Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan began May 15, 1988 , in accordance with the prisoners in April 1988 Geneva Agreements on a political settlement of the situation around the DRA . The Soviet Union has pledged to withdraw its contingent in the nine-month period , ie until February 15 next year.
According to reports , in the first three months left Afghanistan 50,183 troops. Another 50,100 people have returned to the USSR in the period from 15 August 1988 to 15 February 1989 .
Operation for withdrawal has been constantly attacked by dushmans . According to the newspaper “Washington Post” , just in this period were killed 523 Soviet soldiers .
February 15, 1989 , Lieutenant-General Boris Gromov , according to the official version, was the last Soviet troops , stepping on the Friendship Bridge border between the two countries. In fact, in Afghanistan remained as Soviet soldiers were captured by the dushmans and units of border guards , cover the withdrawal of troops and returned to the territory of the Soviet Union only in the afternoon of February 15. KGB border guards perform tasks for the protection of the Soviet- Afghan border, the individual units in Afghanistan until April 1989.