comrade_colonel94

I survived the war. The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. No, I wasn’t at the front. At the beginning of the war, I was not yet 11 years old. I wanted to go to the front. But to do this, it was necessary to take a train towards the front. And it was impossible to get to the station at that time. The station was guarded as a military facility. We, the children of soldiers, were determined to fight for our great Motherland.

#What this war was for us

I will not talk about what this war was for us. A lot has been written about this, both truth and, unfortunately, lies. I can only say that war is very difficult, and God forbid to experience such a difficult time again.

I have seen the eyes of mothers, wives, sisters, and children whose loved ones, fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons have remained forever on the battlefield. I saw their eyes dry with tears. It’s better not to see it again.

We won. And we know the price of this victory. We, the children of the warriors, listened every day with trepidation in our souls about the mass heroism of our soldiers, sergeants, officers, pilots, and sailors in this terrible battle with the fascist beast.

#Our heroes and role models

Later, when I became an officer in the Soviet Army, I talked many times with the participants of the Great Patriotic War, where they took so much courage, bravery, heroism, and selflessness in the fight against the brown plague.

We, the children of war, wanted to be like Gastello, Talalikhin, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Pokryshkin, Kozhedub, and many of those who showed miracles of heroism, perseverance, sacrificed their lives in the name of the Great Victory over fascism.

I emphasize the word “fascism”. Not against the German people, but against fascism.

#My service to the Motherland

It so happened in my life that I became the defender of our great and beloved Motherland. I served in the Soviet army for 31 years, from the rank of an ordinary soldier to colonel. And I saw in practice the selflessness of service to the Motherland of our Soviet people.

I saw how our soldiers and officers serve in the hot steppes of Azerbaijan in the Caspian sands. I saw how our soldiers and officers were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of saving the freedom-loving inhabitants of the island of freedom. I saw what incredibly difficult climatic conditions they served to protect the northern air borders of our Motherland on the islands of the New Siberian Archipelago.

I saw how meekly the hardships and deprivations of everyday life were endured by the comrades-in-arms of officers, conscripts in the lifeless steppes of Kazakhstan, in the remote corners of the taiga, in the tundras of the Far North.

And the question always arose: what drove our people to endure such sometimes unbearable conditions of service so steadfastly? The answer is very simple. Love for the Motherland. Pride in our country.

#Our inspiration and pride

My generation was inspired by the lives of people who selflessly served our great country. The handbook of our generation was Ostrovsky’s book “How the Steel Was Tempered”. We were proud of Papanin’s followers, Chkalov, Baidukov, Grizodubova, Chelyuskinites, and many wonderful Soviet people who set an example of selfless service to the Motherland.

My reflections on Soviet history and the current situation in Ukraine

I know this not only from books. I’ve lived through that era as well. But it is impossible to study the history of the country one-sidedly. It is impossible to denigrate the great feat of the Soviet people in the 1930s. From the end of the 1920s to the beginning of the 1940s, our fathers, grandfathers, mothers, and grandmothers created everything so that the country could take up arms against the terrible enemy who sought to wipe out everything Slavic, Russian, and all others from the face of the earth. Unfortunately, it is this feat that does not find worthy coverage in our history.

The Soviet literature and media

On the other hand, they try to make “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” what the book “How the Steel Was Tempered” was for us. Thinking too much to comment on what is the difference between them. The former is a critique of the Soviet system, while the latter is a glorification of it.

“One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” is a novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn that depicts the harsh realities of life in a Stalinist labor camp. “How the Steel Was Tempered” is a novel by Nikolai Ostrovsky that portrays the heroic struggle of a Bolshevik revolutionary during the Russian Civil War

The Soviet youth and morality

I often hear about how today’s young people are worse than us when we were young too. They say they’re worse than us. This is fundamentally wrong. If young people had been worse than us when we were also young, there would have been no progress for the country. The strength of the country lies in the fact that young people are always better than us, the older generation.

Yes, there’s a lot we don’t like about their behavior. I don’t like the moral level of today’s youth. There is a very clever Georgian proverb. I will probably quote this proverb in Georgian first, so that no one has any doubts. “Kokasa shigan ratsa dgas, igive tsarmodindeba.” “What’s poured into the pitcher will come out of it.” So, let’s see what kind of spiritual food we pour into the souls of our youth?!

At the forefront of all our TV shows, the work of all the media, is the task: more dollars, more money, as they say now, and at all levels, more money. Therefore, it is not the youth who should be blamed, but those who pour so much poison and dirt into the souls of our youth.

I understand that the Soviet government had a lot of negative things. We can see everything, the modern media talk about it in detail and persistently. However the Soviet media was aimed at educating young people of high moral qualities. And most importantly, love for the Motherland.

The threat of fascism

I fear that God forbid, something irreparable will happen to us. Will there be Matrosovs, Zoya Kosmodemyanskayas, Gastellos? And yet the situation is very alarming. Fascism, which we crushed in 1945, has raised its head again, and not just anywhere, but nearby, in Ukraine. Of particular danger is the fact that fascism in Ukraine has been elevated to state policy and is directed against Russia.

We have already seen this in Georgia. There, too, the so-called first president of Georgia, Gamsakhurdia, declared that Georgia is for Georgians the number one enemy for Georgia was the Russians, and the Ossetians were just garbage for Georgia, who should be swept out of Georgia with a Georgian broom. I will not cite what slogans against Russia and specifically against Russians are proclaimed in Ukraine. They are well-known. Something else strikes me. I am amazed that Russia, the Russians, saved Georgia from the real danger of losing its faith, its language, and its centuries-old culture. Eastern Georgia was practically a province of Iran. Western Georgia was a province of Turkey. The Russian soldier saved Georgia from such a danger and now it turns out that the Russians are enemies of Georgia. Such is the history with Ukraine. If it were not for Russia, not for the Russian people, Ukraine would have been torn apart by the Crimean Tatars, Poland, the Baltic princes, and Sweden. History must be read. Read at least Bulgakov Faddey Venediktovich. Read how he writes about Mazepa. His behavior in 1709. The position of Poland, the Baltics, Moldova, the Crimean Tatars, and Sweden. 2014 is just a repetition of 1709. Nothing new. He was not a communist or a democrat, he did not belong to the LDPR or any other parties. He was a contemporary of Pushkin. I am a historian. I graduated from Tbilisi University in 1966 with a red diploma. I have the right to say that I know the history of Russia and the Russian people. I can prove based on historical facts that Russia and the Russian people have repeatedly saved many peoples, Asia, and Europe from enslavement, from destruction. Russia today is a stronghold of high morality and justice. I have lived with the Russian people for 62 years and I can confidently say that I, an Ossetian, live best with the Russian people. There is no slogan here Russia for the Russians. There is a slogan here Russia for all honest and decent people.

The danger of war

Lately, the word “war!” is heard too often on the air. Serious and dangerous military exercises have become frequent. The situation is becoming close to that of October 1962. But then America was ruled by a smart, far-sighted, and understanding leader, John Kennedy. This man deserves the most sincere respect. This man personally, he alone saved the world from the impending global catastrophe. Today America is ruled by a man who is not even remotely similar to this outstanding president of America. In Europe, the leaders repeat the mistake of their predecessors at the beginning of the forties of the last century. Then they directed Germany against the Soviet Union. Today Germany and its satellites direct Ukraine against Russia. Isn’t it time to stop? After all, there will be no survivors in Europe either!

I survived the war of the fatherland and I understand what war is. I survived the cold war, and I understand what that means. We are now at the entrance to the third world, missile-nuclear war. The only country in the world that opposes this terrible danger is Russia. That is why a sanction war has been unleashed against Russia, which threatens to turn into a hot war. Politicians, come to your senses! You also have a wife, children, and relatives. Think about them.

Any state has the right to set some conditions for another state. But in this case, the state that sets the conditions must be either stronger or at least equal in military-economic power. In all other cases, you can only politely ask for something. Therefore, setting some conditions for Russia on the part of Salome is either the height of arrogance or the height of political illiteracy. Well, as a historian who graduated from the university in Tbilisi, I understand that Salome has no idea about the historical relations between Russia and Georgia. She was a Frenchwoman and remained a Frenchwoman, and in case of complications, she would run away to France.

The question is, how does Russia threaten Georgia? Russia protected Ossetia from destruction by the Georgians. If you consider the protection of small people as an occupation, then this is your level of development. If Russia leaves Ossetia, then the next day a frenzied crowd of Georgians will break into it, cut all the Ossetians, loot, and burn everything that can be burned. Do you want this, Madam Salome? Do you want to cover the noble Georgian people with such shame? And have you thought about what awaits hundreds of thousands of Georgians living in Russia? In North Ossetia? You have an interesting foreign policy position. You want the Russian people to feed you better and you also want to destroy Russia with the help of NATO. And who will feed you? America? France? Sorry, but they don’t care about you. With their help, proud Georgians are already digging in trash cans in search of food.

And another thing. You are preparing Georgia for war against Russia as part of NATO. You conduct NATO military exercises. You participate in other exercises against Russia. Your business. More NATO in Georgia. This is your slogan. Of course, you are a Frenchwoman and Europe is closer to you than Georgia. I am a military man, a colonel of the Soviet army, an officer of the air defense forces. And I have, as an officer of the air defense forces, a question, how is Georgia covered from the point of view of air, and chemical defense? How is your civil defense organized in case of the use of nuclear weapons by the enemy? Well, if none of this exists, then excuse me for being rude, where are you climbing? No America NATO will organize air defense and civil defense for you. Then why are you exposing the Georgian people to such mortal danger? The answer is very simple. Because the Georgian people are not your people. You are a NATO puppet and you also don’t care about the Georgian people. Sorry, but this is the truth.

All the best to you. Colonel of the Soviet army. Patriot of Georgia Chigoev Shamil Arsenovich.

I would like to write about the military conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia. I am an Ossetian and a native of South Ossetia. I was born in the Leningor District, in the village of Jvaris-Ubani, in 1930. I grew up in Tbilisi, graduated from a Georgian school with a silver medal, and in 1966, from the Faculty of History of the State University in Tbilisi with a red diploma. What I present to you is not a mere contemplation but a historical truth.

Now, let me elaborate on what I aim to convey. When analyzing Georgia's aggression against South Ossetia in August, it is crucial to grasp that this was more than just President Saakashvili's outlandish idea. Saakashvili merely carried out the will of most of the Georgian society. The aggression against the Ossetians was the inevitable culmination of the political turmoil that had been unfolding in Georgia for years. Political parties and factions vying for power constructed their agendas on anti-Russian and anti-Ossetian platforms.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I visited Georgia several times to see my relatives, even during the Soviet era. Reading the Georgian press, I was struck by the explicit hatred and animosity that the Georgians harbored towards Russians and Ossetians, which splattered across the pages of local newspapers and magazines. By 1989, the Soviet rule in Georgia had practically vanished. Officers were unable to walk the streets in their uniforms without being insulted or assaulted. The families of officers living in military towns led lives akin to those under siege. Ossetians faced danger on the streets. Gamsakhurdia, an outright fascist in charge of Georgia at the time, proclaimed, "Georgia for Georgians. Ossetians are trash that must be swept away with the Georgian broom." Gamsakhurdia and his followers divided the Georgian population into full-fledged Georgian citizens and "non-Georgians" – second-class individuals mainly consisting of Ossetians and Russians. Gamsakhurdia skillfully tapped into the sentiments of nationalism ingrained deep within every Georgian.

In the second half of the 19th century, there was a Georgian writer named Alexander Kazbegi, whose actual surname was Chopikashvili. He wrote intriguing works, one of which was the inspiration behind Stalin's nickname "Koba" - "The Father-Killer." In each of Kazbegi's works, Ossetians were portrayed as traitors, bandits, and murderers. As for Russians, they were depicted as violators, inept, and ruthless. Kazbegi's works were included in the Georgian literature curriculum as mandatory reading. Thus, from their school days, Georgian students were instilled with negative attitudes towards Ossetians and Russians. Dirty jokes about Russians and Ossetians spread rampantly. Under the Soviet regime, an illusion of friendship and brotherhood prevailed, quashing any hint of nationalism in any form. Perhaps few know about the strict measures taken against Georgian nationalists in March 1956, when they demanded the withdrawal of Soviet Armed Forces from Georgia. They declared Georgia's exit from the Soviet Union and expressed their desire to join Turkey, aiming for eventual NATO membership. What seemed absurd half a century ago has undeniably come to be.

Soviet authorities also propagated another falsehood - that Ossetia was an integral part of Georgia. However, Ossetia had never been part of Georgia. It is true that Georgian princes, especially Prince Machabeli, passionately attempted to subjugate the proud Ossetian people through various means, including brute force, but they never succeeded. Georgian historians themselves did not doubt that Ossetia had never been a part of Georgia. In 1966, I completed my studies in the history department of Tbilisi University. My diploma supervisor assigned me the topic of "Ossetia's Relations with Russia in the Second Half of the 18th Century." I want to draw the reader's attention to the wording of the topic itself. It categorizes Ossetia not as an integral part of Georgia but as an independent state, raising the question of whether Ossetia or Georgia joined Russia first. At that time, Georgians solemnly pledged their loyalty and friendship to Russia. My professor-supervisor tasked me with proving that Georgia joined Russia before Ossetia. To conduct this research, I conducted extensive archival work in Tbilisi, Moscow, and Vladikavkaz. The conclusion of my research was clear: Ossetia enjoyed its independent existence long before Georgia became a part of Russia. Yet, Georgians aggressively continued to claim ownership of Ossetia, fuelling tensions between the two regions.

The hatred and aggression towards Ossetians didn't stop at the borders of Georgia. Many Georgian immigrants in Russia shared the same prejudice. Discrimination and violence against Ossetians and Russians were not uncommon. Georgian authorities actively supported and encouraged their nationals' nationalist sentiments, leading to further division and hostility.

As the years passed, the situation deteriorated. Georgians actively cultivated a sense of superiority and entitlement over Ossetians and Russians. They propagated misinformation, twisted historical facts, and fanned the flames of nationalism, culminating in acts of violence and ultimately the bloody conflict in August.

While it is essential to understand the historical context to comprehend the roots of the conflict, I do not mean to justify the actions of either side or simplify the complexities involved. The conflict was a tragic culmination of long-standing tensions, exacerbated by political opportunism and a lack of adequate dialogue.

After the events in August, there were debates among political scientists and politicians as to whether Russia's actions were adequate or not. I will not elaborate on this topic and will simply say that if Russia had delayed its assistance by just one day, there would not have been a single Ossetian left alive in South Ossetia, and the Georgian army would have gone on to destroy the Abkhazians. One must consider this situation when some gentlemen speak of the inadequacy of Russia's actions in the current situation in the Caucasus. I do not even want to discuss what would have happened in the North Caucasus and how Russia would have found itself in a serious strategic defeat.

In conclusion, I want to say that I cannot find words to express my immense gratitude to the great sons of Russia, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Anatoly Dmitrievich Medvedev, for saving my people from total annihilation. As always, the Russian people became the savior of the Ossetian people.