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information about Marshal Zhukov DISTRIBUTED WITH THE DAILY TELEGRAPH TUESDAY_SEPTEMBER 29_2009 Recollections
Afghanistan Western powers must change their
agenda to avoid the mistakes of the past
Deadly deja-vu
When I was invited to dine with alliance countries really wish to ghan issues for a long time to
the British Embassy’s minister leave Afghanistan. come, if not forever.
plenipotentiary in Moscow, I It is my profound conviction Sir Sherard used to be ambas-
was surprised. Why would a that he would have remained sador in Kabul, and it seems he
British diplomat want to see even longer, but, alas, then- has a good understanding of
me? His assistant explained: president Boris Yeltsin, under Afghan affairs. With his gentle
“Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, pressure from his entourage, and self-deprecating British
our special representative in cut off military aid to Kabul. humour, he coped very well
Afghanistan, is visiting Russia. Najibullah, who by that time with the role of hosting this
We’re inviting you as an expert had long rejected Soviet ideo- “shirtsleeves” meeting and gave
on Afghan affairs.” logical dogma and proclaimed everyone the opportunity to
a policy of national reconcili- speak freely. The Russians SERGEY ZHUKOV_ITAR-TASS
VLADIMIR SNEGIRYOV
ation, was ready to make very spoke, according to experience, Most Afghans remain absolutely indifferent toward both Communism and Western democracy
SPECIAL FOR RUSSIA NOW bold compromises with the about the way things work in
armed opposition and became Afghanistan; the Western dip-
The evening, held at Smolensky hostage to the euphoria which lomats talked about how they At one moment I really wanted fully conceived in the offices of should be deceived. Nato is
embankment apartments over- then prevailed in the Kremlin. see the way out of the present to shake my head: was all this the Communist Party Central only tolerated because, along
looking the Moscow river, turned As a result, this euphoria not deadlock. a dream? It was like I was being Committee, the KGB and the with guns, its people are bring-
out to be pleasant. There was an only cost Russia dear: today’s They said, for example, that it magically transported a quar- Foreign Ministry. ing bread and dollars.
interesting group of guests problems on the other side of had been decided to place more ter of a century back in time. I Of course, someone might re- It's a big mistake to think Nato
around the table: Britons, a Nato the Panj river are also, to a emphasis on working with the swear to God, our diplomats tort that there is a big differ- is fi ghting terrorists in Afghan-
representative, American and large extent, a consequence of Pashtun tribes; that the alliance and advisers were saying the ence: the Soviets were trying to istan. The Taliban is an ideolo-
Canadian diplomats, a Russian the lack of foresight on the would start taking a more seri- same things in the mid-80s implant Communist ideology gy that thousand of Afghans
colonel and an orientalist. Our part of the people around ous approach to organising the about the tribes, the Afghan by force, whereas the West is sympathise with, covertly or
hosts did not conceal their inter- Yeltsin. Afghan armed forces in the army and strengthening gov- now sowing seeds of true de- overtly. That’s why, like 25 years
est.“T ell us,” they said,“ho w you The moral of the story is that it hope Afghans themselves will ernment. So here is the answer mocracy. But I have my own an- ago, a military solution to this
managed to organise things in is essential not to leave Afghan- take on the main role in fi ghting to how Najibullah and his sup- swer: the overwhelming major- problem doesn’t exist. Only 25
such a way that Najibullah re- istan unsupervised and unpro- the Taliban. They talked about porters held on to power: be- ity of Afghans are absolutely years ago, when my compatri-
mained in power for more than tected. If the Western countries the importance of strengthen- cause they didn’t just talk, but indifferent – both to Commu- ots were fulfi lling their “inter-
three years even after Soviet are seriously thinking about ing central government author- from a certain point in time nism and to the values of West- national mission”, the “enemies”
forces left the country.” withdrawing, they will still ity and expanding the basis of they actively put into action ern democracy – and reject any were called Mujahideen in-
This is indeed important, if the have to bear the burden of Af- national agreement. the ideas that had been pain- foreign interference. No one stead of Taliban.
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History Why the world should not forget Russia’s sacrifice
after six weeks of fi ghting. The not, you should have the decen-
Soviet’s Brest fortress held out cy to acknowledge the facts as
Who on Earth stopped Hitler?
for more than a month with a they are. Stalin faced perhaps
small contingent. Yet if the the most daunting task in histo-
French had made similar self- ry of dragging the country he led
sacrifi cing efforts and resisted from the backyard of the world
Albert Axell, the American a number of generally loyal ob- ing minds of the 20th century, longer in their “fortress”, the almost overnight, and catching
military writer, historian and servers were rattled. I heard Brit- said the Second World War was Russians might have sustained up with leading nations to reach
author of Marshall Zhukov: The ish historians and journalists say the greatest crisis mankind had less prohibitive losses. a level which enabled Russia to
Man Who Beat Hitler, explains that, although until recently the lived through since the fall of the Lest we forget, here are two win the Second World War. If So-
just how much the West has role of the USSR in WWII had been Roman Empire. And Russia, ac- major points: first, we in the viet Russia had failed to rise
undervalued the Soviet Union’s understated, you promoted it to cording to McCabe, led the way USA and Britain, unlike the from its knees, it would have
contribution to victory over Nazi the point of exaggeration. in overcoming that crisis. Mili- Russians, were not fi ghting an been eliminated. Many innocent
Germany in the Second World I can responsibly say that most tary historians believe Marshal enemy on our own soil. If we people suffered during Stalin’s
War. Western historians who are not Zhukov changed the course of were, I am certain we would rule. One thing is, however, clear:
politically engaged do share my history. By the end of the war, not treat the invader inside our under his leadership, Russia,
OLGA DMITRIEVA
point of view. No other nation Georgiy Zhukov was so popular house with kid gloves. Second, which previously tilled its land
RUSSIA NOW in the world was prepared for in the Allied countries that many Hitler had an evil plan to liqui- with wooden ploughs, became a
such a heroic effort and sacrifi ce in the West joked that Zhukov date up to 100m Slavs, in addi- nuclear superpower. That speaks
Do you believe people are still in- as the people of Russia. In Great FROM PERSONAL ARCHIVES could win a presidential election tion to Jews, gypsies and other for itself.
terested in WWII, which was over Britain, WWII claimed about Albert Axell: a champion of the in the United States. In any case, alleged “sub-humans”. This is Do not listen to those who don
a fairly long time ago? 300,000 soldiers and civilians, Soviets Union’s war efforts if Georgiy Zhukov had taken the fundamental difference be- the evangelical mantle and
My friend, a British professor, whereas the Soviet Union lost over as the head of the Soviet tween what the Soviet Union preach that Russia should be
told me about a survey that re- about 27m. Is it possible to “ex- state, the Cold War could have had to take on compared to ashamed of its history in the
vealed striking ignorance: 95pc aggerate” the price the Russians thoritative military historian”, been avoided, or not as cruel and others. When the Allies were 20th century. Sadly, a fairly
of young people in the UK be- paid for the victory? Antony Beevor, who wrote Ber- protracted. struggling in the Ardennes, large number of Russians took
lieve Germany was an ally of Fifty years of Cold War left their lin: The Downfall, 1945, where Churchill called out to Mos- this “shame” seriously, and
their country in that war, mark, with the Iron Curtain he portrayed the Red Army as You often hear that the Soviet cow: “Please, help us!” and Sta- began to defame their own past,
whereas the Soviet Union was making the Soviet Union ap- the looter and rapist. This his- Union won the war by the ruthless- lin, with Zhukov, came to their forgetting, among other things,
the enemy. Today most Ameri- pear non-existent. Only a cho- torian says that when Soviet ness of its commanding officers, rescue by stepping up pressure about their feats of arms during
cans know nothing about Mar- sen few knew what really hap- troops pushed into Germany, who sent soldiers to their death in on the Eastern Front. The of- the Second World War. Remem-
shal Zhukov. And neither do the pened in that country or in any Russian soldiers raped two mil- large numbers, rather than by the fensive meant yet more tonnes bering your victories and your
British.Y et I would like the con- other Communist nation. I was lion German women. He quotes intellect of its generals. In other of Soviet blood. But they heroes does not mean indulging
temporary generation in the astonished when I once opened a source saying: “Russian sol- words, it was a case of being out- helped the Allies. Churchill ap- in nostalgia. It means realising
West to fully realise to whom we Encyclopedia Britannica in diers were raping every Ger- numbered, not outsmarted. Would preciated that, and thanked what Russia is capable of. And,
owe our existence. That is why Taiwan at the time of Chiang man female from eight to 80.” you agree with that? the Soviet Union. as history has proved more than
I wrote my books. Kai-shek’s presidency and What a perfect statistic: every No. That war could not be won once, Russia is capable of
failed to fi nd a single word on female – nobody needs any in any other manner. It was im- What do you think of Josef Stalin? achievement inspiring admira-
By writing your books you tipped Mao Tse-tung. proof! possible to stop Hitler without Today, many argue that Stalin tion across the world.
-
the balance so heavily towards Once I was invited to talk on Joseph McCabe, a British histo- heavy human losses. France, was worse than Hitler. This ob-
recognition of the role of the So- BBC Radio 4. The second in- rian and intellectual, rightly which had one of the strongest viously has little to do with real- For full version, go to
viet Union in winning WWII that vitee was presented as “an au- seen as one of the most outstand- armies in Europe, surrendered ity. Whether you like Stalin or www.rbth.rg.ru
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