Afghanistan: The Lost Soldiers of the Red Army

"A war only ends on the day the last soldier comes home," says Colonel Jeltakov, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Forever marked by this conflict, from which the USSR emerged defeated and humiliated, Colonel Jeltakov still carries a list of 284 names: they are the Soviet soldiers who have disappeared without a trace to this day, back in Afghanistan. Some deserted, others were captured by the Mujahideen, some were killed, many bodies have still not been found.

Russia has given them a name: the lost soldiers of the Red Army. Over the past 15 years, Colonel Jeltakov has continued his search for them. He has traveled through some valleys, searched many villages, interviewed witnesses, and brought back dozens of soldiers who disappeared 30 or 40 years ago. The return of the Taliban to power has halted his missions, but he will wait. As long as it takes... Here is the complete documentary "Afghanistan: Die verlorenen Soldaten der Roten Armee" on ARTE.

ARTE on the Internet