Russian Afghan Veterans Give Advice On NATO's Pullout From Afghanistan

Russian Afghan Veterans Warn NATO Against Mistakes In Pullout From Afghanistan -- Russia Beyond The Headlines

The Russian Union of Afghan War Veterans that unites many generals and officers who took part in the pullout of the Soviet limited contingent from Afghanistan are ready to respond to requests from NATO colleagues and share their materials, Union leader Frants Klintsevich told Interfax-AVN on Thursday.

"I have learned about the NATO request from the media, but I do not rule out it may be made. If that is necessary, my comrades-in-arms and I are ready to share with North Atlantic Alliance partners our analysis and recollections of the final stage of the Soviet forces on the Afghan land in 1989," said Klintsevich, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee.

The media said NATO had asked the Russian military to share materials regarding the Soviet pullout from Afghanistan in 1989 before withdrawing the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) due in 2014.

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My Comment: These Russian vets should be listened to .... but they will be ignored. The U.S. and NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan is motivated more by politics and public opinion .... and staying put in Afghanistan is on the bottom of their priority list.

Is Russia's Military Going Back To Afghanistan?

Russia May Set Up New Afghanistan Bases – Official -- RT

Russian Defense Ministry officials and NATO representatives will soon discuss the possibility of Russia establishing new bases in Afghanistan for the repairing of military hardware.

“We will look into various options of creating repair bases on Afghan territory,” the head of the Defense Ministry’s department of international cooperation, Sergey Koshelev, told the press. He added that the maintenance of weapons and military hardware in Afghanistan remains a top priority, as any instability in the country would affect Russia’s own security, as well as the security of other European nations.

Russian NATO envoy Aleksandr Grushko also said that Moscow was not excluding the possibility of broader cooperation with the military bloc. In particular, Russia could offer to enlarge the transport corridor to Afghanistan, so that the country’s own forces could continue to receive supplies from Western allies after coalition troops leave Afghanistan in 2014.

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More News On The Possibility of Russia Returning To Afghanistan

Debacles aside, Russia's going back to Afghanistan -- Sydney Morning Herald
Russian Troops to Afghanistan? Russia May Set Up Maintenance Bases -- Epoch Times
Russia considers returning to Afghanistan -- Passport/Foreign Policy
Is Russia "Returning" To Afghanistan? -- Eurasianet.org
Rumblings of Russia’s Afghan re-entry -- The Hindu
Russia going back to Afghanistan? Kremlin confirms it could happen -- Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor
Is Russia "Returning" To Afghanistan? -- Joshua Kucera, Eurasianet.org

Russian Forces To Return To Afghanistan

Soviet Withdrawal From Afghanistan 1988

Exclusive: Afghanistan: Russia Steps In To Help Nato -- The Independent

Russia has agreed to return to the war in Afghanistan at the request of the Western states which helped the mujahedin to drive its forces out of the country 21 years ago.

The Independent has learnt that Moscow is engaged in training the Afghan army and counter-narcotics troops and has agreed in principle to supply Nato with helicopters for use in Afghanistan.

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More News On Russia Returning To Afghanistan

Russia and Nato plan joint initiative in Afghanistan -- The Telegraph
Russian military could be drawn back into Afghanistan -- The Guardian
Russia ‘could go back to Afghanistan’ -- Polijam
Nato's Afghan endgame begins with a helping hand from Russia -- The Independent editorial

My Comment: This news is not going down well in Russia. Russian military involvement in Afghanistan is a dead end .... and everyone in Russia knows this with the exception (it appears) of those in the Kremlin.