Russian Troops in the Badakhshan-Mountain Autonomous Region in 1992-1997

Abstract

The study is devoted to the most dramatic period of the stay of Russian troops on the territory of Badakhshan-mountain - the era of the civil war in Tajikistan (1992-1997). The authors of the work tried to overcome the schematism and descriptive nature of the historiography of the topic. For this, documents from the archives of the Badakhshan mountain Autonomous Region (BMAR), data from the regional periodical press, and previously unpublished analytical materials and photographs from the funds of the Central Border Museum of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation were used. As a result of studying the opposing forces, instead of confronting the faceless, monolithic and mechanically opposed “Russians” and “fighters”, a complex picture of the interaction of various actors involved in the thick of events with the unpredictable dynamics of the context is formed. The authors conclude that the armed forces of the former “Center” at some point turned out to be the only significant economic agent, security guarantor and socialization institution that prevented the development of the region according to the “Afghan” scenario.