Donetsk, Feb 15 – DAN. A rally to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan took place today in Donetsk, bringing together over a thousand people.
The DPR Head Denis Pushilin, chairman of the Donetsk Republic movement's Central Executive Committee Alexey Muratov, members of the DPR Parliament, heads of Donetsk districts administration, activists, veterans of the Afghan war were present.
Pushilin said that a lot of those veterans stood up for the DPR in 2014 and contributed their experience and professionalism to the Republic's defense.
"Thirty years have passed since the Soviet pullout from the Afghanistan. We remember those who never returned," he added.
The participants of the rally held a moment of silence to honor the fallen.
After that, veterans received anniversary medals commemorating the withdrawal of troops. Flowers were laid to the monument to the soldiers killed in the Afghan war.
The Soviet-Afghan War lasted from December 1979 to February 1989, the Soviet Union sent in troops to support the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan government fighting against insurgent groups known as the mujahideen, backed primarily by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. The first half of the Soviet contingent was withdrawn from May 15 to August 16, 1988 and the second from November 15 to February 15, 1989. Over 10,000 Soviet troops were killed in the war.*ot