[.ca] The Hidden War: A Russian Journalist's Account of the ... (ISBN 080213775X)

Walk With Soviet Troops in Afganistan:
Colonel Zakharov, Sergeant Dzhabarov, and Defector Peresleni walk with author Artyom Borovik through war-torn Afghanistan. As they travel, the soldiers shoot the breeze and reveal innermost thoughts and feelings with the adept author. 'The Hidden War' humanizes many Soviet soldiers, while others are vilified for greed and murderous actions. Always the soldiers come across as real people. Some Soviet Army defectors, Peresleni for example, eventually wound up in America. In Borovik's eyes the defectors are neither happy nor unhappy. They find themselves in a new land dealing with the challenges of a new place and poignant homesickness. The book's many anecdotes offer unique insights into current events. For example, Pereslini's main reason for defecting was not idealism, confusion, or hatred, but that his fellow soldiers, many of whom happened to be Kazakh, would regularly beat him up. They beat him up for being a Muscovite. Borovik also meets with Sayed Ahmad Gailani in London. His account of the meeting left me with much to think about the interactions western leaders have with those in the middle-east. As the former Soviet Union's offspring make their voices heard, the 'Hidden War' offers a starkly different view of the Soviet soldier than I've previously come across. But then, I was a little young in th 80s to appreciate informed news coverage. Time to catch up.

Very easy to read, and strikingly similiar to Vietnam War:
Very interesting book, it was amazing how similiar the experience sounded to America in Vietnam.

Russia's "Vietnam":
To the Soviet leadership that invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the Afghani resisters were "imperialist bandits," but the knowing grunts on the ground dubbed their elusive enemy dukhi (ghosts). Though just a semantic gulf, that's one major difference Borovik found between leaders and led, based on two trips he made to war zones in 1987 and during the Red Army's withdrawal in 1989. Whether roughing it during one unit's battle for a forgotten village, or making a grueling cross-desert hike to lay an ambush, he brings a one-damn-thing-after-another expressiveness that does justice to the soldier's lot. They kill, are bored, are scared, are mad about being killed for some nameless, insignificant objective. Alienation and isolation set in as battalion commander Ushakov warns: "A real veteran will keep quiet about the war." Throw in a few atrocity stories, and Borovik has pulled together an account that will inevitably invite comparison with the G.I.'s experience in Vietnam

Good, but thin...:
First: I am a big fan of Military History. I love first-hand accounts, books that relive strategies/tactics/lives. This book was good, but it was missing something... First hand descriptions of what actually was going on. Borovik references a great deal of events, but never delves into them. This comes about primarily because the book is a collection of articles about the Soviet-Afghan experience. Mainly though, it was a depressing half-hearted diatribe against Soviet authorities who drove the war effort. Being a student of Soviet Studies, it was clear to me that the style was quintessentially Russian. Meaning, it talked about hardships, was vivid in visual details, and rich in melancholia. However, it lacked details on what really happened there, how troops conducted themselves, what the Afghans were like, and how the war was waged. Frankly, the book left me a bit cold. However, if you are looking for a book that gives the somber nature of the Soviet feelings towards the Afghan war, this is a decent book to read.

Another example of proSoviet propaganda:
A must read book for people,who wish to understand history of Soviet war in Afganistan.This book will give you the best example of how Soviet Union used journalists in propaganda war during the occupation of Afghanistan.Artyom Borovik does it well. Well written,but untruthfull.I happen to meet Artyom in Afghanistan in 1985, and in Moscow in 1989.After reading this book,I understood how much pressure he had from being a son of general editor of the largest proSoviet magazin during "communist" era. Sorry Artyom,but you didn,t have to do it!