One Soldiers War in Chechnya - Download free ebook

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The spring in him unwinds and he slumps back in his armchair. ‘Get the hell out of here,’ he says with a wave of the hand. ‘You wouldn’t fit in a tank anyway - too tall.’ I leave and creep out of the barracks before Yelin can stop me. I sit down in the porch, light up and look at the take-off strip. I wouldn’t mind sneaking into the cockpit with them and flying the hell out of here. Or even better, I could get transferred to the pilots corps. Now they have it good! In their barracks there are just officers and two dozen soldiers. The pilots don’t beat the soldiers; they feed them well and the only work there is making the beds and washing the floor.
But I have no right to complain, I had a lucky night tonight; I didn’t get beaten or whisked off to Shali. Ginger and Yakunin did come up with some money in the end. They took a high-pressure fuel pump off one of the wrecked BMP tracked carriers and sold it to the Greek. The Greek is a builder who lives on the construction site and plasters the barracks. Apart from that he’s the link between the soldiers and the market outside, and does a bit of business on the side, just like everyone else does in this war. A fuel pump is a much sought-after item; you can put them on normal diesel trucks as well as army vehicles. In the regiment you can get hold of one for half
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ONE SOLDIER’S WAR IN CHECHNYA ARK
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WRITER, AND HIS REMARKABLE STORIES
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LITERARY TRADITION [...] FOR SHOWIN
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BUT KILL AND MAIM PEOPLE SPIRITUALL
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ONE SOLDIER’S WAR IN CHECHNYA ARK
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difficulty sorting out. The Chechny
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of the non-Chechen population was a
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General Grachyov’s announcement t
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at the frontline town of Mozdok, on
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he was therefore powerless as presi
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for sure. My experiences of the sec
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themselves. Many of them were hardg
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ONE
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ackpack. You need ammunition, so yo
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alongside. They are even worse off:
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and everything. They looked at us w
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sulphide was good for the kidneys.
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to the water barrel they brought to
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We spotted them by the greenish tin
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was standing on lookout at dawn, sa
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there was no-one closer or dearer t
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open the door, and wait. Silence. S
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forever, and in the time it takes t
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wait for cries, moans, point-blank
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attalion is a serious matter and th
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06/ The Cow We inherited the cow fr
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it like God’s nectar. We drank in
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‘It’s only a cow.’ ‘I know.
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puttees was soaked. And we were shi
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into an animal I was summoned by th
Page 65 and 66:
08/ The Ninth Neighbourhood Before
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we ask one of them, ‘Are you aliv
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having taken the houses so easily.
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hitting our guys. Infantrymen pour
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At last the bombardment dies down a
Page 75 and 76:
When the lads get back, Sigai comes
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gnawed on corpses in the ruins. Thi
Page 79 and 80:
our feet and listened to us discuss
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10/ The Apartment I had an apartmen
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anyone. I didn’t want some strang
Page 85 and 86:
ests on my rough, dirty, cracked an
Page 87 and 88:
I’ll take it with me. I might nee
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TWO
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spread out on top to dry as we soak
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lipped and small, the smallest sold
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to get the hell out of here faster.
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ottle of lemonade and a kilo of cho
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‘As far as I'm concerned, it’s
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smelled so appetizingly of wild str
Page 103 and 104:
hundred blokes uniformly expressed
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to escape from the bombardments. Th
Page 107 and 108:
een waiting almost a week, and buil
Page 109 and 110:
grabbed them by the corners and whe
Page 111 and 112:
But now I sense he will spill the b
Page 113 and 114:
her, she never pulled another stunt
Page 115 and 116:
up like foetuses, and if we had eat
Page 117 and 118:
with transparent slices of salted p
Page 119 and 120:
‘What makes you think the planes
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wounded, put them on stretchers and
Page 123 and 124:
unway piled up with corpses, and tw
Page 125 and 126:
and probably more than a month. ‘
Page 127 and 128: others will stay here. Maybe not fo
Page 129 and 130: inside the Arctic Circle where life
Page 131 and 132: ecome brothers, where we experience
Page 133 and 134: ‘Well, Kisel, see you then,’ I
Page 135 and 136: his head he barks: ‘A team of fiv
Page 137 and 138: the middle of this field. They are
Page 139 and 140: ‘It’s the same Ural,’ says Lo
Page 141 and 142: no more war. I have left it all beh
Page 143 and 144: the dark tarpaulin and we didn’t
Page 145 and 146: ‘Bloody hell, what is this place?
Page 147 and 148: a sling is trying to find out somet
Page 149 and 150: lock since the captain brought us h
Page 151 and 152: faster and faster along the strip,
Page 153 and 154: are now barefoot and the soldiers s
Page 155 and 156: ‘Shall we go for a quick march to
Page 157 and 158: my home in the Taganka district, an
Page 159 and 160: We leap to our feet like madmen and
Page 161 and 162: porch, smoking and watching the att
Page 163 and 164: slaves and do what the hell they li
Page 165 and 166: no way I can leave here; I have ano
Page 167 and 168: warm and sticky. I lick the blood f
Page 169 and 170: me to get a cloth and clean up the
Page 171 and 172: tell me I’m a snitch and that thi
Page 173 and 174: never to end so that there is alway
Page 175 and 176: factory, and it’s dirt cheap. Eve
Page 177: for breakfast. And me. Well, are yo
Page 181 and 182: only you and me left. Kisel’s gon
Page 183 and 184: twig. The afternoon sentry muster i
Page 185 and 186: ‘Listen, maybe Sanya has some in
Page 187 and 188: get up to. We walk along the street
Page 189 and 190: Chechnya but home, to the north. We
Page 191 and 192: Today Timokha doesn’t kick me out
Page 193 and 194: duty soldier. No officer ever comes
Page 195 and 196: the barracks. Only Timokha and I ar
Page 197 and 198: carried their bag of stuff into Moz
Page 199 and 200: Now Khariton and Smiler are sitting
Page 201 and 202: down you,’ says Timokha. He’s a
Page 203 and 204: waking every time we hear shouts co
Page 205 and 206: threads from blue legs, mouths gapi
Page 207 and 208: that he’s done for. ‘You are su
Page 209 and 210: some; they were just in Chechnya an
Page 211 and 212: He gets off the windowsill and plop
Page 213 and 214: Well, I imagine you’ve already go
Page 215 and 216: major starts to dictate: ‘On 7 Ju
Page 217 and 218: with it by towing the carrier into
Page 219 and 220: the jar with his fingers. He pushes
Page 221 and 222: sentry musters and our company just
Page 223 and 224: there all night long. Whenever I he
Page 225 and 226: est of us, Loop, Andy and I have de
Page 227 and 228: Zyuzik and I scrubbed those crapper
Page 229 and 230:
Timokha takes the news surprisingly
Page 231 and 232:
my hands in my pockets I’d also g
Page 233 and 234:
granddad and then there are conflic
Page 235 and 236:
dembels, with three months service
Page 237 and 238:
have any right to live at all, and
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separately in a different barracks,
Page 241 and 242:
‘Now that’s a shitty place they
Page 243 and 244:
‘Take it easy, I’ve had my fair
Page 245 and 246:
orchard where we can hide without a
Page 247 and 248:
Lenochka, how I’d love to...' Loo
Page 249 and 250:
offended. ‘Natasha, who I was at
Page 251 and 252:
him. Andy spits over his shoulder t
Page 253 and 254:
stuff. We don’t even know how to
Page 255 and 256:
Andy. ‘No, not all of them, Vital
Page 257 and 258:
effective, blood everywhere, and mo
Page 259 and 260:
guts and I fancy a sleep. We laze a
Page 261 and 262:
day, then you regard it as a day wa
Page 263 and 264:
triumphantly, as if he has uncovere
Page 265 and 266:
from Russia just for the asking,’
Page 267 and 268:
‘No-one can explain the whys and
Page 269 and 270:
eating the pulp out of each other o
Page 271 and 272:
somewhere. After we hear this we lo
Page 273 and 274:
They start kicking him and make him
Page 275 and 276:
these things, soldiers of the radio
Page 277 and 278:
Chechnya. We don’t care any more,
Page 279 and 280:
callers. For example, the phone rin
Page 281 and 282:
successes and we are starting to ge
Page 283 and 284:
flight of stairs, open the door and
Page 285 and 286:
split the proceeds, and even our Mo
Page 287 and 288:
flares or thunder-flashes, but that
Page 289 and 290:
fitted with a siren that, when acti
Page 291 and 292:
that’s not what he’s after. He
Page 293 and 294:
‘Why?’ Said says with surprisin
Page 295 and 296:
ecause he knows that will be more p
Page 297 and 298:
‘Listen lads, let’s take him do
Page 299 and 300:
me get out of bed. This isn’t eve
Page 301 and 302:
Something in my right side has swol
Page 303 and 304:
and I rock backwards and forwards,
Page 305 and 306:
know that I am now in total shit. W
Page 307 and 308:
charred and swollen, are brought to
Page 309 and 310:
tormented by lice and filth, be bea
Page 311 and 312:
I can’t tear my eyes away from th
Page 313 and 314:
These two are crazed way beyond any
Page 315 and 316:
a helicopter in a forty-degree heat
Page 317 and 318:
egiment, used to the beatings and t
Page 319 and 320:
cynicism, and it can never be cross
Page 321 and 322:
left to waste away. These tents con
Page 323 and 324:
with a stool. They say a fair bit o
Page 325 and 326:
all right. What if I manage to hang
Page 327 and 328:
‘Great girl, isn’t she? Everyon
Page 329 and 330:
us more than the commanders and the
Page 331 and 332:
and cling onto me from all sides, m
Page 333 and 334:
itch.’ He splits my lower lip wit
Page 335 and 336:
have the strength to change anythin
Page 337 and 338:
the level crossing, townsfolk waiti
Page 339 and 340:
Her name is Aunt Lusya. There were
Page 341 and 342:
downwards, entering his chest and e
Page 343 and 344:
Everything that happens here should
Page 345 and 346:
look at my busted face to realize t
Page 347 and 348:
forming columns here and sending th
Page 349 and 350:
mean they’ve already sent more th
Page 351 and 352:
Kotenochkin, jumping up onto his ca
Page 353 and 354:
lagging behind.’ The column stops
Page 355 and 356:
dumped concrete blocks. On both sid
Page 357 and 358:
the other side of that barrier at t
Page 359 and 360:
‘Defensive positions!’ We all j
Page 361 and 362:
It’s the carriers firing, aiming
Page 363 and 364:
armour. His knee is warm. The sun i
Page 365 and 366:
The plains of Chechnya are surround
Page 367 and 368:
these to the top every day, which i
Page 369 and 370:
appears. You can smell the stale al
Page 371 and 372:
answer. The skinny one brushes his
Page 373 and 374:
a long way off, making the carrier
Page 375 and 376:
let their guys run errands for them
Page 377 and 378:
‘Where are you from, Tall Boy?’
Page 379 and 380:
heading. ‘How about you go and ge
Page 381 and 382:
whole battalion is now sitting in t
Page 383 and 384:
people lived in the steppe a thousa
Page 385 and 386:
take in the dead city. There is sho
Page 387 and 388:
Two vehicles are knocked out but th
Page 389 and 390:
Fighting rages on in Grozny. No-one
Page 391 and 392:
odies. ‘Hold your fire!’ shouts
Page 393 and 394:
The next night our side brings up a
Page 395 and 396:
‘Bastards!’ says Murky, unable
Page 397 and 398:
you’ll see,’ Andy says. ‘Teet
Page 399 and 400:
we are willing to live in whatever
Page 401 and 402:
Then they melt the TNT from them. N
Page 403 and 404:
found it immediately. Just imagine
Page 405 and 406:
for it here. I can’t imagine a ra
Page 407 and 408:
used it to bump me up in my service
Page 409 and 410:
with a heavy army stool every day f
Page 411 and 412:
few rounds with each other, they co
Page 413 and 414:
square. They were thrown down in pi
Page 415 and 416:
Slav and Tom. Two more move along t
Page 417 and 418:
over. After the blast, we scooped t
Page 419 and 420:
Next to it there is a coil of wire
Page 421 and 422:
nowhere to withdraw to for a rest,
Page 423 and 424:
machines. Boys? We have the same ar
Page 425 and 426:
ground, with pieces of shrapnel fly
Page 427 and 428:
The next regiment lost fifteen men
Page 429 and 430:
In Grozny they set up joint command
Page 431 and 432:
We leave through streets that we to
Page 433 and 434:
watch our column in silence. Their
Page 435 and 436:
and looks at me again. They laugh.
Page 437 and 438:
We don’t know what we are fightin
Page 439 and 440:
anyone ever asks me, ‘What were y
Page 441 and 442:
sniper fire. They wrap them up in t
Page 443 and 444:
for the ‘special cargo’, cartin
Page 445 and 446:
work side by side with his subordin
Page 447 and 448:
I tried to push my feet under the c
Page 449 and 450:
although he was only nineteen like
Page 451 and 452:
usual tomfoolery I’d throw him ou
Page 453 and 454:
men. At least they are afraid of de
Page 455 and 456:
into my armpit to warm it up while
Page 457 and 458:
I was afraid that my frozen legs wo
Page 459 and 460:
look lively, they've already called
Page 461 and 462:
guilty in front of her, the guilt a
Page 463 and 464:
stand in her presence...’ I didn
Page 465 and 466:
that the major had slapped on us; t
Page 467 and 468:
‘Uh-huh.’ I curled up, pulled t
Page 469 and 470:
embrace. Such a date only happens o
Page 471 and 472:
spare second sleeping, and he can
Page 473 and 474:
double portion of pearl barley toda
Page 475 and 476:
‘Five to twelve,’ he answers. H
Page 477 and 478:
no light, no joy, no love, and no h
Page 479 and 480:
Everyone is firing ceaselessly, let
Page 481 and 482:
the commander and closer to the kit
Page 483 and 484:
idly poking at the fire with a clea
Page 485 and 486:
together with nature, concentrated
Page 487 and 488:
seemed to work out for him, or it w
Page 489 and 490:
to make a big song and dance out of
Page 491 and 492:
humps on the top of two of them, sh
Page 493 and 494:
ackside - the armour’s wet.’ Th
Page 495 and 496:
driver on the head and he let the c
Page 497 and 498:
adio to save the battery. Grey Chec
Page 499 and 500:
around on this armoured carrier, st
Page 501 and 502:
Alkhan-Yurt. They’ve got them hem
Page 503 and 504:
it had an imperious ring to it, lik
Page 505 and 506:
put and jumped down. I stood up, st
Page 507 and 508:
I followed him ‘OK, take it easy.
Page 509 and 510:
‘No, some moron infantry. I mean,
Page 511 and 512:
headed back there too. ‘OK Vasya,
Page 513 and 514:
of the carrier and covered our rear
Page 515 and 516:
of them there, easy as anything, an
Page 517 and 518:
people. They survive but they lose
Page 519 and 520:
spreading out among the ditches and
Page 521 and 522:
undergrowth, vanished into the mars
Page 523 and 524:
washed clean of mud, grease and die
Page 525 and 526:
We poked around by the edge of the
Page 527 and 528:
were any in the lowland area, didn
Page 529 and 530:
I moved a little, trying to slip of
Page 531 and 532:
I stood up to my full height, bent
Page 533 and 534:
I remembered how I had once spotted
Page 535 and 536:
those dickheads in a minute.’ He
Page 537 and 538:
and a packet of raisins. Ventus onl
Page 539 and 540:
After we’d taken care of the tin,
Page 541 and 542:
‘We fancied a bit of hunting, so
Page 543 and 544:
minibus to our Moscow region unit,
Page 545 and 546:
johns. They had more lice than thre
Page 547 and 548:
like that wouldn’t simply give up
Page 549 and 550:
get it? Incurable. And now you are
Page 551 and 552:
get out of it for a day Heating, my
Page 553 and 554:
‘Right... And you call me a philo
Page 555 and 556:
state of delirium I’d jump around
Page 557 and 558:
Islands. I have a completely differ
Page 559 and 560:
ut who knows? Two days ago they did
Page 561 and 562:
cast a circle of pale light on the
Page 563 and 564:
on. The lads are pretty tired. Lay
Page 565 and 566:
where the tarpaulin should be. I pu
Page 567 and 568:
conserve warmth, and now I desperat
Page 569 and 570:
leak and light a fire. I raised mys
Page 571 and 572:
ground. The infantry sat about ten
Page 573 and 574:
Someone with his chin tucked into h
Page 575 and 576:
ebbs. Then war crawls out of you in
Page 577 and 578:
too rough.’ But after the hot dri
Page 579 and 580:
his dirty fingers picked off a coup
Page 581 and 582:
waited. Any moment now, one more st
Page 583 and 584:
emptiness of my stomach? I suddenly
Page 585 and 586:
juicy. I picked another, then a thi
Page 587 and 588:
tired ourselves. Everyone returned
Page 589 and 590:
They could at least send us water.
Page 591 and 592:
Alkhan-Kala seemed to vanish, swept
Page 593 and 594:
you and leaves you speechless. ‘N
Page 595 and 596:
couple of minutes. As the dust sett
Page 597 and 598:
usual arrogant pose, his arm restin
Page 599 and 600:
the Bee launcher from the carrier.
Page 601 and 602:
only a wet, eternally muddy dug-out
Page 603 and 604:
on top of the carrier and I was ama
Page 605 and 606:
very important, so much so that it
Page 607 and 608:
I started to sweat and my clothing
Page 609 and 610:
a centimetre above it. ‘I’ll bl
Page 611 and 612:
‘Comrade Major! Comrade Major!’
Page 613 and 614:
the barn to the village outskirts;
Page 615 and 616:
and waited until he’d reached the
Page 617 and 618:
tugged the foot of the nearest sold
Page 619 and 620:
the grass between the figures plast
Page 621 and 622:
I didn’t reply, so Sitnikov lower
Page 623 and 624:
escape. The house withered under th
Page 625 and 626:
head. My skull was ringing, I could
Page 627 and 628:
‘Call Armour, you dumb prick!’
Page 629 and 630:
time. The kid’s stunned, I though
Page 631 and 632:
to fight or to stand round scratchi
Page 633 and 634:
and froze, their barrels quivering
Page 635 and 636:
killing was different, on a lesser
Page 637 and 638:
Crouching, the infantry ran after u
Page 639 and 640:
knackered running through the woods
Page 641 and 642:
shaking and I cursed my ungainly fl
Page 643 and 644:
with just as much difficulty. The i
Page 645 and 646:
I groped my way down onto a small r
Page 647 and 648:
it all, I lowered my head to the la
Page 649 and 650:
had been a piece of cake this time,
Page 651 and 652:
were bullets going whack-whack in t
Page 653 and 654:
shrapnel, and I was entirely visibl
Page 655 and 656:
And dear God, do it right now, beca
Page 657 and 658:
his trousers, one by one, and dropp
Page 659 and 660:
heaving with laughter, unable to st
Page 661 and 662:
on her face as she listens to her f
Page 663 and 664:
this is all we get for our pains? I
Page 665 and 666:
The psychologist used to be a plato
Page 667 and 668:
happened to the driver and the esco
Page 669 and 670:
left. We stayed on the highway and
Page 671 and 672:
would run across the open ground. T
Page 673 and 674:
know where the driver is?’ ‘Gon
Page 675 and 676:
frilly edge of the pie, while this
Page 677 and 678:
all they could do is keep him pinne
Page 679 and 680:
sprouting wires from the burnt tire
Page 681 and 682:
again, this time with a mortar batt
Page 683 and 684:
and even happily. Now he stood by t
Page 685 and 686:
mortar guys raced around Chechnya d
Page 687 and 688:
He suddenly fell silent and turned
Page 689 and 690:
have field guns.’ The commander t
Page 691 and 692:
‘Just some locals,’ the infantr
Page 693 and 694:
others. And we had eagerly carried
Page 695 and 696:
stove. I only came to my senses whe
Page 697 and 698:
embraced us soldiers like babes in
Page 699 and 700:
night and snowfall had thrown a cle
Page 701 and 702:
opposite the cross-shaped hospital,
Page 703 and 704:
got blown up on a minefield. We too
Page 705 and 706:
and devouring our dry rations. We
Page 707 and 708:
here. I go out onto the porch and t
Page 709 and 710:
the sky. I go up to a platoon comma
Page 711 and 712:
operation, when he was pulling the
Page 713 and 714:
metres from our positions, sending
Page 715 and 716:
aren’t many of them, maybe a hund
Page 717 and 718:
and I am suddenly terrified, racked
Page 719 and 720:
eyes. The injured smoke agitatedly
Page 721 and 722:
without trouble - it’s dead groun
Page 723 and 724:
ow stretches about two hundred metr
Page 725 and 726:
way behind the enemy front line and
Page 727 and 728:
has any doubts about that. Only a t
Page 729 and 730:
the yard. There are no more tripwir
Page 731 and 732:
the Chechens can’t see us and are
Page 733 and 734:
pickles. Not a bad haul, I say to m
Page 735 and 736:
as we call the wounded guys, and it
Page 737 and 738:
a piece of shrapnel in the thigh du
Page 739 and 740:
and I wake. It’s ten to one. I ro
Page 741 and 742:
the lookout over in that house. One
Page 743 and 744:
apple tree quiver in the wind and i
Page 745 and 746:
fell asleep, their heads resting on
Page 747 and 748:
hurry - today we’ll have to advan
Page 749 and 750:
pieces that can take the edge off t
Page 751 and 752:
my mood a boost and I start to whis
Page 753 and 754:
18/ Argun We are halted for the fou
Page 755 and 756:
are, for there’s no-one in the wo
Page 757 and 758:
from the heels of a platoon.’ ‘
Page 759 and 760:
ibs. It turns out that some of them
Page 761 and 762:
Sundays. How are they supposed to h
Page 763 and 764:
from the river and use those. Each
Page 765 and 766:
We finish the ribs. We’ve gnawed
Page 767 and 768:
Sharo-Argun. What a terrible name.
Page 769 and 770:
hole.’ I shut my eyes, lie on my
Page 771 and 772:
Then he’ll lie in a puddle and st
Page 773 and 774:
‘Some businessmen we are, Fixa,
Page 775 and 776:
an straight into another group of f
Page 777 and 778:
abducted his sister and demanded a
Page 779 and 780:
manage to. Suddenly there’s a sin
Page 781 and 782:
oad by the fence. They’ll get us
Page 783 and 784:
a long scratch on his cheek. What b
Page 785 and 786:
The fighters could inflict far more
Page 787 and 788:
He knows it sounds unconvincing but
Page 789 and 790:
hooked the place up to the electric
Page 791 and 792:
We stand by the tents and bluntly s
Page 793 and 794:
eaking into the trailer wagon that
Page 795 and 796:
ground. The muzzle flash is invisib
Page 797 and 798:
children. To make matters worse the
Page 799 and 800:
shooting but the commotion is gradu
Page 801 and 802:
with my elbow and he bumps me back
Page 803 and 804:
well hidden in the ditch and there
Page 805 and 806:
Our raid has yielded eighteen cans
Page 807 and 808:
can’t get it past the fence and i
Page 809 and 810:
upon them and gave them a beating,
Page 811 and 812:
to his shoulder blades with a crack
Page 813 and 814:
and we have the right to bring it u
Page 815 and 816:
even greater rage. There’s someth
Page 817 and 818:
place. Thieving is both the foundat
Page 819 and 820:
luxurious houses for generals that
Page 821 and 822:
post as our commanders down more vo
Page 823 and 824:
army. And since we want nothing mor
Page 825 and 826:
own children? Competent, conscienti
Page 827 and 828:
unway and I would sleep with a blan
Page 829 and 830:
the elevator. Our 8th company is ho
Page 831 and 832:
orders, nodding to the two prostrat
Page 833 and 834:
ut fine for a rinse. A captured Mit
Page 835 and 836:
distinguished themselves. Medals ar
Page 837 and 838:
ass fanfare,’ he says. ‘Otherwi
Page 839 and 840:
February, Defenders of the Fatherla
Page 841 and 842:
taken prisoner. But generals are an
Page 843 and 844:
officers get posted there with thei
Page 845 and 846:
should never be any luxury there so
Page 847 and 848:
the rest of us in a cashier’s off
Page 849 and 850:
have to be bred, trained in the aca
Page 851 and 852:
that they have violent hazing even
Page 853 and 854:
in the ranks! After this he goes on
Page 855 and 856:
enemy were forced to abandon their
Page 857 and 858:
and fired on them at point-blank ra
Page 859 and 860:
‘Cooks, drivers, clerks, everyone
Page 861 and 862:
to receive a smack in the mouth fro
Page 863 and 864:
least bit shy and soon we forget ou
Page 865 and 866:
stand like orphaned children by the
Page 867 and 868:
food, scooping condensed milk into
Page 869 and 870:
he holds it in two fingers and read
Page 871 and 872:
postcard from a bunch of kids? Well
Page 873 and 874:
attalion. Our stomachs are unaccust
Page 875 and 876:
newspaper, and within two days only
Page 877 and 878:
smirking. ‘That’s prohibited we
Page 879 and 880:
attalion has flowers springing from
Page 881 and 882:
water. We keep our find a secret, b
Page 883 and 884:
officers is shot up near the villag
Page 885 and 886:
same rebel group that killed the of
Page 887 and 888:
give way and I sit down sharply on
Page 889 and 890:
and then did the same to two new gu
Page 891 and 892:
Sure enough, they’re already insi
Page 893 and 894:
position, climbing up the heap of r
Page 895 and 896:
ecome an obsession. That’s all I
Page 897 and 898:
the size of a baby’s palm. Smalle
Page 899 and 900:
Olga’s tender touch is so much li
Page 901 and 902:
jerk so Oleg grabs him by one arm a
Page 903 and 904:
muscles in his cheeks twitch. ‘Wh
Page 905 and 906:
here and they consider it an unacce
Page 907 and 908:
perimeter fence, and you can get lo
Page 909 and 910:
superfluous here in this place in t
Page 911 and 912:
een a hoot! Then they would know wh
Page 913 and 914:
dreadful crime, plain murder, slaug
Page 915 and 916:
‘Did you come here with the medic
Page 917 and 918:
the war is over. It starts to rain.
Page 919 and 920:
19/ A Soldier's Dream Snow fell the
Page 921 and 922:
Night-time means fear. As dusk fall
Page 923 and 924:
starting to beat down, warming my b
Page 925 and 926:
he falls silent, looks at me strang
Page 927 and 928:
sleep when they are dead tired. He
Page 929 and 930:
His face becomes grey, dead. His te
Page 931 and 932:
20/ Field Deception War always smel
Page 933 and 934:
then, the same tents, the tower, th
Page 935 and 936:
General Shamanov, flew in to inspec
Page 937 and 938:
us he was coming for. Turned out it
Page 939 and 940:
went right through him. ‘There wa
Page 941 and 942:
of barracks, green grass and white
Page 943 and 944:
there isn’t, they’ll go and rob
Page 945 and 946:
would happen as did after the Khasa
Page 947 and 948:
us.’ ‘It’s bearable now,’ h
Page 949 and 950:
soldier’s nose for lousy places h
Page 951 and 952:
people wonder why they drop out of
Page 953 and 954:
seven killed and sixteen wounded.
Page 955 and 956:
and children, to go to God knows wh
Page 957 and 958:
different and so similar, pass befo
Page 959 and 960:
colonel: ‘No smoking here!’ I s
Page 961 and 962:
different one. It’s very similar
Page 963 and 964:
close-range fire on three sides, sh
Page 965 and 966:
smile in mutual understanding. Some
Page 967 and 968:
22/ Lais At the base of the 45th re
Page 969 and 970:
he was just eighteen years old. Eve
Page 971 and 972:
quite happily. Sasha was one of tho
Page 973 and 974:
men heading in the direction of Kir
Page 975 and 976:
long before the column itself. Acco
Page 977 and 978:
missed the Chechens too and kept mo
Page 979 and 980:
paratroops had walked into a trap.
Page 981 and 982:
don’t you hurry up then, we’ll
Page 983 and 984:
‘I didn’t know what was going o
Page 985 and 986:
thinking that I can’t call him Al
Page 987 and 988:
he remembers that fight. Only his h
Page 989 and 990:
Regiment TV programme bring Sasha
Page 991 and 992:
someone. On 7 August he doesn’t m
Page 993 and 994:
When I first went to war in June 19
Page 995 and 996:
while all the time she was subconsc
Page 997 and 998:
yet seen anything of life. You’d
Page 999 and 1000:
myself to my hearing, which grew ra
Page 1001 and 1002:
kept creeping across the depression
Page 1003 and 1004:
was in pain and if the bandage was
Page 1005 and 1006:
instead. But Basayev made it throug
Page 1007 and 1008:
leader and his deputy supply office
Page 1009 and 1010:
torn-off arms, the white flesh of t
Page 1011 and 1012:
my stomach. The sense of death in t
Page 1013 and 1014:
feet now there was just plain, hone
Page 1015 and 1016:
at that moment her eyes acquired an
Page 1017 and 1018:
with, then it becomes stronger in w
Page 1019 and 1020:
ead them the criminal code and dwel
Page 1021 and 1022:
him Limon), the other was called Ru
Page 1023 and 1024:
could have stayed with the Russians
Page 1025 and 1026:
would be quiet and not shout. Beati
Page 1027 and 1028:
ecause he was a conscript himself.
Page 1029 and 1030:
guards. When the graves were ready,
Page 1031 and 1032:
The teacher didn’t make it in tim
Page 1033 and 1034:
forcefully turning him over to the
Page 1035 and 1036:
office of the North Caucasus milita
Page 1037 and 1038:
prisoner but killed them on the spo
Page 1039 and 1040:
no-one could count even now. It was
Page 1041 and 1042:
junk back home, drink away the mone
Page 1043 and 1044:
the camps had taught them the tough
Page 1045 and 1046:
has not evaded the investigation. S
Page 1047 and 1048:
them to the army, and their main ch
Page 1049 and 1050:
a little gang of others who had don
Page 1051 and 1052:
anyway, someone has to mop the latr
Page 1053 and 1054:
26/ Operation 'Life' Continues No-o
Page 1055 and 1056:
life again. You learn to walk witho
Page 1057 and 1058:
You now remember the war as some ca
Page 1059 and 1060:
pen and paper and produce the first
Page 1061 and 1062:
should die before they know what wa
Page 1063 and 1064:
when they return. Ave Caesar, morit
Page 1065 and 1066:
keep up with life any more. All the
Page 1067 and 1068:
told me about getting his leg torn
Page 1069 and 1070:
‘Did you ever think the Dubrovka
Page 1071 and 1072:
have fun, live, drink beer and earn
Page 1073 and 1074:
Military Abbreviations AGS automati
Page 1075 and 1076:
Table of Contents Preface 01 Mounta
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