What Caused the Soviet Union to Invade Afghanistan

The Soviet-Afghan War was one of the bloodiest conflicts the region had ever seen. But why the invasion occurred is just as jarring as how it ended. Soviet soldiers found themselves under constant threat. The rebel forces made their enemy work for every advance they made. By the end of the war, Soviet soldiers were begging to be brought home, and the objectives that the Kremlin hoped to accomplish were left unfinished. In today's epic new video we are going to dive deep into what caused the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan and the reasons why it was such a disastrous decision.

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[edwardblair]

Commenting on the thumbnail image. The red section is labled "USSR" but only Russia is filled in. Back when the USSR invaded Afghanistan, it included the territories of Kazakhstan and the other central asian SSRs. So Afghanistan was directly on the border with the USSR.

[AA-hgfk]

you didn't really mention that the US gave huge amounts of weapons to the mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan war. The only problem was that from 2001-2021 the US and its allies would end up fighting the very groups they had armed back in the 80s!

[corymorimacori]

“In 1979, the Soviets thought they should have their own Vietnam, and they invaded Afghanistan to prevent a US-sponsored Islamic insurgency, and in a response to these various crisis, Olympic Games were boycotted.”

[barbiquearea]

Afghanistan was the Soviet Union's very own Vietnam War.

[historyauthorshow]

Afghanistan is not “an Arab nation, ” as you state. They don’t
consider themselves the Mideast, either, but definitely not Arab.

[vic]

The Soviets launched a war they expected to last only a few weeks and expected to be welcomed with open arms. Sounds familiar

[ypfbjbm]

Alexander the Great invaded Afghanistan. He wasn't there long. He recognised quickly that there was no way to win anything. The combination of terrain and the hostile and warlike people were too much.

[mikethemechanic]

Served 93-97. After 9/11. Was asked to rejoin the Army. I knew my history. I told the recruiter. “ The Russians lost. Why would the USA do any better” Best decision in my life. We lost. The fall of Afghanistan happened over 20 years later.

[jacksherzer]

I usually like your videos, and think that you do a great job. Unfortunately, this is an exception. You failed to mention that the United States supplied arms and training for the resistance, making it possible for them to succeed against the Soviets. You talk about the Russian attack helicopters – it was the US supplied stinger missiles that enabled the Afghans to blow the helicopters out of the sky. Also, after the Soviets left Afghanistan, the United States made the mistake of not supporting the country with economic aid, causing it to slip into a failed state status that led to the rise of the Taliban. A lot of your viewers likely learn whatever little history, they know from shows like yours, so it is important to get the facts right and tell the complete story.

[theduke]

1979 also saw China invade Vietnam and actually suffer more severely than the US did

[edwardververs]

Not one mention on how Rambo fought for the Afghan’s freedom.

[ROFusion]

*Why didn't the video include a meaningful description of "Operation Cyclone" (the CIA operation that provided hundreds of millions of dollars of arms to Afghan militias throughout the war) or the role of British intelligence in arming the Afghans? Without those details, viewers are left with a video implying the Afghans somehow managed to have enough weapons and ammunition to survive a decade-long war against the country (Soviet Union) they depended on for access to weapons and ammunition.*

[calebwu]

A single youtube video, explained about the cause of the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan better than any of my other sources that I have used. Keep up the great work!

[TihetrisWeathersby]

If only they knew this would help bring the downfall of the Soviet Union

[jonkr]

at 8.12 you mentioned Moscow was worried that "other Arab nations might do the same ". No 'Arab nation' was in the Soviet union, or under their sway . Arab and Muslim are not interchangeable. That's like when fox news refered to central Americans nation as "3 Mexican countries "

[KebusuNiisan]

When you're laughing at the US for what happened in Vietnam, only to experience the same fate years later, but even worse.

[ryanmccarthy]

The thumbnail has only modern-Russia in red when the Soviet Union included Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, etc. where the arrows are.

[stevenkidd]

I love the Infographics show for catching people up on the education they didnt think they needed in school ❤

[ibopwebop]

This video completely omitted USA's role in funding the Afghan rebels. Jimmy Carter had zero interest in helping liberating the Afghans, he wanted to bleed the USSR. The US basically funded the creation of the Talibans.

[christopherflowers]

Afghanistan, where empires go to fail. Got to respect their patience and will to fight