Argun Gorge - memory or oblivion?

Glory and bitterness ...How often these words go together in the characteristics of wars, because war is death, the death of young people who could still do so much in their lives. But the bitterness becomes especially unbearable when it would be possible to avoid human sacrifice, but someone did not give the necessary order and forbade them to go to the aid of their own.

Argun gorge is a beautiful place in allCaucasus The long canyon plays a strategically important role in communicating throughout the Chechen Republic: the forces controlling it have the ability to dominate the country.

Counter-terrorist operation - so officiallycalled the fighting in Chechnya since September 1999, which today have subsided, but not stopped completely. And although the federal troops showed themselves from the best side, the tragic line in the annals of history recorded Argun gorge. The year 2000 was marked by the capture of Shatoi and the announcement of the successful completion of the operation. Since 2001, the contingent of Russian troops in Chechnya has been decreasing.

Russian military group in Shatoy district 29February 2000, there were about a hundred thousand people. How did it happen that the Argun gorge became the grave for a company of Russian soldiers, who were left alone with 2.5 thousand militants armed to the teeth, with snipers who "shot" soldiers so quickly that they could not even make a shot? So, from the sniper's bullet, the company commander, Sergey Molodov, almost immediately died, whose place was taken by Mark Evtyukhin. Young and experienced fighters held on to the previously occupied height of 776, not retreating, not panicking, because they were waiting for help, support from their own, which never came. On the very first day of the battle, 31 people were killed, but for another day a handful of Russian soldiers held the height. When it became clear that the help would not be in time, the only surviving officer, although seriously injured, diverted the fire to himself and ordered two young privates to escape, who jumped off a cliff. Argun gorge passed into the hands of militants, but only for a day. On March 2, federal troops occupied altitude, and only part of the militants managed to get out of the encirclement along secret paths.

Of the entire company of paratroopers who defended Argungorge, 6 people survived. Some were injured, someone lost consciousness and was regarded by opponents as killed; Private Andrei Porshnev and Alexander Suponinsky owe their lives to Captain Romanov, who sacrificed himself to save them. Major Alexander Dostovalov, not waiting for an order, rushed with his small group of 15 people to help the paratroopers who had joined the battle and died as a man of honor. That is what we call heroes. Why are these victims needed? Who gave the order to neighboring locations not to fight under the pain of the tribunal? What don't the media talk about? It seemed that the soldiers had not been considered by the generals as “cannon fodder” for a long time; is it really not so?

And yet the battle in the gorge Argun testifiesliving military valor and honor, that there are those who are willing to be loyal, but not be traitors to neither the Motherland nor comrades. Without such courage, military glory is inconceivable, the education of the future generation is inconceivable.