Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/realtimehistory
Christmas 1979. Soviet armor pours across the Afghan border towards Kabul as helicopters secure the mountain passes through the Hindukush mountains. In Moscow, the Politburo has decided to save Afghanistan’s communist government from collapse. Afghan rebels have taken up arms against the unpopular regime and control most of the countryside. But the Red Army leadership doubts it can pacify the country – so why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan?
» SUPPORT US
https://patreon.com/realtimehistory
https://nebula.tv/realtimehistory
» THANK YOU TO OUR CO-PRODUCERS
Charles Shananaquet II, Bruce D, Rose Flaglor, Reed Spilmann, Jim Frame, Erik Ritter, Cardboard, Ken Brownfield, David Garfinkle, Raymond Martin, Konstantin Bredyuk, Lisa Anderson, Brad Durbin, Jeremy K Jones, Murray Godfrey, John Ozment, Stephen Parker, Mavrides, Kristina Colburn, Stefan Jackowski, Cardboard, William Kincade, William Wallace, Daniel L Garza, Chris Daley, Malcolm Swan, Christoph Wolf, Simen Røste, Jim F Barlow, Taylor Allen, Adam Smith, James Giliberto, Albert B. Knapp MD, Tobias Wildenblanck, Richard L Benkin, Marco Kuhnert, Matt Barnes, Ramon Rijkhoek, Jan, Scott Deederly, gsporie, Kekoa, Bruce D. Hearns, Hans Broberg, Fogeltje
» SOURCES
Braithwaite, Rodric. “Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89” Oxford University Press, 2011.
Coll, Steve. “Ghost Wars: The secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001” Penguin Books, 2004.
Dimitrakis, Panagiotis. “The Secret War in Afghanistan: The Soviet Union, China and Anglo-American Intelligence in the Afghan War” L.B. Tauris, 2013.
Dupree, Louis. “Afghanistan” Princeton University Press, 1980.
Galeotti, Mark. “Storm-333 KGB and Spetsnaz seize Kabul, Soviet Afghan War 1979” Osprey Publishing, 2021.
Grad, Marcela. “Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader” Webster University Press, 2009.
Grau, Lester W. “The Take-Down of Kabul: An Effective Coup de Main” GlobalSecurity.org, 2002 https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2002/MOUTGrau.htm#_ftn1
Jalali, Ali Ahmad. “A military history of Afghanistan: from the Great Game to the Global War on Terror” University Press of Kansas, 2017.
Leake, Elisabeth. “Afghan Crucible: The Soviet Invasion and the Making of Modern Afghanistan” Oxford University Press, 2022.
Penter, Tanja/Meier, Esther (Eds.). “Sovietnam – Die UdSSR in Afghanistan 1979-1989” Ferdinand Schöningh, 2017.
Radchenko, Sergey. “To Run the World: The Kremlin’s Cold War Bid for Global Power” Cambridge University Press, 2024.
Misdaq, Nabi. “Afghanistan: Political frailty and external interference” Routledge, 2006
Tomsen, Peter. “The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers” PublicAffairs, 2013.
Bakhtar News Agency, “We took power on the basis of politcal, social honesty: Taraki”, Kabul Times, Vol XVII, No 110 (3 August 1978)
Зубок, В. М. “Неудавшаяся империя: Советский Союз в Холодной войне от Сталина до Горбачева” РОССПЭН, 2011.
Ляховский, Александр. “Трагедия и доблесть Афгана” Искона, 1995
Меримский, В.А. “Загадки афганской войны” Вече, 2006.
Евгений Чернышев, Дневник https://corpus.prozhito.org/notes?date=“1979-01-01”&diaries=[3872]
Христофоров В.С., Гусева Ю.Н. Военная стратегия Советского Союза в Афганистане: просчеты планирования и общественное неприятие // QUAESTIO ROSSICA. 2020. Vol. 8, № 2. С. 382–398.
»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Jesse Alexander
Director: Toni Steller
Editing: Philipp Appelt
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: http://above-zero.com
Research by: Florian Wittig, Sofia Shirogorova
Fact checking: Florian Wittig, Sofia Shirogorova
Executive Producer: Florian Wittig
Channel Design: Simon Buckmaster
Contains licensed material by getty images, picture alliance, and Reuters
Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3
Music Library: Epidemic Sound
All photos and film in our documentaries are authentic historical footage. We do not use generative AI to create new assets. However, we may use AI tools to upscale or clean up certain assets without distorting or compromising the original image.
All rights reserved – Real Time History GmbH 2025
Prior to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan during the '60s and '70s the country was well known as part of the "Hippy Trail" from Europe to India. The people of Afghanistan were famous for their friendliness and hospitality to travelers. During that time the national sport was kite flying.
At the time of the invasion many on the Soviet side went into Afghanistan with good intentions – to improve healthcare and education. Unfortunately, those intentions were incompatible with the culture of rural Afghans.
In my life I have known several people who traveled through Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion and some who were part of it.
It didn't work out too well, did it.
Would love to see a follow-up to this video, and show the entire war. Good job RTH!
28:00 Who's this guy? Looks like a parody of a James Bond villain. 😂😂
What about US invasion
They had to choose between monarchism, communism or islamism. Possibly three of the worst isms imaginable. Poor Afghanistan was doomed
Loving this. Watching from Zimbabwe
26:18 exchange the words 'Soviet Union' with 'United States' and this speech is scary relevant.
No one ever mentioned Pakistan which played a crucial role
My god….Americans really don’t understand what socialism is 😂
You talk about communists, then say some people turn to socialism. (Implying the communists)