. The destroyer "Khyber", the submarine "Gazi", the minesweeper "Mukhafiz", 3 patrol boats and several ships were sunk. A number of Pakistani Navy ships were damaged.

India's losses: about 2.4 thousand killed, over 6.2 thousand wounded; 73 tanks, 220 guns and mortars, 45 aircraft. Indian Navy lost patrol ship"Kukri", 4 patrol boats and anti-submarine aircraft. The patrol ship and the missile boat were damaged.

Pakistan emerged from the war politically, economically and militarily weakened. The eastern province of the country was lost, on the territory of which a state friendly to India was formed - the People's Republic of Bangladesh. India has significantly strengthened its position in South Asia. At the same time, as a result of the war, the Kashmir problem and a number of other contradictions between the countries were not resolved, which predetermined the continuation of confrontation, an arms race and nuclear rivalry.

Local wars in the Middle East

After World War II, the Middle East became one of the hottest regions in the world. The reasons for this state of affairs lie in the mutual territorial claims of the Arab states and Israel. In 1948-1949. and 1956 (Anglo-French-Israeli aggression against Egypt), these contradictions resulted in open armed clashes. Arab-Israeli War 1948-1949 was conducted between a coalition of Arab states (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq) and Israel. On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted a decision on the creation of two independent states on the territory of Palestine - a Jewish and an Arab. Israel was formed on May 14, 1948, the Arab state of Palestine was not created. Arab leaders did not agree with the UN decision to partition Palestine. For the conduct of hostilities, the Arab states created a grouping - a total of 30 thousand people, 50 aircraft, 50 tanks, 147 guns and mortars.

Israeli troops numbered about 40 thousand people, 11 aircraft, several tanks and armored vehicles, about 200 guns and mortars.

The offensive of the Arab troops began on May 15 in the general direction of Jerusalem with the aim of dissecting the group of Israeli troops and destroying it piece by piece. As a result of the spring-summer offensive of 1948, Arab troops reached the approaches to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Retreating, the Israelis wore down the Arabs, leading focal and maneuverable defenses and acting on communications. On June 11, on the recommendation of the UN Security Council, a truce was concluded between the Arabs and Israel, but it turned out to be fragile. At dawn on July 9, Israeli forces launched an offensive and inflicted heavy losses on the Arabs in 10 days, displacing them from their positions and significantly consolidating their position. On July 18, a UN ceasefire decision came into effect. The UN plan for a peaceful settlement of the conflict was rejected by both belligerents.

Israel by mid-October increased its army to 120 thousand people, 98 combat aircraft and formed tank brigade... The Arab army numbered 40 thousand people at that time, and the number of aircraft and tanks decreased due to losses in battles.

Israel, having a three-fold superiority over the Arab troops in manpower and absolute in aviation and tanks, violated the truce, and on October 15, 1948, its troops resumed hostilities. Israeli aircraft struck airfields and destroyed Arab aircraft. Over the course of two months, in a series of successive offensive operations, Israeli forces surrounded and defeated a significant part of the Arab forces and transferred the hostilities to Egypt and Lebanon.

Under pressure from Britain, the Israeli government was forced to agree to a truce. On January 7, 1949, hostilities ceased. In February-July 1949, with the mediation of the UN, agreements were concluded that fixed only the temporary lines of the ceasefire.

A complex knot of Arab-Israeli contradictions was formed, which became the cause of all subsequent Arab-Israeli wars.

In October 1956, the General Staffs of Great Britain, France and Israel developed a plan of joint action against Egypt. According to the plan, the Israeli troops, having begun hostilities in the Sinai Peninsula, were to defeat the Egyptian army and reach the Suez Canal (Operation Kadesh); Great Britain and France - to bombard the cities and troops of Egypt, seize Port Said and Port Fuad with the help of naval and airborne assault forces, then land the main forces and occupy the Suez Canal zone and Cairo (Operation Musketeer). The number of the Anglo-French expeditionary corps exceeded 100 thousand people. The Israeli army consisted of 150 thousand people, 400 tanks and CAO, about 500 armored personnel carriers, 600 guns and mortars, 150 combat aircraft and 30 ships of various classes. In total, 229 thousand people, 650 aircraft and over 130 warships, including 6 aircraft carriers, were concentrated directly against Egypt.

The Egyptian army consisted of about 90 thousand people, 600 tanks and CAO, 200 armored personnel carriers, more than 600 guns and mortars, 128 aircraft, 11 warships and several auxiliary vessels.

On the Sinai Peninsula, the Israelis outnumbered the Egyptian army in manpower by 1.5 times, and in some areas - more than 3 times; the expeditionary force had more than fivefold superiority over the Egyptian forces in the Port Said area. The hostilities began on the evening of October 29 with an Israeli airborne assault.

At the same time, Israeli troops launched an offensive in the Suez and Ismaili directions, and on October 31 - in the seaside. The Anglo-French fleet established a naval blockade of Egypt.

On the Suez axis, on November 1, Israeli troops reached the approaches to the canal. On the Ismaili direction, Egyptian troops left the city of Abu Aveigil. In the seaside direction, battles continued until November 5.

On October 30, the governments of Great Britain and France issued an ultimatum to the Egyptians. After the refusal of the Egyptian government to accept the ultimatum, military and civilian targets were violently bombarded. Amphibious assault forces were landed. There was a threat to capture the capital of Egypt.

The emergency session of the UN General Assembly, which opened on November 1, strongly demanded a ceasefire from the warring parties. England, France and Israel refused to comply with this demand. On November 5, the Soviet Union warned of its resolve

use military force to restore peace in the Middle East. On November 7, hostilities ceased. By December 22, 1956, Great Britain and France, and by March 8, 1957, Israel withdrew their troops from the occupied territories. The Suez Canal, closed to shipping since the outbreak of hostilities, began to function at the end of April 1957.

In June 1967 Israel launched a new war against the Arab states. The plan of the Israeli military command provided for a lightning-fast successive defeat of the neighboring Arab states with the delivery of the main blow to Egypt. On the morning of June 5, Israeli aircraft launched surprise strikes on airfields in Egypt, Syria and Jordan. As a result, 65% of the aircraft of the air forces of these countries were destroyed and air supremacy was won.

The offensive of the Israeli Armed Forces on the Egyptian front was carried out in three main directions. By June 6, having broken the resistance of the Egyptians and thwarted the counterattacks undertaken by the Egyptian command, the Israeli troops began to pursue. The bulk of the Egyptian formations located on the Sinai Peninsula were cut off. By 12 o'clock on June 8, the advance units of the Israelis reached the Suez Canal. By the end of the day, active hostilities in the Sinai Peninsula had ceased.

On the Jordanian front, the Israeli offensive began on 6 June. In the very first hours, the Israeli brigades broke through the Jordanian defenses and developed their success in depth. On June 7, they surrounded and defeated the main grouping of Jordanian troops, and by the end of June 8, they reached the river. Jordan.

On June 9, Israel attacked Syria with all its might. The main blow was struck north of Lake Tiberias in the years. El Quneitra and Damascus. The Syrian troops put up stubborn resistance, but at the end of the day they could not withstand the onslaught and, despite their superiority in forces and means, began to withdraw. By the end of the day on June 10, the Israelis captured the Golan Heights, wedging into Syria to a depth of 26 km. It was only thanks to the decisive position and vigorous measures taken by the Soviet Union that the Arab countries escaped complete defeat.

In subsequent years, Israel's refusal to liberate the occupied Arab territories made it necessary on the part of Egypt and Syria to achieve this by armed means. Fighting began simultaneously on both fronts in the middle of the day on October 6, 1973. During fierce fighting, Syrian troops drove the enemy out of their positions and advanced 12-18 km. By the end of the day on October 7, due to significant losses, the offensive was suspended. On the morning of October 8, the Israeli command, pulling up reserves from the depths, conducted a counterattack. Under pressure from the enemy, the Syrians were forced to withdraw to their second line of defense by October 16, where the front had stabilized.

In turn, the Egyptian troops successfully crossed the Suez Canal, captured the first line of enemy defense and created bridgeheads up to 15-25 km deep. However, due to the passivity of the Egyptian command, the achieved success of the offensive was not developed. On October 15, the Israelis launched a counterattack, crossed the Suez Canal and seized a bridgehead on its western bank. In the following days, developing an offensive in a fan, they blocked Suez, Ismailia and created a threat to encircle the 3rd Egyptian army. In this situation, Egypt turned to the USSR with a request for help. Thanks to the tough position taken by the Soviet Union in the UN, on October 25, 1973, hostilities ended.

Although Egypt and Syria failed to achieve their goals, the results of the war were positive for them. First of all, in the minds of the Arabs, a kind of psychological barrier was overcome, which arose as a result of the defeat in the 1967 war. The Arab armies dispelled the myth of Israel's invincibility, showing that they are quite capable of fighting the Israeli forces.

The 1973 war was the largest local war in the Middle East. On both sides, up to 1 million 700 thousand people, 6 thousand tanks, 1.8 thousand combat aircraft took part in it. The losses of the Arab countries amounted to over 19 thousand people, up to 2 thousand tanks and about 350 aircraft. Israel lost in this war over 15 thousand people, 700 tanks and up to 250 aircraft. A distinctive feature of this war was that it was fought by regular armed forces equipped with all types of modern military equipment and weapons.

In June 1982, the Middle East was once again engulfed in the flames of war. This time, Lebanon became the arena of hostilities, where Palestinian refugee camps were located. Palestinians raided Israeli territory in an attempt to force the Israeli government to negotiate the return of territories seized in 1967. Large Israeli forces entered Lebanon and entered Beirut. Heavy fighting continued for over three months. Despite the withdrawal of Palestinian troops from West Beirut and the partial solution of the assigned tasks, Israeli troops remained in Lebanon for the next eight years.

In 2000, Israeli troops were withdrawn from southern Lebanon. However, this move did not bring the long-awaited peace. The demands of the Arab public to create their own state on the lands occupied by Israel did not find understanding in Tel Aviv. In turn, the numerous terrorist acts perpetrated by Arab suicide bombers against Jews only tightened the knot of contradictions and forced the Israeli army to retaliate with violent force. At present, the unsettledness of the Arab-Israeli conflict could at any moment explode the fragile peace of this troubled region. Therefore, Russia, the United States, the UN and the European Union (the "Middle East Quartet") are doing everything possible to implement the plan for a Middle East settlement they developed in 2003 under the name "Road Map".

War in Afghanistan (1979-1989)

V At the end of December 1979, the Afghan government once again turned to the USSR with a request to provide military assistance in repelling external aggression. The Soviet leadership, faithful to its treaty obligations and in order to protect the southern borders of the country, decided to send a limited contingent of Soviet troops (OKSV) to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA). The calculation was made on the fact that with the introduction of Soviet Army formations into the DRA, the situation there would stabilize. The participation of troops in hostilities was not provided.

The presence of the OKSV in Afghanistan, by the nature of its actions, can be conditionally divided into 4 periods: 1st period (December 1979 - February 1980) - the introduction of troops, their deployment in garrisons, the organization of protection of deployment points and critical facilities; 2nd period (March 1980 - April 1985) - active hostilities against opposition units, work to strengthen the Afghan Armed Forces; 3rd period (April 1985 - January 1987) - the transition from active hostilities mainly to the support of government troops, the fight against rebel caravans on the border; 4th period (January 1987 - February 1989) - continued support for the military activities of government forces, preparation and withdrawal of the OXV from Afghanistan.

The calculation of the political leadership of the USSR and the DRA that the situation would stabilize with the introduction of troops was not justified. The opposition, using the slogan "jihad" (sacred struggle against infidels), stepped up its armed activities. Responding to provocations and defending ourselves, our units and subdivisions were more and more involved in the civil war. The fighting unfolded throughout Afghanistan.

Initial attempts by the Soviet command to carry out offensive operations according to the rules of classical war, they did not bring success. Raid operations as part of reinforced battalions also proved to be ineffective. The Soviet troops suffered heavy losses, and the Mujahideen, who knew the area perfectly, emerged from the blow in small groups and broke away from the pursuit.

Fighting operations of the opposition formation were usually conducted in small groups of 20 to 50 people. To solve more complex tasks, the groups were united in detachments of 150-200 people or more. Sometimes the so-called "Islamic regiments" of 500-900 people and more were formed. The forms and methods of guerrilla warfare lay at the heart of the conduct of the armed struggle.

Beginning in 1981, the command of the OKSV shifted to conducting operations with large forces, which turned out to be much more effective (Operation Ring in Parwan, offensive operation and raids in Panjshir). The enemy suffered significant losses, however, it was not possible to completely defeat the detachments of the Mujahideen.

The largest number of OKSV (1985) was 108.8 thousand people (military personnel - 106 thousand), including in combat units of the Ground Forces and the Air Force - 73.6 thousand people. The total number of the armed Afghan opposition in different years ranged from 47 thousand to 173 thousand people.

In the course of operations in the areas occupied by the troops, bodies of state power were created. However, they did not have real power. After the Soviet or Afghan government forces left the occupied area, their place was again taken by the surviving rebels. They destroyed party activists and restored their influence in the area. For example, in the valley of the Panjshir River, 12 military operations were carried out over 9 years, but government power in this area has not been consolidated.

As a result, by the end of 1986, a balance was formed: government troops, even those supported by the OKSV, could not inflict a decisive defeat on the enemy and force him to stop the armed struggle, and the opposition, in turn, was not able to overthrow the existing regime in the country by force. It became obvious that the Afghan problem could be resolved only through negotiations.

In 1987, the DRA leadership proposed a policy of national reconciliation to the opposition. At first it was a success. Thousands of rebels stopped fighting. The main efforts of our troops during this period were shifted to the protection and delivery of materiel coming from the Soviet Union. But the opposition, sensing a serious danger for itself in the policy of national reconciliation, intensified its subversive activities. Fierce fighting began again. This was largely facilitated by deliveries from abroad of the latest weapons, including the American Stinger portable anti-aircraft missile systems.

At the same time, the declared policy opened up prospects for negotiations on the settlement of the Afghan issue. On April 14, 1988, agreements were signed in Geneva to end external interference in Afghanistan's affairs.

The Soviet side fulfilled the Geneva agreements in full: by August 15, 1988, the number of OKSV was reduced by 50%, and on February 15, 1989, the last Soviet unit left Afghan territory.

The withdrawal of Soviet troops was carried out on a planned basis. In the western direction, the troops were withdrawn along the route of Kandahar, Farahrud, Shindand, Turagundi, Kushka, and in the east - along five routes originating in the garrisons of Jalalabad, Ghazni, Faizabad, Kunduz and Kabul, then through Puli-Khumri to Khairaton and Termez. Some of the personnel from the Jelala-bad, Gardez, Faizabad, Kunduz, Kandahar and Shindand airfields were transported by air.

Three days before the start of the movement of the columns, all routes were blocked, the outposts were strengthened, the artillery was brought to firing positions and made to fire. Fire-

their impact on the enemy began 2-3 days before the start of the advance. In close cooperation with the artillery, aviation operated, which, from the position of airborne duty, ensured the withdrawal of troops. Important tasks during the withdrawal of Soviet troops were solved by engineering units and subunits, which was due to the complex mine situation on the movement routes.

Formations and units of the OKSV in Afghanistan were the decisive force that ensured the retention of power in the hands of state bodies and leaders of the DRA. They were in 1981-1988. they were engaged in active hostilities almost continuously.

For courage and bravery shown on the ground of Afghanistan, 86 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Over 200 thousand soldiers and officers were awarded orders and medals. Most of them are 18-20 years old boys.

The total irrecoverable human losses of the Soviet Armed Forces amounted to 14,453 people. At the same time, the command and control bodies, formations and units of the OKSV lost 13,833 people. In Afghanistan, 417 servicemen were reported missing and taken prisoner, of which 119 were released.

Sanitary losses amounted to 469,685 people, including: wounded, shell-shocked and injured 53,753 people (11.44%); fell ill - 415 932 people (88.56%).

Losses of equipment and weapons were: aircraft - 118; helicopters - 333; tanks - 147; BMP, BMD and BTR - 1314; guns and mortars - 433; radio stations and KShM - 1138; engineering vehicles - 510; flatbed vehicles and tank trucks - 11 369.

The following should be noted as the main conclusions from the experience of the OKSV combat activities in Afghanistan:

1. Introduced in late 1979 - early 1980 into the territory of Afghanistan, the group of Soviet troops found themselves in very specific conditions. This required the introduction of serious changes in the standard organizational and staff structures and equipment of formations and units, in the training of personnel, in the daily and combat activities of the OKSV.

2. The specificity of the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan necessitated the development and development of forms, methods and techniques of combat operations atypical for domestic military theory and practice. The issues of coordinating the actions of the Soviet and government Afghan troops remained problematic throughout the entire period of their stay in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has accumulated a wealth of experience in the use of various types of Ground Forces and the Air Force in difficult physical-geographical and natural-climatic conditions.

3. During the period of the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan, a unique experience was gained in organizing communication systems, electronic warfare, collecting, processing and timely implementation of intelligence information, conducting camouflage activities, as well as engineering, logistic, technical and medical support for the combat activities of the OKSV. In addition, the Afghan experience provides

4. there are many examples of effective information and psychological impact on the enemy both inside the country and abroad.

5. After the withdrawal of the OCSV, hostilities between government forces and the mujahideen units continued until 1992, when opposition parties came to power in Afghanistan. However, peace never came to this war-torn land. An armed struggle for power and spheres of influence has now flared up between parties and opposition leaders, as a result of which the Taliban came to power. After the terrorist act in the USA on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent international anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan, the Taliban were ousted from power, but peace did not come on Afghan territory.

Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)

This is the most bloody and destructive war of the last quarter of the XX century. had a direct impact not only on neighboring countries and peoples, but also on the international situation in general.

The main reasons for the conflict were the irreconcilability of the parties' positions on territorial issues, the desire for leadership in the Persian Gulf zone, religious contradictions, and personal antagonism between. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, provocative statements in the Western media about the collapse of the Iranian military machine after the Islamic revolution (1979), as well as the inflammatory policy of the United States and Israel, seeking to use the deepening Iranian-Iraqi confrontation in their strategic interests in the Middle and the Middle East.

The grouping of the ground forces of the sides by the beginning of the war in the border zone numbered: Iraq - 140 thousand people, 1.3 thousand tanks, 1.7 thousand field artillery guns and mortars; Iran - 70 thousand people, 620 tanks, 710 guns and mortars.

Iraqi supremacy personnel there were 2 times more ground forces and tanks, and 2.4 times more guns and mortars.

On the eve of the war, Iran and Iraq had approximately equal numbers of combat aircraft (316 and 322, respectively). At the same time, the sides were armed, with rare exceptions, either only American (Iran) or Soviet aviation technology, which since the 1950s. has become one of the characteristic features of most local wars and armed conflicts.

However, the Iraqi Air Force was significantly superior to the Iranian, both in the number of combat-ready aircraft manned with flight personnel, and in the level of logistics of aviation equipment and the possibilities of replenishing ammunition and spare parts. The main role in this was played by the continued cooperation of Iraq with the USSR and the Arab countries, whose air forces used the same types of Soviet-made aircraft.

A blow to the combat readiness of the Iranian Air Force was struck, firstly, by the severance of traditional military ties with the United States after the Islamic revolution, and secondly, by the repression of the new authorities against the top and middle echelons of the command staff of the Air Force. All this led to the superiority of Iraq in the air during the war.

The navies of both countries had an equal number of warships and boats - 52 each. However, the Iranian naval forces significantly surpassed the Iraqi ones in the number of warships of the main classes, armament and level of combat readiness. The Iraqi Navy lacked naval aviation, marines, and the strike force included only a combination of missile boats.

Thus, by the beginning of the war, Iraq had an overwhelming superiority in ground forces and aviation, Iran was able to maintain an advantage over Iraq only in the field of naval weapons.

The beginning of the war was preceded by a period of aggravation of relations between the two states. On April 7, 1980, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the withdrawal from Baghdad of the personnel of its embassy and consulate and invited Iraq to do the same. From September 4 to 10, Iraqi troops occupied the disputed border areas of Iranian territory, and on September 18, the National Council of Iraq decided to denounce the Iranian-Iraqi treaty of June 13, 1975. Iran sharply condemned this decision, stating that it would abide by the provisions of the treaty.

The hostilities in the course of the Iranian-Iraqi war can be divided into 3 periods: the first period (September 1980-June 1982) - the successful offensive of the Iraqi forces, the counter-offensive of the Iranian formations and the withdrawal of the Iraqi troops to their initial positions; 2nd period (July 1982 - February 1984) - offensive operations of Iranian troops and mobile defense of Iraqi formations; The third period (March 1984 - August 1988) is a combination of combined arms operations and battles of ground forces with combat operations at sea and missile and air strikes against targets in the deep rear of the sides.

1st period. On September 22, 1980, Iraqi troops crossed the border and launched offensive operations against Iran on a front 650 km from Kasre-Shirin in the north to Khorramshahr in the south. In a month of fierce fighting, they managed to advance to a depth of 20 to 80 km, capture a number of cities and capture over 20 thousand km2 of Iranian territory.

The Iraqi leadership pursued several goals: the capture of the oil-bearing province of Khuzestan, where the Arab population predominated; revision of bilateral agreements on territorial issues in their favor; removal from power of Ayatollah Khomeini and his replacement by another, liberal secular figure.

In the initial period of the war, hostilities proceeded favorably for Iraq. Affected by the created superiority in the ground forces and aviation, as well as the surprise of the attack, since the Iranian intelligence services were seriously affected by the post-revolutionary purges and were unable to organize the collection of information on the timing of the attack, the number and deployment of Iraqi troops.

The most intense hostilities broke out in Khuzesta. In November, after several weeks of bloody fighting, the Iranian port of Khorramshahr was captured. Air strikes and artillery attacks have completely disabled or damaged many of Iran's refineries and oil fields.

The further advance of the Iraqi forces at the end of 1980 was stopped by the Iranian formations pushed out from the depths of the country, which equalized the forces of the opposing sides and imparted a positional character to the hostilities. This allowed Iran in the spring and summer of 1981 to reorganize its troops and increase their numbers, and in the fall to start organizing offensive operations in certain sectors of the front. From september

1981 to February 1982, a number of operations were carried out to unblock and liberate the cities occupied by the Iraqis. In the spring

In 1982, large-scale offensive operations were carried out in the south of Iran, during which the tactics of "human waves" were used, leading to huge losses among the attackers.

The Iraqi leadership, having lost its strategic initiative and having failed to solve the assigned tasks, made a decision to withdraw troops to the line of the state border, leaving behind only disputed territories. At the end of June 1982, the withdrawal of Iraqi troops was largely completed. Baghdad made an attempt to persuade Tehran to peace negotiations, the proposal to start which, however, was rejected by the Iranian leadership.

2nd period. The Iranian command launched large-scale offensive operations in the southern sector of the front, where four operations were carried out. Auxiliary strikes during this period were carried out in the central and northern sectors of the front.

As a rule, operations began in the dark, were characterized by huge losses in manpower and ended either with minor tactical successes or with the withdrawal of troops to their initial positions. Iraqi troops also suffered heavy losses, which were actively maneuvering defense, used the planned withdrawal of troops, counterattacks and counterattacks by armored formations and units with the support of aviation. As a result, the war reached a positional impasse and increasingly assumed the character of a "war of attrition."

The third period was characterized by a combination of combined arms operations and battles of ground forces with combat operations at sea, which received the name "tanker war" in foreign and domestic historiography, as well as with missile and aviation strikes on cities and important economic objects in the deep rear ("war cities ").

The initiative in the conduct of hostilities, excluding the deployment of the "tanker war", remained in the hands of the Iranian command. From the fall of 1984 to September 1986, he carried out four large-scale offensive operations. They did not give significant results, but, as before, they were extremely bloody.

In an effort to victoriously end the war, the Iranian leadership announced a general mobilization, thanks to which it was possible to compensate for the losses and strengthen the troops operating at the front. From the end of December 1986 to May 1987, the Iranian Armed Forces command consistently carried out 10 offensive operations. Most of them took place in the southern sector of the front, the results were insignificant, and the losses were huge.

The protracted nature of the Iranian-Iraqi war made it possible to speak of it as a "forgotten" war, but only as long as the armed struggle was waged mainly on the land front. The spread of the war at sea from the northern part of the Persian Gulf to the entire Gulf in the spring of 1984, the increase in its intensity and orientation against international shipping and the interests of third countries, as well as the threat posed by strategic communications passing through the Strait of Hormuz, not only brought it out of bounds "Forgotten war", but also led to the internationalization of the conflict, the deployment and use of naval forces of non-coastal states in the Persian Gulf zone.

The beginning of the "tanker war" is considered to be April 25, 1984, when the Iraqi Exocet AM-39 missile hit the Saudi supertanker "Safina al-Arab" with a displacement of 357 thousand tons. A fire broke out on the ship, up to 10 thousand tons of oil were spilled into the sea, and the damage amounted to $ 20 million.

The scale and significance of the "tanker war" is characterized by the fact that during the 8 years of the Iranian-Iraqi war, 546 large ships of the merchant fleet were attacked, and the total displacement of the damaged vessels exceeded 30 million tons. The priority targets for strikes were tankers - 76% of the attacked ships, hence the name "tanker war". Wherein warships used mainly rocket weapons, as well as artillery; aviation used anti-ship missiles and aerial bombs. According to Lloyd's insurance company, 420 civilian sailors were killed in action at sea, including 94 in 1988.

Military confrontation in the Persian Gulf zone in 1987-1988. in addition to the Iranian-Iraqi conflict, it developed mainly along the line of exacerbating American-Iranian relations. A manifestation of this confrontation was the struggle on sea lanes ("tanker war"), in which the forces of the United States and Iran came out with directly opposite goals - respectively, the protection and disruption of sea traffic. During these years, they took part in the protection of shipping in the Persian Gulf.

also the navies of five European NATO member countries - Great Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The shelling and searches of ships under the Soviet flag led to the sending of a detachment of warships (4 ships) from the structure deployed back in the early 1970s to the Persian Gulf. in the Indian Ocean of the 8th operational squadron of the USSR Navy, subordinate to the command of the Pacific Fleet.

Since September 1986, the ships of the squadron began to conduct pilotage of Soviet and some chartered ships in the bay.

From 1987 to 1988, the ships of the squadron in the Persian and Oman Gulfs in 178 convoys, without loss or damage, conducted 374 merchant ships.

By the summer of 1988, the participants in the war had finally entered a political, economic and military impasse and were forced to sit down at the negotiating table. On August 20, 1988, hostilities ceased. The war has not revealed a winner. The parties lost more than 1.5 million people. Material losses amounted to hundreds of billions of dollars.

Gulf War (1991)

On the night of 2 August 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. The main reasons were long-standing territorial claims, accusations of illegal oil production and lower prices for it on the world market. In one day, the aggressor's troops defeated the small Kuwaiti army and occupied the country. The demands of the UN Security Council for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Kuwait were rejected by Iraq.

On August 6, 1990, the US government made a decision on the strategic deployment of its armed forces in the Persian Gulf. At the same time, the United States began to form an anti-Iraqi coalition and the creation of the Multinational Force (MNF).

The plan, developed by the American command, provided for two operations: "Desert Shield" - an advance inter-theater transfer of troops and the creation of a strike force in the crisis area and "Desert Storm" - conducting direct hostilities to defeat the Iraqi Armed Forces.

During Operation Desert Shield, hundreds of thousands of people and gigantic amounts of materiel were airlifted to the Persian Gulf region over the course of 5.5 months. By mid-January 1991, the concentration of the MNF grouping ended. It consisted of: 16 corps (up to 800 thousand people), about 5.5 thousand tanks, 4.2 thousand guns and mortars, about 2.5 thousand combat aircraft, about 1.7 thousand helicopters, 175 combat ships. Up to 80% of these forces and assets were American troops.

The military-political leadership of Iraq, in turn, carried out a number of measures to increase the combat capabilities of its troops. Their essence boiled down to the creation in the south of the country and in Kuwait

a powerful defensive grouping, for which the western and central regions Large masses of troops were transferred to Iraq. In addition, a lot of work was carried out on the engineering equipment of the area of ​​upcoming hostilities, camouflage of objects, the construction of defense lines and the creation of false areas for the deployment of troops. As of January 16, 1991, the southern grouping of the Iraqi armed forces numbered: more than 40 divisions (over 500 thousand people), about 4.2 thousand tanks, 5.3 thousand guns, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and mortars. Its actions were to be supported by over 760 combat aircraft, up to 150 helicopters and the entire available composition of the Iraqi Navy (13 ships and 45 boats).

Operation Desert Storm as the second part of the overall plan lasted from January 17 to February 28, 1991. It included 2 stages: the first - an air offensive operation (January 17 - February 23); the second is the offensive operation of the land grouping of the MNF forces (February 24-28).

The hostilities began on January 17 with the infliction of strikes with Tomahok cruise missiles at the targets of the Iraqi Armed Forces control system, airfields and air defense positions. Subsequent air raids by the Ministry of Taxes and Levies disabled the enemy's military-economic potential facilities and the country's most important communications centers, and destroyed missile attack weapons. Strikes were also made against the positions of the first echelon and the nearest reserves of the Iraqi army. The combat capabilities and morale of the Iraqi forces have plummeted as a result of the bombing for many days.

At the same time, preparations were under way for an offensive operation of the ground forces, which had the code name "Sword of the Desert". Its plan was to deliver the main blow in the center by the forces of the 7th Army Corps and the 18th Airborne Corps (USA), to encircle and cut off the southern grouping of Iraqi forces in Kuwait. Auxiliary strikes were delivered in the seaside direction and on the left flank of the front with the aim of capturing the capital of Kuwait in order to cover the main forces from an attack on the flank.

The offensive of the ground forces of the MNF began on February 24. The actions of the coalition forces were successful along the entire front. In the seaside direction, the formations of the US Marine Corps, in cooperation with Arab troops, wedged into the enemy's defenses to a depth of 40-50 km and created a threat to encircle the Iraqi group defending in the southeastern part of Kuwait. In the central direction, the formations of the 7th Army Corps (USA), without encountering serious resistance, advanced 30-40 km forward. On the left flank, the 6th Armored Division (France) with a swift blow captured the Es-Salman airfield, taking prisoner up to 2,500 enemy soldiers and officers.

The scattered defensive actions of the Iraqi forces were of a focal nature. Attempts by the Iraqi command to conduct counterattacks and counterattacks were thwarted by the MNF aviation. Having suffered significant losses, the Iraqi formations began to withdraw.

In the following days, the MNF continued the offensive in order to complete the encirclement and defeat of the enemy forces. On the night of February 28, the main forces of the southern grouping of the Iraqi Armed Forces were completely isolated and dissected. On the morning of February 28, hostilities in the Persian Gulf ended on conditions that were ultimatum for Iraq. Kuwait was liberated.

During the hostilities, the Iraqi Armed Forces lost in killed, wounded and captured up to 60 thousand people, 358 aircraft, about 3 thousand tanks, 5 warships, a large number of other equipment and weapons. In addition, the military and economic potential of the country was severely damaged.

The MNF suffered the following losses: personnel - about 1,000 people, combat aircraft - 69, helicopters - 28, tanks - 15.

The Gulf War is unparalleled in modern history and does not fit the well-known standards of local wars. It was of a coalition nature and, in terms of the number of participating countries, went far beyond regional borders. The main result was the complete defeat of the enemy and the achievement of the goals of the war in a short time and with minimal losses.

Conflict name	Period	The nature of the crisis and the participants	Degree of participation of the USSR	Irrecoverable losses people
Chinese Civil War	1946-1950 biennium	Members: Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) - Communist Party of China	The United States is on the side of the Kuomintang; on the side of the CPC - the USSR. Formations and units of the Air Force and Air Defense of the USSR, military specialists took part in the hostilities	936
War in korea	1950-1953 biennium	An attempt to unify Korea. Participants: Republic of Korea and 18 countries (UN members) - PRC, DPRK, USSR	Assistance to the DPRK from the USSR and China by advisers, specialists, troops and military equipment	315
Hungarian crisis	1956 year	The movement for the "improvement" of socialism. Initiator - part of the Hungarian communist leadership	The created grouping of Soviet troops eliminated armed uprisings of anti-government forces	720
War in Laos	1960-1970	Civil War. Participants: Royal Troops - Forces of the Patriotic Front of Laos	Military advisers and specialists were sent from the USSR to Laos
Demining the territory of Algeria	1962-1964 biennium	Consequences of the anti-colonial struggle	During the war, the USSR and a number of Arab countries provided military and political assistance to the Algerian partisans. After the war in 1962-1964. a large group of sappers cleared the territory of Algeria
Caribbean crisis	1962-1963 biennium	An attempt by the United States to strangle the Cuban revolution. Participants: USSR, Cuba - USA	The grouping of Soviet troops and specialists from 1960 to 1991 assisted in the training and creation of the regular army of Cuba
Yemeni Civil War	1962-1969 biennium	Tribal feuds. Participants: pro-English administration of Sana'a - rebellious tribes	For the transfer of weapons from Egypt to Yemen, Soviet transport aircraft with crews were used
Vietnam war	1965-1974 biennium	The struggle of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam with the support of the DRV for the unification of the country. Participants: South Vietnam, USA - NLF, DRV	Regular units and subunits of the Soviet anti-aircraft missile forces were used on the side of the DRV against American aviation
Arab-Israeli wars	1967-1973 biennium	Israel's "preemptive" strike against Syria, Egypt and Jordan. Return of Israeli-occupied territories	The USSR supported the Arab side. Soviet specialists took part in hostilities as part of the air defense of Egypt and the Syrian Air Force. An operational squadron of the USSR Navy was sent to the combat area
Czechoslovak crisis	Aug-Dec 1968	The movement to improve the socialist system. Initiated by the reformist wing in the country's leadership	The entry into Czechoslovakia of the united group of forces of the five states - participants of the Warsaw Pact for the provision of international assistance. There were no hostilities
Sino-Soviet border conflicts		China's territorial claims to the USSR	The battles took place on Damansky Island (March 1969) and in the area of ​​Lake Zhalanashkol (Kazakhstan) - August 1969.
Mozambique Civil War	1967, 1969, 1975-79.	Internal struggle of political groups for power. Initiated by FRELIMO government troops	The USSR supported FRELIMO, who came to power. She was supplied with weapons, military equipment and sent military specialists
Civil war in Angola	1975-1979 biennium	Postcolonial struggle of internal political groups for power. Initiated by the pro-socialist organization MPLA	The USSR and Cuba sided with the ruling regime. Soviet soldiers took part in the hostilities
Somali-Ethiopian War	1977 year	Territorial dispute. Initiated by Somalia. Participants: Somalia - Ethiopia	The USSR supplied Ethiopia with weapons and military equipment. Military specialists, together with the Cubans, took a direct part in the hostilities
War in afghanistan	1979-1989	Contradictions of post-revolutionary development. Initiated by the government of the DRA. Participants: Roar government of the DRA and OKSVA - the national-religious resistance of Afghanistan (mujahideen)	The USSR introduced Soviet troops, which took an active part in hostilities on the side of the Revolutionary Government of Afghanistan	15051
Chad-Libyan conflict	1987 year	Border disputes. Initiated by Libya. Libya-Chad participants	Advisors and specialists were sent from the USSR to Libya in the period from 1970 to 1991
Total irrecoverable losses:				17424

Notes:

1. Data on losses from the Statistical Study “RUSSIA AND THE USSR IN WARS OF THE XX CENTURY. LOSS OF ARMED FORCES "Under the general editorship of. G. F. Krivosheva. MOSCOW "OLMA-PRESS" 2001

2. Countries and periods of hostilities correspond to the List of states and periods of hostilities on their territory, with participation in which a person can be recognized as a participant in hostilities, approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 63 of February 8, 1994 No.

Wartime economic conditions. The general crisis that gripped the Soviet Union by the end of the 1980s was determined primarily by the weakness of its economy, destroyed by unbearable military spending. During the last 25 years of the existence of the USSR, we did not just live in conditions war economy, but in a wartime economy. It was hidden from the people that during this period more than one trillion five hundred billion rubles were spent on military needs.

All our official propaganda in the "years of stagnation" trumpeted the whole world that "the USSR is the bulwark of peace and socialism." Meanwhile, the “champions of peace” were fulfilling and overfulfilling plans for the production of weapons and military equipment, building tanks and airplanes in 2-3 shifts, monthly launching 5-6 military aircraft into space, annually detonating 15-20 atomic or hydrogen bombs and the largest arms dealer in the world. According to American experts, only different countries in the world there are about 50 million Kalashnikov assault rifles and about 8 million units of the American M-16 rifle.

Confrontation between the USA and the USSR. Regional wars and military conflicts with the use of conventional weapons have continued from the end of World War II to the present. In a number of cases, they were the result of a military confrontation between the two great powers, the USA and the USSR, at various points. the globe. Total number by the beginning of 1990 alone, the number of deaths during these regional wars had reached 17 million.

Our leaders day and night vowed in words of their peacefulness, but in reality everything was not so. Stalin's socialism, with its belligerence, has always instilled fear in people and posed a threat to the whole world. Stalinism and neo-Stalinism are saber rattling and interference in the internal affairs of not only border sovereign states, but also distant overseas countries.

Chronicle of military actions of the USSR. Below is a list of the main military actions carried out both directly by the USSR and with its participation against the closest neighbors for "our interests" in the post-war decades.

• 1948 - "siege" of West Berlin ". The blocking of land transport links between the FRG and West Berlin by Soviet troops.
• 1950-1953 - the war in Korea.
• 1953 - the suppression of the uprising in the GDR by the Soviet troops.
• 1956 - the suppression of the anti-communist revolution in Hungary by the Soviet troops.
• 1961 - The 29-kilometer Berlin Wall was erected in one night on August 13. Berlin crisis.
• 1962 - Secret importation of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads into Cuba. Caribbean crisis.
• 1967 - participation of Soviet military specialists in the "seven-day war" between Israel and Egypt, Syria, Jordan.
• 1968 - the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the troops of the USSR, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria.
• 1979 - the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. The beginning of the ten-year Afghan war.

Countries where Soviet soldiers fought. In addition to the world-famous military operations with the official participation of the Soviet Army, either in the form of "liberation campaigns", or as part of a "limited contingent of troops", our "internationalist soldiers" in civilian clothes or in the form of "natives", or in repainted tanks and the planes were in the ranks of the army in North Korea, Laos, Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, Vietnam, Syria, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba. Bolivia, Grenada - in more than twenty countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America.

The newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda on May 21, 1991, with the permission of the USSR Ministry of Defense, published a far from complete list of countries where Soviet servicemen - "internationalist soldiers" took part in hostilities, indicating the time of the battles. It is shown in Table 1 below, with the addition of a column on the debt owed by these countries to the Soviet Union for military assistance.

The price of "selfless help"."Unselfish help", according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR E.A. Shevardnadze, who spoke at the XXVIII Congress of the CPSU, amounted to 700 billion rubles over 20 years. This means that we threw 35 billion rubles to the wind every year just for military supplies to the former socialist countries and the countries of the "third world" in order to convert them to the communist faith.

The supply of "our friends" by planes, tanks, helicopters, missiles, mines was too expensive for the USSR: Egypt, Somalia, Ghana, Congo, Grenada, having walked a little shoulder to shoulder with our military specialists "along the path of socialist orientation," returned to the path of normal development ... In February 1990, as a result of the general free elections and the defeat of the Sandinistas in the elections, Nicaragua turned from “our” path. But when the USSR disappeared, almost all other regimes of "socialist orientation" were defeated or transformed.

Tens of thousands of Soviet servicemen in civilian clothes planted mines, ambushed and raised Kalashnikov assault rifles and the banner of the national liberation struggle against "world imperialism" in dozens of Third World countries. Not all of these volunteers returned home healthy and unharmed. Many of them were destined for the fate of the "unknown soldier" with an unmarked grave, either in the African jungle, or in the sands of the Sahara or in the Golan Heights.

Table 1
Participation of military personnel of the USSR in hostilities
after World War II

Countries where Soviet troops were located	Time of battles (months, years)	The country's debt to the Soviet Union, RUB bln
North Korea	June 1950 - July 1953	2,2
Laos	1960-1963, August 1964-November 1968, November 1969-December 1970	0,8
Algeria	1962—1964	2,5
Egypt	October 18, 1962 - April 1, 1963, October 1, 1969 - June 16, 1972, October 5, 1973 - April 1, 1974	1,7
Yemen	October 18, 1962 - April 1, 1963	1,0
Vietnam	July 1, 1965 - December 31, 1974	9,1
Syria	June 5-13, 1967, October 6-24, 1973	6,7
Cambodia	April-December 1970	0,7
Bangladesh	1972-1973	0,1
Angola	November 1975-1979	2,0
Mozambique	1967-1969, November 1975-November 1979	0,8
Ethiopia	December 9, 1977 - November 30, 1979	2,8
Afghanistan	April 1978-May 1991	3,0
Nicaragua	1980-1990	1,0

This conclusion is confirmed by the data of the financial department of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR for 1989. 2.4 billion rubles were allocated for the retirement maintenance of 1 million 280 thousand veterans of the armed forces and participants in wars. Of these veterans, 832 thousand people receive seniority pensions. 111 thousand people received disability pensions - among them those who "sniffed gunpowder abroad", and, finally, 239 thousand people received pensions on the occasion of the loss of breadwinners - those "unknown soldiers" with unmarked graves.

“Volunteers under duress”. The surviving "volunteers under duress" signed the "competent authorities" not to disclose "state secrets" - about "their business trips" to Somalia, Mozambique, Grenada, etc. Only on June 30, 1989 the veil of secrecy surrounding our "internationalist soldiers" was slightly opened and the government decided to extend to them the benefits and advantages provided for the participants of the Great Patriotic War and for military personnel who served in the Republic of Afghanistan.

USSR as a supplier of weapons. For the last 25 years of its existence, the Soviet Union has been the largest arms supplier in the world. The share of the USSR in the total volume of arms supplies to all countries of the world reached 40% in the early 1980s, and for some types of military equipment and weapons it reached 50% (Kalashnikov assault rifles and tanks). In the early 1980s. exported 25% of all weapons and military equipment produced in the USSR. Our competitors - the USA, France, Great Britain, China - recognized arms suppliers - were left far behind. For example, in 1985 the share of the United States in world arms supplies was 27%, France - 12%, Great Britain - 5%, China - 3%.

Numbers. Analysis of the supply of products by all industrial complexes (metallurgical, fuel and energy, machine-building, etc.) for enterprises of the military-industrial complex, military science, the armed forces, the KGB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other special calculations showed that in 1989 “for defense "485 billion rubles were allocated. Knowing that the enterprises of the military-industrial complex produced consumer goods (televisions, radios, tape recorders, etc.) worth 30 billion rubles, we believe that the industry spent 455 billion rubles on defense.

Add to this sum of expenditures the funds allocated for military construction - at least 10 billion rubles and for military science- at least 15 billion rubles. We find that the total military expenditures of the USSR (excluding transport and communications) amounted to at least 480 (455 + 10 + 15) billion rubles in just one year.

According to official figures, in 1989 the gross national product amounted to 924 billion rubles, and the produced national income was 656 billion rubles. Then our "defense" expenditures reached staggering figures - 51.9% of the gross national product or 73.1% of the national income produced, which confirms the complete collapse of the Soviet economy, strained by unbearable military spending.

This insane arms race in the last quarter of a century of the existence of the USSR and reckless (rather, criminal in relation to its people) help to everyone and everything, contributed to the ruin of our country and bringing the people to complete impoverishment.