Neuzeit

Veterans of the Soviet Afghan War. Fighting for Recognition

NATALYA DANILOVA (Exeter)

Abstract:

This presentation discusses the reintegration of the Soviet Afghan War veterans in Russia by focusing on the issues of identity, and attitudes towards the armed forces and society. In methodological terms, the analysis situates the reintegration of veterans into the context of civil-military relations, and identity debates. The question of identity is one of the most complex issues in veterans’ studies because it underpins a transition of ex-combatants from the context of asymmetric warfare to a peaceful life. This contribution examines how Soviet Afghan war veterans fought for the official recognition of their war experience while also coming to terms with their controversial war experience at the personal level. The analysis also juxtaposes veterans’ collective and individual experiences with the political legitimation of the Soviet Afghan War in Russia from 1989 to 2013. In this regard, the case of Russia reveals both difficulty and danger in reintegration of veterans via the political legitimation of asymmetric warfare. The most difficult challenge for modern societies lies in the problem of how to ensure successful reintegration of veterans without closing down public discussion on the legitimacy of asymmetric and often ambivalent military interventions.