Hidden War: A Russian Journalist's Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan

This book differs from many wartime narratives in that the author focuses upon the individuals that he meets, instead of the strategic and tactital campaigns that are usually covered. The author is very descriptive with his accounts, but he often leaves the reader the task of determining the competence of persons being interviewed. This is not a preachy book, but it still comes across as very intelligent. The only thing left to say is that, This is a good read.

The "The Hidden War" is a remarkably powerful work about the physical and mental scars that war can leave. What it is not is a detailed history of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. That's not to say that one can't find lessons for our current situation, but they aren't the ones you might expect. There aren't any clues as to how to fight the Afghans in this book, and the Soviet Army bears essentially no resemblance to our current force structure. They were fighting a war of aggression, were ill led and were provided with almost negligent training.However, "The Hidden War" provides tremendous insight into the Afghan mindset: why they fight (or don't), why their country lies and ruins, and why they have such conflicted feelings towards the West. More than anything this book teaches us what we shouldn't do: We shouldn't try to hold large areas of territory, we shouldn't alienate the average Afghan with our superiority, we shouldn't disrespect their culture, however alien it may be to us.If you're looking for a parallel to this work, I personally found myself time and time again thinking of Michael Herr's "Dispatches". In the same way that he captured the nightmare maelstrom of drugs, violence and disillusionment that was the Vietnam War, so too does Borovik paint a picture of a hopelessly misguided Soviet effort. He leaves no doubt as to the futility of fighting a conflict with no strategy (let alone tactics), no goals, and no support at home....

Not only does Artyom Borovik clearly show that the USSR's occupation of Afghanistan was militarily and politically parallel to the US in Viet Nam, he does it in a style that holds our attention when the images want us to turn away. The writing is as clear and personal as anyone could be after witnessing the endless crushing brutality of Afghanistan terrain, climate, and rebel attacks.The lengthy Introduction contains many valuable conclusions, one of which is merely: stay out of Afghanistan and they will probably continue the war with each other.

As an avid enthusiast of all things Russian, Soviet, etc. and especially the failed occupation of Afghanistan, I found this book at a book store going out of business. What an incredible find! It was an original first print (Different cover picture) and was written from a Russian point of view, through Russian eyes, but not necessarily a military view. Artyom Borovik was a journalist covering the war. A combat correspondant...sorta. All I can say is READ it since this tells the story of an event that ultimately leads to the fall of the Soviet Union and also leads us to September 11, 2001 and the World Trade Center tragedy. This is where the recent batch of fundamentalism in the Islamic world got it's fire...fighting against an imperialist super-power. The same fire we face today. Just as we fought the Soviets through the Vietnamese, they fought us through the Mujahadin in Afghanistan. Another good book told through Soviet eyes, although fiction and way out of print, is "Red Army" by Ralph Peters. It's a book about a war that never happened. :) If you can find it, it'll be worth it!

This is a great book. I just bought it a couple of days ago and have been reading it constantly. It is trilling, and tells the story of the Soviet/Afghani soldiers during the Russo-Afghan war. I suggest this book to anyone who wants to read a real good book on this subject. I also suggest reading 'Afghanistan: Soviet Vietnam'. These two books are the best about this mainly unknown subject to the Western world.