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Soviet soldier taking a photograph of another soldier in Red Square, Moscow, 1959

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Afghanistan

Afghan resistance fighters return to a village destroyed by Soviet forces

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Mikhail Gorbachev, 1986

Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeevich

1931- 2022

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Gromyko, Andrei Andreevich

1909- 1989

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Najibullah, Mohammad

1947- 1996

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Leonid Brezhnev, 1974.

Brezhnev, Leonid Il'ich

1906- 1982

President Ronald Reagan, Vice-President Bush, and oviet General Secretary Gorbachev

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Andropov, Yuri Vladimirovich

1914- 1984

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Sino-Soviet Relations

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May 17, 1989	Diary of Teimuraz Stepanov-Mamaladze, 17 May 1989 Teimuraz Stepanov-Mamaladze diary entry, describing negotiations between China and a USSR delegation. The negotiations cover border issues, Soviet assistance in improving relations between India and Nepal, and Afghanistan, among other issues. Following the negotiations, Mamaladze describes protesters, "two hundred thousand strong," and notes that the movement has grown beyond just students.
July 2, 1987	Record of Conversation between M.S. Gorbachev and Prime Minister R. Gandhi Gorbachev and Rajiv Gandhi meet to discuss various issues. Begin by noting the effect of Western radio propaganda within both India and Soviet Union. Gorbachev notes the "voices" of Western radio stations broadcasting in the Soviet Union, aiming to undermine perestroika. After touching on economic initiatives in India, Gandhi singles out, among problems in India, the "weakening of public morals." Blames this problem on the "onslaught of the Western--and first and foremost, American-- mass media." Both sides criticize militarism at base of US foreign policy, and US emphasis on rolling back communism. Conversation concludes with analysis of Afghanistan situation; Gorbachev explains measure USSR is taking to solidify Afghan government, and Gandhi recommends caution when dealing with tribal factor in Afghanistan. Both sides speak on Pakistan's reaction to situation.
May 1987	Plan of Negotiations between M.S. Gorbachev and the President of the United States of America, R. Reagan before the first trip to Washington Soviet plan for negotiations between Gorbachev and Reagan. Topics covered include peacemaking efforts in the Near East, nuclear limitation, and the issue of Afghanistan.
September 2, 1989	Letter from Ahmad Shah Masoud to Soviet First Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Afghanistan Envoy Yuli Vorontsov Afghan opposition leader Ahmad Shah Masoud sends a defiant letter in response to Soviet overtures.
January 24, 1989	Minutes of CPSU Central Committee Politburo, 'Measures in Connection with the Upcoming Withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan' (Excerpt) List of measures to support the Afghan military following the withdrawal of Soviet troops, especially the vital suppy route of the Kabul-Hayraton highway.
December 11, 1989	Letter from CPSU General Secretary Mikhail S. Gorbachev to Afghan Government Gorbachev discusses the necessity of intra-Afghan peace talks. At the same time, the Soviet Union will provide military assistance, weapons, and aircraft to Afghanistan to retaliate against opposition.
November 5, 1989	Letter from Afghan President Najibullah to CPSU General Secretary Mikhail S. Gorbachev (Excerpt) Najibullah requests for technical aid and additional supplies from the USSR to support the war in Afghanistan.
January 14, 1989	Memorandum of Conversation between Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze and Najibullah and other Afghan Leaders on 13-14 January 1989 (Excerpt) Shevardnadze, Najibullah and others discuss the possibility of Soviet forces providing security for vital cargo deliveries along the Hairaton-Kabul highway, which passes through territory controlled by Ahmad Shah Masoud's forces.
August 1988	Report from General Valentin Varennikov to Soviet Defense Minister Dmitri T. Yazov (Excerpt) Varennikov reports on problems with the Afghan forces, including excessive demands for additional weapons and equipment and the unreliability of Afghan troops.
March 1988	Memorandum on the Results of the Negotiations between Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze with US President Ronald Reagan and US Secretary of State George. Shultz in Washington on 22-24 March Report that the US is continuing to hinder Geneva Accord negotiations between Afghanistan and Pakistan by "raising additional conditions that can only be considered an attempt to slow or even disrupt the solution of the Afghan problem."