Farewell Germany! Unknown details of the withdrawal of the Western Group of Forces. The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany: the start and end dates of the process

August 31 marks 15 years since the official withdrawal ceremony took place in Berlin. Russian troops from the territory of the former GDR. 500,000 servicemen and 12,000 tanks returned to Russia from Germany.

Western Group of Forces (ZGV) - operational-strategic territorial association of the armed forces (AF) Russian Federation temporarily stationed in Germany. Until March 1992, it was part of the USSR Armed Forces.

The history of the establishment of the Western Group of Forces is connected with the implementation of the political and economic principles post-war device Germany, whose territory after the end of the 2nd World War, according to the Declaration of the Defeat of Germany, was divided into 4 zones of occupation: Soviet, American, British and French. To implement the occupation regime in the Soviet zone, part of the troops from the 1st and 2nd Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts in June 1945 was merged into the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOVG). Marshal Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov. The field administration of the Group, formed on the basis of the field administration of the 1st Belorussian Front on June 14, 1945, was located in the city of Potsdam (later in Wünsdorf).

For the first time post-war years Group troops were involved in border protection Soviet zone occupation and took part in the implementation of measures taken by the Soviet military administration aimed at providing the necessary conditions for eliminating the consequences of the fascist regime and militarization in Germany.

After the formation of the GDR (1949), the GSOVG, in accordance with the directive of the General Staff of March 26, 1954, received the name Group Soviet troops in Germany (GSVG). Under the Treaty on Relations between the USSR and the GDR (1955) and the Agreement on the Temporary Stay of Soviet Troops on the Territory of the GDR (1957), the protection of the state border was transferred to the border troops of the GDR, and the Group retained the right to control the passage of US, British, and French troops to West Berlin and other control functions specified in Potsdam Conference 1945. The Agreement also defined legal status Soviet military personnel, members of their families, workers and employees of the Soviet Army, provisions were included on the non-interference of Soviet troops in the internal affairs of the GDR, on agreement with government bodies GDR the number of Soviet troops, their deployment, areas of exercises, etc.

In the 1970-1980s, the GSVG was the most powerful and combat-ready operational-strategic formation of the Soviet Armed Forces, which was intended to solve the main tasks in the operations of the Joint Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact member states in the European theater of operations. The GSVG included several combined arms and tank armies, air army, formations and units of military branches, special forces and rear. The troops were fully manned and equipped with the most modern weapons. They numbered more than 1.5 million people and 111 thousand weapons and military equipment, including over 4 thousand tanks, about 8 thousand combat armored vehicles, 3.6 thousand artillery pieces, 1.3 thousand aircraft and helicopters, 100 thousand units of other equipment. Among the formations and units, 139 were guards, 127 had honorary titles, 214 were awarded orders. in the group in different years 1171 Heroes of the Soviet Union served, 26 people were awarded this title twice, and Georgy Zhukov and Ivan Kozhedub - three times.

In June 1989, the GSVG was renamed the ZGV.

(Military Encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing. Moscow. In 8 volumes - 2004. ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)

On September 12, 1990, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed an agreement regulating the stay and withdrawal of troops. The treaty provided that all Soviet troops stationed on German territory were to leave it from the end of 1990 to 1994.

After the collapse of the USSR, by the Decree of the President of the RSFSR of March 4, 1992, the Western Group of Forces came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, which assumed obligations for the further withdrawal of troops, which was completed on August 31, 1994.

The historic event was celebrated with a farewell parade in front of the monument to the Soviet liberator soldier in Treptow Park in Berlin, which was attended by Russian President Boris Yeltsin and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and in the evening a festive concert of Russian and German artists took place in Lustgardem Park.

More than 3 thousand spectators gathered at the solemn ceremony in Treptow Park. Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who hosted the last parade of Russian troops on German soil, expressed confidence that this day would go down in the history of "both Russia, and Germany, and all of Europe." In his speech, he emphasized the role of the USSR in the defeat of the Nazi regime, and, paying tribute to the memory of the fallen Soviet soldiers, he focused on the future of Russian-German relations. Yeltsin expressed confidence that their transition to a new quality is now possible, and the mutual trust and understanding achieved in the process of withdrawing the Western Group of Forces is the most important contribution to their development.

By order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation of September 5, 1994, the Western Group of Forces was abolished from September 1, 1994.

(Military Encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing. Moscow. In 8 volumes - 2004. ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

February 15, 1989 at 1000 local time, the last Soviet soldier crossed the border separating the Soviet Union and Afghanistan on a bridge over the Amu Darya River near the small Uzbek city of Termez. This soldier was Lieutenant General B.V. Gromov, who closed the last column of the 40th Army, thus symbolizing completion of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan after many years of bloody war.

Having crossed the invisible line - the state border, the army commander stopped and, turning towards Afghanistan, quietly but clearly uttered a few phrases that do not fit on paper, and then told reporters: “There was not a single soldier of the 40th Army left behind me” . Thus ended the Afghan war, which began and lasted more than 9 years. A war that claimed the lives of over 14,000 and maimed over 53,000 Soviet citizens and over a million Afghans.

On February 7, 1980, a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU was held, where the question of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was considered. The Soviet leadership spoke negatively at the meeting regarding the withdrawal of troops.
In particular, D. F. Ustinov said: “I think that it will take a year, or even a year and a half, until the situation in Afghanistan stabilizes, and before that we cannot even think about withdrawing troops, otherwise we can get into a lot of trouble.” L. I. Brezhnev: “I think that we even need to slightly increase the contingent of troops in Afghanistan.” A. A. Gromyko: “After some time, the troops will certainly be withdrawn from Afghanistan. It seems to me that we should think about what contractual obligations to establish between the parties after it happens that it will be possible to withdraw troops. We need to ensure the complete security of Afghanistan.”

At the end of February 1980, again at the initiative of L. I. Brezhnev, the issue of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan was being worked out. It was believed that by overthrowing H. Amin and securing the new Afghan government of B. Karmal, they had fulfilled their task.
But Yu. V. Andropov, D. F. Ustinov and, possibly, A. A. Gromyko opposed the withdrawal of troops, so they did not do this. Probably, the decision was influenced by a sharp aggravation of the situation in Kabul at the end of February: the Soviet embassy was fired upon, several of our citizens were killed. Then the government forces barely managed to disperse the crowds of thousands of fanatics.

In May 1981, the USSR Ambassador to the DRA, F. A. Tabeev, at a meeting of military advisers, stated the official point of view on the prospects for the presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan: “It was assumed that in short time, no more than a year, using the army as a deterrent force, without getting involved in fighting Let us create conditions for the establishment and strengthening of a new leadership and the development of a new stage of the revolution. And then, while the world public opinion will not have time to react negatively, we will withdraw the troops. But a year has passed and it turned out that the leadership of Afghanistan does not have its own military support to protect the country. Therefore, now, for the next two years, the task has been set to create an Afghan army, combat-ready, devoted to the government.”

At the beginning of 1982 to active participation UN Secretary General Perez de Cuellar, his deputy D. Cordoves and others joined in the settlement of the Afghan problem. 12 rounds of negotiations were organized, 41 discussions with the participation of Soviet, Afghan, American and Pakistani diplomats. As a result, a package of documents on the withdrawal of troops was prepared.
In Moscow, immediately after Yu. V. Andropov came to power, these proposals were answered positively.
On May 19, 1982, the Soviet ambassador to Pakistan officially confirmed the desire of the USSR and the DRA to set a deadline for the withdrawal of the Soviet troops. Yu. V. Andropov was ready to present an eight-month program for the withdrawal of troops. But during that period, the confrontation between the USSR and the USA intensified. Yu. V. Andropov passed away. D. Cardoves sent his project to Moscow and Washington, but received no response.

After K. U. Chernenko came to power, the negotiation process on Afghanistan was suspended, although the military raised the question of the withdrawal of troops more and more insistently.

The process of negotiations resumed only in 1985 after the election of M. S. Gorbachev General Secretary Central Committee of the CPSU. In October 1985, the Politburo was given the task of speeding up the decision on the issue of the withdrawal of Soviet troops. At the same time, the Afghan authorities were informed of our firm intention to withdraw our troops. B. Karmal commented on this decision: “If you leave now, next time you will have to bring in a million soldiers.”

In February 1986, at the XXII Congress of the CPSU, MS Gorbachev announced that a plan for the phased withdrawal of Soviet troops had been worked out and would be implemented immediately after the political settlement. In May 1986, instead of B. Karmal, Najibullah (Najib) was elected to the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the PDPA. B. Karmal went to "rest and treatment" in the USSR.
At a meeting of the Politburo on November 13, 1986, a large-scale task was set: within two years to carry out the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan (withdraw half of the troops in 1987, and the remaining 50% in 1988).

On April 14, 1988, with the mediation of the UN in Geneva, the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a series of documents designed to put an end to the bloodshed. The USSR and the USA acted as guarantors of the implementation of the agreements, in accordance with which the USSR undertook to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within a nine-month period starting from May 15, 1988. During the first three months, it was planned to withdraw half of all troops.
Pakistan and the US had to stop all interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan. The schedule for the withdrawal of troops on April 7, 1988 was signed by the Minister of Defense, Marshal D.T. Yazov. By this time, their number in Afghanistan was 100.3 thousand people. The withdrawal was planned to be carried out in parallel through two border points - Termez (Uzbekistan) and Kushka (Turkmenistan).

Carrying out the planned withdrawal of troops, the USSR continued to provide significant military assistance to Afghanistan. Training of Afghan specialists was carried out at an accelerated pace, stockpiles of materiel were created in key areas and at outposts. The 40th Army continued to take part in the battles with the Mujahideen, attacking the bases of the militants with R-300 missiles and aircraft from the territory of the Soviet Union.

The closer the deadline for the start of the second stage of the withdrawal of troops approached, the more worried the Afghan leadership showed. In September 1988, the President of Afghanistan, Najibullah, in a conversation with Generals V. I. Varennikov, head of the Representative Office of the USSR Ministry of Defense in Afghanistan, and B. V. Gromov,
commander of the 40th Army, made an attempt to detain Soviet troops in Afghanistan. The military command unambiguously spoke out against this proposal. However, this position of the Afghans found understanding among some leaders of the USSR. Under their pressure, the schedule for the withdrawal of troops was changed. The second stage of the withdrawal of troops from Kabul was supposed to begin in November 1988, and in accordance with the new directive of the Ministry of Defense, it began only on January 15, 1989.

But this was not the end of the matter. In January 1989, President Najibullah, during meetings in Kabul with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR E. A. Shevardnadze and
KGB Chairman V. A. Kryuchkov persistently asked to leave volunteers from the 40th Army in the amount of 12 thousand people in Afghanistan to protect the international airport in Kabul and the strategic Kabul-Khairatan highway.
E. A. Shevardnadze instructed to prepare proposals to the Politburo Commission of the Central Committee of the CPSU on Afghanistan.
General V. I. Varennikov transmitted his negative answer, despite the fact that it was proposed to establish monetary payments to volunteers - officers at 5 thousand rubles, and soldiers at 1 thousand rubles a month. At the same time, the military emphasized that if the decision is nevertheless made, then it is necessary to leave the grouping of at least 30 thousand people.
Before the final decision was made, V. I. Varennikov gave the order to suspend the withdrawal of troops, since otherwise the objects left behind would have to be recaptured with battles and losses.
The pause lasted 10 days, until January 27, 1989. And yet common sense prevailed. At a meeting of the Commission of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU for Afghanistan, it was decided not to leave the troops, but to ensure their complete withdrawal on time.

On February 4, 1989, the last unit of the 40th Army left Kabul. In addition to the Soviet embassy, ​​only small security forces remained in the capital, the leadership of the Task Force of the USSR Ministry of Defense and the office of the chief military adviser, who already flew to their homeland on February 14.

February 15, 1989 Soviet troops were completely withdrawn from Afghanistan. The withdrawal of the troops of the 40th Army was led by the last commander of a limited contingent (OKSVA), Lieutenant General Boris Gromov.

Until now, there is a discussion about the reasons that prompted the USSR to intervene in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, and the expediency of this step. The only thing that needs no comment is the terrible price our country has paid. About a million Soviet soldiers and officers went through the Afghan war, which claimed the lives of almost 15 thousand Soviet citizens and made tens of thousands disabled, in addition, countless Afghan rebels and civilians died.

Winners or losers?

Disputes do not subside about the status in which the Soviet military contingent left Afghanistan in 1989 - as a winner or a defeated one. However, no one calls the Soviet troops the winners in the Afghan war, opinions are divided on whether the USSR lost or did not lose this war. According to one point of view, the Soviet troops cannot be considered defeated: firstly, they have never officially been given the task of complete military victory over the enemy and control over the main territory of the country. The task was to relatively stabilize the situation, help strengthen the Afghan government and prevent possible external intervention. With these tasks, according to the supporters of this position, the Soviet troops coped, moreover, without suffering a single significant defeat.

Opponents say that in fact the task of a complete military victory and control over the Afghan territory was, but it could not be fulfilled - the tactics of guerrilla warfare were used, in which final victory almost unattainable, and the main part of the territory has always been controlled by the Mujahideen. In addition, it was not possible to stabilize the position of the socialist Afghan government, which, as a result, three years after the withdrawal of troops, was overthrown. At the same time, no one disputes that significant military losses and economic costs played a large role in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. It was estimated that during the war, the USSR annually spent 3.8 billion US dollars on Afghanistan (3 billion on the military campaign itself). The official losses of the Soviet troops are 14427 people killed, more than 53 thousand wounded, more than 300 prisoners and missing. At the same time, there is an opinion that the real death toll is 26 thousand - the official reports did not take into account the wounded, who died after being transported to the territory of the USSR.

Nevertheless, despite all the complexity, inconsistency and political assessment of these events, it should be noted that the Soviet military personnel, military advisers and specialists who were in the DRA were faithful to their military duty to the end and fulfilled it with dignity. Eternal glory heroes!

About 25 years ago, without a single shot, East Germany either ceased to exist. The group of Soviet troops in Germany (GSVG) located in the GDR was prepared for any situation, even taking into account an enemy nuclear attack. But the USSR lost the Cold War, which led to the humiliating withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany.

post-war period

Approximately one month after the victory of the USSR over Germany in World War II, the high command of the USSR decided to create a contingent of occupation troops in Germany, the commander of which was the hero of the war, Marshal Georgy Zhukov. This happened on July 9, 1945. The number of Soviet soldiers stationed at first was 1.5 million.

Mission in Germany of the Soviet troops, whose Main Headquarters was located in the city of Potsdam, neighboring Berlin, was to ensure the management of the occupation zone of Germany, as well as the restoration of the peaceful life of citizens in it. At the same time, the command of the USSR did not believe that these troops would long time be in Germany. In addition, the policy of the USSR in the post-war period was focused on the unification of Germany, since after the destruction of the ruling fascist party in this country, the communists and socialists became the main political forces. Thus, the Soviet Union viewed Germany as a potential strong ally in the center of Europe.

The GSVG was established on March 26, 1954, this date is considered the end of the occupation of Germany by Soviet troops. Between 1957 and 1958, about 70,000 Soviet soldiers were stationed on the territory of the GDR.

This group of troops was created to ensure the implementation of the decisions taken at the Potsdam Conference, as well as to ensure the security of the western border. Further, on September 20, 1955, the GDR signed an agreement with the USSR and became one of the countries of the Warsaw Pact. In 1957, a new pact was signed between and the GDR, according to which the number and location of Soviet troops in Germany were established. According to this agreement, Soviet troops did not have the right to interfere in the internal affairs of the GDR.

In 1963, the GSVG had about 386,000 soldiers, of which 46,000 belonged to the air force. The armament of the GSVG included:

• 7500 tanks;
• 100 tactical missiles;
• 484 self-propelled military installations;
• 146 bombers;
• 101 reconnaissance aircraft;
• 80 helicopters.

In 1968, German Soviet troops took part in the suppression of the uprising in Prague. In the late 70s and early 80s, the Soviet military contingent in Germany was reduced. Thus, 1,000 tanks and other military vehicles and about 20,000 soldiers were withdrawn from the territory of the GDR. During perestroika in the USSR, the GSVG had a defensive character in accordance with its structure and armament. In 1989, the number of armored Soviet technology on the territory of the GDR was significantly reduced.

In the late 1980s, Mikhail Gorbachev was the head of the USSR ( general secretary Central Committee of the CPSU). In 1989, he decided on the unilateral withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany. The military power of the GSVG was greatly weakened, since 8 battalions of soldiers and 4 tank divisions. It should be noted that the number of GSVG has been constantly decreasing since the year of their formation in the GDR, however, a major withdrawal of troops began in 1989. Therefore, answering the question of when the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany began, it should be called 1989.

On September 2, 1990, the foreign ministers of the FRG, Great Britain, the GDR, the USA, the USSR and France signed an agreement concerning the fate of Germany, which in practice meant that the borders of the FRG would expand, absorbing the GDR completely.

It is interesting to note that the United States did not plan to withdraw its troops from the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, while the USSR agreed to carry out a complete withdrawal from East Germany Soviet and Russian troops until 1994. this name replaced the previous GSVG) at the time of withdrawal included:

• 546,200 soldiers;
• 115,000 units of military equipment;
• 667,000 tons of ammunition;
• 36,290 buildings and structures in 777 military camps.

The withdrawal of such a huge number of troops meant for the USSR a shameful retreat to nowhere.

Troop withdrawal

In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev announced the withdrawal from Germany of 4 divisions of armored vehicles attacking air force, as well as short-range nuclear missiles. Starting from that date, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany became the most full-scale transfer of military forces in the history of mankind. Despite the enormous difficulties in transferring such a quantity of military and military equipment from the GDR to the USSR, the withdrawal deadlines were not violated, and the plan was completed by August 1994. The German government pledged to allocate DM 15 million to cover the costs required by the withdrawal of troops.

The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany was carried out mainly by sea, in particular, through the ports of the German city of Rostock and the island of Rügen, as well as railroad tracks through Poland.

Problems during the withdrawal of troops

One of the main problems during the years of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany was the issue of housing. Initially, it was planned to withdraw troops as housing was built for them at home. However, according to the last commander-in-chief of the Western Group of Forces, Matvey Burlakov, "the country's government did not think about its own army." Moreover, the president of Russia at that time, Boris Yeltsin, in order to meet the requirements of the Western authorities, spoke in favor of reducing the withdrawal period by 4 months.

Of the promised 15 million marks for the construction of housing for soldiers, Germany paid only 8 million. As a result, only 45,000 houses were built for Soviet soldiers in Ukraine and Belarus. More than 170,000 Soviet officers and 160,000 soldiers were left homeless.

The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany was also a personal disaster for many thousands of soldiers. Their wives and children were sent to their parents' houses, many soldiers remained to live in tents and tents. Most of the families were never able to reunite again.

Another important question was to compensate the USSR for the property they left in Germany. The total value of this property at that time was estimated at $28 billion. Only $385 million was paid to Russia as compensation.

Most of Soviet military units were disbanded after their withdrawal from Germany. Many Germans sympathized with the Soviet soldiers, because they understood that there was not even housing for them in their homeland. The famous historian Werner Borchert said that Soviet soldiers were friends for many Germans.

Many East Germans were in good relations with Soviet soldiers, since they had been on German territory for several decades. During the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the German people saw off the soldiers with rallies and flowers.

Completion of the withdrawal of troops

The Russian ground forces left German soil on June 25, 1994. Withdrawal celebrations were held on June 11, 1994 in the city of Wünsdorf and in Treptow Park on August 31, 1994. The last date is considered the official date when the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany was completed. The festive ceremony in Treptow Park was attended by (German chancellor) and Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Matvey Burlakov - Commander-in-Chief of the Western Group of Forces left Germany by plane on September 1, 1994.

On the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Austria and its consequences.
....Here it would be very appropriate to mention one more act of Khrushchev, which is already little known today. Nikita Sergeevich himself said this about it: “But I have the conviction that it is no longer possible to confine ourselves to talking and pulling on this issue, that the abnormality should be eliminated by urgently signing a peace treaty with Austria, withdrawing our troops from there. Thus, untie your hands in order to loudly conduct propaganda against the US military bases, which scattered their troops across different continents and countries and conducted an aggressive, gendarmerie policy towards countries that were in their sphere of influence, keeping military bases on their territory. In order to speak in a loud voice, to organize the public of the whole world to fight against such orders, we ourselves had to withdraw our troops from foreign territories. The first question arose about Austria. It will be about how Khrushchev, without any need, unexpectedly withdrew our troops from Austria. As you can see, the pretext was far-fetched: the Soviet Union needed to withdraw its troops from Austria so that it would be easier to launch propaganda against the presence of American bases in many parts of the world. Here, they say, we do not have military bases on foreign territory, which means that the Americans should also withdraw their military bases.
More than half a century has passed, it's time to take stock. How many American bases were liquidated by the Americans after our criticism? None. So the reasons for Khrushchev's actions are completely different - the systematic, gradual surrender of the geopolitical positions of Russia - the USSR. What is Austria from a geopolitical point of view? At that moment it was a country with a population of about 7 million people and with a very important location in Central Europe. It borders on Germany, Switzerland, Italy and other countries. In 1938, as a result of the Anschluss, Austria was annexed to the Third Reich and became its eastern land Ostmark. Tens of thousands of Austrian soldiers fought on the German Eastern Front against the Soviet Union and committed atrocities on our territory no less than the Germans. In the spring of 1945, more than 26 thousand people died during the battles for the liberation of Austria. Soviet soldiers. But this was not the entire payment for the right of Russia - the USSR to have military bases and for its presence in the very center of Europe. In the Austrian

1 Khrushchev N. S. Time. People. Power: Memoirs. In 4 books. - M.: Moscow news, 1999.Kn. 4.C. 281.
the ashes of more than 60 thousand Soviet prisoners of war and forcibly abducted civilians who died in concentration camps in Austria.
After the surrender, the territory of Austria within the borders of 1938 was divided among the four victorious powers into occupation zones, just like the territory of Germany. At first, only the Soviet troops that liberated it were in Vienna, but at the Potsdam Conference, the allies agreed on the division of the capital of Austria into four occupation zones. All laws adopted by the Austrian parliament, before they were officially published by the federal government, had to receive approval from the Allied Commission created by the victorious countries. This situation continued for ten years. And suddenly, in March 1955, at the direction of N. S. Khrushchev, an Austrian government delegation was unexpectedly invited to Moscow to prepare a state treaty, which was supposed to restore the independence and full sovereignty of Austria. The USSR did not gain anything from this step, but already on May 15, 1955, this document was signed in Vienna and entered into force on July 27, 1955. According to the agreements reached, the troops of all victorious countries had to leave Austria within only 90 days. On October 19, 1955, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Austria was completed1.
Behind beautiful words about the withdrawal of "all troops" the essence was hidden: it was incomparably more important for the Soviet Union to remain in the center of Europe than for anyone else. It was our army that came to Europe, chasing the Nazis from our homeland, and created a barrier against new aggression in the form of a bloc of socialist states. Being in Austria, we had a powerful lever of influence on European politics. And most importantly, giving up your positions in any game is a sign of weakness or

1 “In total, the Soviet troops stationed in Austria are staffed by 38,803 military personnel and 2,671 workers and employees” (G.K. Zhukov’s note to the CPSU Central Committee on the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Austria dated June 6, 1955, AP RF.F. 3. Inv. 64. D. 21. Ll. 11–14).
nonsense. The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Austria, carried out in 1955 at the direction of N. S. Khrushchev, caused great damage to the geopolitical interests of the Soviet Union and significantly changed the balance of power in Central Europe not in favor of our country. The Austro-Hungarian border that became transparent allowed the former fascists of Miklós Horthy to return to Hungary, who now began working for the US and British intelligence services. The result was an armed rebellion in Hungary in the autumn of 1956, to suppress which the USSR had to use troops1. Pay attention to the dates: in 1955 we left Austria, and in 1956 we were almost “left” from Hungary its head

1 These were not peaceful demonstrators, but armed fighters who fought in World War II just 11 years ago. Reprisals against communists and members of the Hungarian special services. Actual lynchings on the streets of Budapest. The scope of the "peaceful demonstrations" in Hungary in 1956 and their scenario will be understandable in comparison with the events in Syria. Demonstrations also began there, and then out of nowhere the "demonstrators" appeared sniper rifles, grenade launchers and machine guns.
Some units of the regular army of Hungary went over to the side of the rebels. The scope of the battles in which the soldiers of Russia defended its geopolitical interests and gave their lives will emphasize the following fact: “...Thousands (the exact number is unknown to this day) of Soviet soldiers were awarded orders and medals, and 26 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union Yuza, 14 of them - posthumously. By a separate but open Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 1, 1956, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (four times) was awarded to Marshal Zhukov. During 12 days of active hostilities, our army lost as a result of the actions of "peaceful and unarmed demonstrators": 705 people, including 22 - missing; 26 tanks, 3 self-propelled guns, 10 armored personnel carriers, 4 Katyushas, ​​38 vehicles, 9 anti-aircraft guns(76 mm and 85 mm), four 85 mm D-44 divisional guns, nine 122 mm howitzers (see: Smolyannikov S. Hungary 1956. Bloody Autumn of Budapest. On the 55th anniversary of the events that received the title "Liquidation of the Hungarian rebellion" //).
2 But Austria-Hungary until 1918 was called common country several peoples in the center of Europe.
idiot (traitor) Khrushchev - you need to put pressure on all fronts1. That is why under Stalin, who did not do stupid things in foreign policy, there were no uprisings anywhere. Surrendering Hungary then also meant receiving similar statements by "driven to despair" agents of the CIA and MI6, former Nazis who received promises and money, as well as people simply deceived by propaganda in all other countries that entered the zone of influence of the USSR. Don't forget: the colossal war ended just a little over ten years ago, everyone who fought against Russia was alive and full of strength...
And one more important fact. Our army did not leave Austria, but almost ran away from there. The three-month period for the withdrawal of troops was not determined by any circumstances, there was nowhere to rush, moreover, there was no need to withdraw troops.

1 It is necessary to understand that geopolitical competitors always use ANY reason to rock the situation. And the death of Stalin, his demonization by Khrushchev, insulting the memory of the leader - this is also a REASON for pumping up tensions within the USSR. Only not against, but for Stalin. A good example is the unrest and unrest that happened in the same 1956 in Tbilisi. Stalin died on March 5, 1953, and on February 25, 1956, at the morning meeting, N. S. Khrushchev delivered a closed report "On the cult of personality and its consequences." You can easily find this report on the Internet and you can see for yourself how false it is. Pay attention: the report is SECRET and CLOSED. And in a week in the capital of Georgia, the demonstrators will know its contents and be indignant. At first, people took to the streets without seeing any mention of the anniversary of Stalin's death in the newspapers. Spontaneous mourning events began. Then, from March 6, indignation will begin to be pumped up with Khrushchev's lies, which were voiced in the report. Stalin is a Georgian, Khrushchev's slander touches the pride of the Georgians. The result was demonstrations in the capital of Georgia with portraits of Stalin and a demand that March 9, the day of Stalin's funeral, be given the status of a day of mourning. And then provocateurs in the crowd, whipping up passions, seizing transport and trying to seize the House of Communications and newspaper editorial offices. First, warning volleys of troops, then aimed fire, which stopped the onslaught. At least one person with a gun was detained in the crowd. According to official data, a total of 21 people were killed, and another 54 were injured of varying severity. Let me remind you: under Stalin there was not a single similar story.
So the withdrawal of troops to the detriment of the geopolitical interests of the Soviet Union, and also accelerated, was not invented by Gorbachev (Afghanistan) and not Yeltsin (Germany), but by Khrushchev.
And finally, for all those who like to call on Russia to repent. There are no emotions in geopolitics and there is no place for evaluations based on them. Only one thing is valued here - strength. The word "gratitude" in geopolitics is simply absent. The most seemingly moral actions in the field of geopolitics will not lead to anything good if they are one-sided surrender of positions. Here is one example of how Austria later thanked its liberators, who gave it the opportunity in 1955 to restore independence and full sovereignty. 24 years after the withdrawal of our troops, in 1979 Researcher At one of the exhibitions in Vienna, Sergei Androsov accidentally saw an elegant bronze statue of "Flying Mercury" at the State Hermitage Museum. She was kidnapped German troops from Pavlovsky Park near St. Petersburg during the Great Patriotic War and is the only bronze copy in the world famous sculpture Mercury, the god of trade and patron of the arts, the work of the outstanding Italian Renaissance master Giovanni Bologna1. The USSR announced the find and asked for the statue to be returned. The "grateful" Austrian side, under various pretexts, did not want to return it. Negotiations about the obvious fact have been going on for 25 (!) years. Finally, only on May 5, 2005, on the eve of the 60th anniversary Great Victory and the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the independence and sovereignty of Austria, its ambassador to Moscow Martin Vukovich at a ceremony at the State Museum fine arts named after A. S. Pushkin gave Russia the sculpture "Flying Mercury".

It was an excerpt from the book by N. Starikov "Geopolitics: How it's done"

The capitulation of Nazi Germany came at 01:01 on May 9, 1945 Moscow time or at 23:01 on May 8 CET. Three weeks later, on May 29, a Directive was issued to rename the Soviet front into the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany. The Soviet army, with heavy losses, reached recent months war before Berlin, remained in East Germany for the next almost half a century. The final withdrawal of Russian troops from Germany took place on August 31, 1994.

My father was one of the Soviet conscripts sent to serve in Germany (1978-1980, Bad Freienwalde, East Germany). In this post I will show some photos from the time of his service and tell general facts about Soviet troops in Germany.

Potsdam

At first, the unit was called GSOVG - Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (1945-1954). The head of the GSOVG was at the same time the head of the Soviet military administration in Germany (SVAG) - that is, he had full power in the territory of Germany occupied by the Soviet Union. The first Commander-in-Chief of the GSOVG was Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov. After the formation of the GDR on October 7, 1949, the head of the GSOVG carried out control functions in the new state for several more years as chairman of the Soviet Control Commission in Germany.

Potsdam

The headquarters of the Soviet troops in Germany since 1946 was located in Wünsdorf - where the High Command was based during Nazi Germany ground forces Wehrmacht. Due to the special nature of the town, the territory of Wünsdorf was closed to ordinary citizens of the GDR. Along with 2,700 German residents, 50-60 thousand Soviet military personnel and members of their families lived in the city.

Bad Freienwalde

About half a million Soviet citizens lived permanently in East Germany. GSVG - a group of Soviet troops in Germany (1954-1989) - had own factories, Russian schools, sanatoriums, shops, houses of officers and other infrastructure. For crimes stipulated by the criminal legislation of the USSR, Soviet citizens were tried according to Soviet legislation in special institutions. I have already written about one Soviet pre-trial detention center in Potsdam.

Chernyakhovsk (former Insterburg), educational part(my father is on the right)

The GSVG was a kind of state within a state. Its main task was to protect the western borders of the USSR from possible threats. In the context cold war GSVG was the advanced unit Soviet army, so she was equipped with the most modern technology and weapons (including nuclear). In the event of a military conflict with NATO member countries, the group of troops had to stay on the border line until full mobilization armed forces USSR and its allies.

Potsdam

The group owned 777 military camps throughout the German Democratic Republic- more than 36,000 buildings were on the balance sheet. 21,000 objects were built with the money of the USSR. However, in many cases, barracks and other premises that once belonged to the Wehrmacht were also used to house Soviet troops.

Potsdam

Conscript soldiers received monetary allowances in GDR stamps, so service in the GSVG was considered prestigious. My dad remembers how he used the saved money to buy last days his stay in Germany before being sent home. Among the purchases were, for example, jeans that were rare at that time. In total, eight and a half million citizens of the USSR have served in the Group for the entire time of its existence.

Bad Freienwalde

In 1989, the Group was renamed again - from now on it was called Western group troops (ZGV). After the unification of the FRG and the GDR, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany became inevitable. Due to the scale and complexity of the operation, the withdrawal of troops continued until August 31, 1994. A huge amount of equipment and weapons was taken out. More than half a million people returned to the territory of the Soviet Union that had collapsed at that time. A farewell parade in honor of the withdrawal of Russian troops took place in Treptow Park in Berlin with the participation of Russian President Boris Yeltsin and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

Potsdam