1979–1989
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan on Christmas Eve 1979, propping up a communist government against a fragmented but tenacious Islamic insurgency — the CIA, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia funnel billions in weapons and funding to the Mujahideen. After nine years, 15,000 Soviet dead, and one million Afghan civilian deaths, the Red Army withdraws in humiliation, fatally undermining the Soviet state. The war's aftermath directly spawned al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and set the stage for the September 11 attacks.
Chapter-by-chapter narrative with maps, primary sources, and key events.
Explore battles on a live map with a timeline slider and territory overlays.
Deep-dive into every major engagement — commanders, casualties, significance.
Biographical flip cards with real portraits, facts, and full biography pages.
Trace each figure's full life journey — birth, education, battles, and death — on a live map.
Scroll-driven visualization of casualties — each dot a thousand lives.
Weapons, war machines, and the military innovations that defined how this conflict was fought.
Cause-and-effect chains tracing the war's long shadow on history.
War crimes, massacres, and the darkest chapters of this conflict — documented for history.
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan on Christmas Eve 1979, propping up a communist government against a fragmented but tenacious Islamic insurgency — the CIA, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia funnel billions in weapons and funding to the Mujahideen. After nine years, 15,000 Soviet dead, and one million Afghan civilian deaths, the Red Army withdraws in humiliation, fatally undermining the Soviet state. The war's aftermath directly spawned al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and set the stage for the September 11 attacks.
Soviet-Afghan War was fought from 1979 to 1989.
Soviet-Afghan War was fought between Soviet Union / DRA Government and Afghan Mujahideen.
An estimated 1,035,000 people died in Soviet-Afghan War, including roughly 35,000 military and 1,000,000 civilian deaths. Figures are scholarly estimates and vary by source.
Major engagements included Operation Magistral, Fall of Najibullah, Battles of Panjshir Valley, and Siege of Khost.