we have some my pleasure it's and i can only say positive things about my suit certain. he was intelligent sophisticated and he never made irrational decisions look at the loss where he always kept his word however difficult that might be he did a great deal for his people who do all of this so he has a pretty mediocre. while most sued for the red army life in moscow continued as normal until the day when the aged constantine chen yanker who had succeeded and drop off died in march 1905 a younger man came to power a new face in the kremlin the fate of afghanistan and of the soviet union would change forever. i looks it says will not go but short of. the hour had come for mikhail gorbachev the heir apparent to under a part of the became general secretary of the communist party of the soviet union

no one knew then that he would be the last and he was different from his predecessors much younger 54. he was born in 1931 near stefano paul in the caucasus if you did he had humble origins his father and grandfather were peasants because. he would prove to be a good authority on agricultural matters that was his trademark. that's why he was called to moscow. in 1980 s. he became a member of the police bureau. jelly's magick that's an arch his rapid rise was due to his charisma and also his age and his easy manner. he could give speeches without notes 6 pretty improvised views if some for the soviet people observing his demeanor it was something completely new he liked appearing in

public which was also unusual all devoted to his predecessors had had very little direct contact with the people of the search of a clip of gorbachev visited factories spoke with people was interested in every day problems. there was a sense that a new era was beginning to release a new. why don't you. put in one of the well i don't know what this war is about why they have to be millions of deaths. what are we fighting for. this. this is their country and i think they can take the responsibility for it themselves. they can decide their future and vote for the policies they want. but for the body. being he makes no sense it's

a mistake. for the ship. sank $985.00 was the most atrocious year of the war in afghanistan. gorbachev came to power and the generals wanted to persuade him that winning was still possible. but it meant pulling out all the stops before the resistance fighters got american anti aircraft weapons by the national deep in 1905 tens of thousands of peasants and their livestock were killed zam but it was too late if you. were equipped with those american anti aircraft guns view of that they were suddenly able to shoot down on average one so be a plane in one soviet helicopter protests. both use and no soviet pilot wanted to be part of that statistic probably. the result was that from 986 the

resistance fighters were also active during the day see soviet air operations only took place at night because the pilots were afraid of being shot down. so the ground troops lost their air support you and the soviet occupation was still. looking for some city to get it. if. afghanistan was a thorn in gorbachev's side it was referred to as the russian vietnam it was a war with big losses and for which the people suffered seduced it also presented a foreign policy problem. it's got a bunch of couldn't find a solution to the problem the west would see him as no different to his predecessors. because as far as the west was concerned if the affair went on unresolved it meant nothing had changed in the soviet union meaning if you no money no. he really had to show that his policy had changed and that the soviet union was

moving into a new era. he had to draw a line under it. it wouldn't be easy because the americans were quite standoffish to begin with. i mean he weren't sure who they were dealing with. but slowly he was able to build up confidence by making a lot of concessions. go back to the concessions were mostly on his side. ready to. you must register a small serious cable to last a printer issue and here i got the yes you were yes i love you lie you can start this is you do sort of lose interest or what are you so when you start to build it was rationing or you know spoke well i didn't turn to even with a still owes it reason yet they searched out my gift. for you i was a player who were going to stand to come on the show i was sent back to afghanistan

as commander of the 40th army and head of all soviet forces in afghanistan stood. in the middle that's my mission was can. produce to bring home our troops we see were this pretty good morning but how could a little valley with only 5000 men and 700 weapons stop the red army reputed to be the most powerful in the world. so it's thanks to the structure of the valley with its mountains and rivers that was good for us and bad for the enemy. masood defied the soviets for 10 years they never managed to take his strongholds the punch. he also held the key to a successful withdrawal of soviet troops because his mujahideen controlled part of the routes linking kabul and the u.s.s.r. his relationship to groom wolf was respectful almost friendly. yes the shit is

mostly this guy never met must food in punchy always on neutral territory of the bunch then we play for different example on the main road from kabul to the song pass where the punchy valley begins. where we agreed on a particular site i am arrived by helicopter and he came on horseback all by jeep a woman in a marsh accompanied by his body comes. the richer is the best with the word here is a virginia. this 33 is. yes this is there they were sure we would say it is a when you stand. yes there was no war so. that when i was on the bridge would result i didn't expect to be greeted by my eldest son crib and i was overcome by emotions. i felt relief but also

dispatches to border as if i suddenly became aware of all the responsibility that i had carried all those years and yet on the. nirvana and the nervous tension was a man walked across the situation had been very hard and complicated really organism i had a feeling of total emptiness as i crossed the bridge i had the impression that my life was over i was completely burnt out. the board the during the 1980 s. everything had revolved around afghanistan. just like it had for hundreds of thousands of soviet families. and for my own friends and family. and suddenly after this war most of the 1990 s. began really difficult years that destroyed our country was built in the system a nationalist of. the mood in the soviet union turned. voices critical of go but shelf in the ruling elite grew louder

people called for him to resign they wanted real change. glasnost and perestroika failed. and the economic crisis hit the country hard shops were empty the people no longer believed in go but self all the future of communism. but his policies had opened pandora's box there was no stopping the course of history. 9 months after the soviet withdrawal from afghanistan the burning wolf.

even in moscow statues were toppled they started with that of felix jazz in ski the founder of the cheka the forerunner of the k.g.b. . the growing discontent became more more focused on those in power in the kremlin. one after another selfie at socialist republics declared independence. the days of communism and the soviet union were numbered. most it gathered good story i get that these are the afghanistan war was the catalyst for the fall of the u.s.s.r. it played an important role. for one thing it exposed the military weakness of the red army. which wasn't able to control the situation on the ground. also. the war showed that the soviet economy was no longer strong enough to finance

such a conflict. it shone a light on the structural problems of the regime. and it undermined the myth of proletarian internationalism and put in the idea that the powerful soviet union should help developing countries. beyond develop more one small country was able to defy a superpower. that us had gone it to so that led the u.s.s.r. to question its identity including its capacity to go toe to toe with the united states as the war in afghanistan raised some very painful questions in the soviet union. again. february 1909 marked the end of what's known as the soviet invasion of afghanistan

or the afghanistan war or as moscow called it sending a limited contingent to aid a brother country. the end of the conflict brought great relief to the multi-ethnic populations of both afghanistan and the soviet union it was to be the last armed conflict of the cold war. me but it had taken a heavy toll around 2000000 dead on the afghan side 15000 soviet soldiers killed and millions windows. there were countless victims of landmines and there was mass population displacement with around 6000000 people fleeing to pakistan and iran. it was a war that would change the face of the world a devastated afghanistan fell into a bloody civil war in which the islamist taliban would emerge as sponsors of a new source of international terrorism. it's no coincidence that the country is

known as the graveyard of empires that's certainly true when it comes to the soviet union 2 and a half years after withdrawing its troops in december 1991 it ceased to exist. cal africa from culture. to environmentalist geoffrey offender has made up his mind. to kill any more. visits rural areas every week for the conservation gonna initiative and sensitizes the residents for the protection of the forest and. through that song d w. w's

crime fighters are back africa's most successful radio drama series continues from the all of us odes are available online course you can share and discuss song w. africa's facebook page and other social media platforms crime fighters tune in no. i. was essential for the trick monarch. this morning tragedy i am i going to share. secrets which. starts to seem to. come.

bases d.w. news live from birds in europe tightens its borders to guard against a new strain of corona virus countries move to ban travel from the u.k. where a new virus variant is causing new lock downs and fresh fia to just how dangerous is the new strain also coming up the tiny state of monaco is enticing more than just tax dodges these days to look at why so many people are flocking there this winter. and in the bundesliga by noon it capped off a great 2020 with a win that made.