The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

However, he didn’t fall asleep. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep on the plane. Every timehe flew to Kabul, Ershov was gripped with excitement. He had developed deep connections withthat city.Ershov was born in the Kaluga region of Russia. He grew up in a poor peasant family. Hewas very short, which was of extreme concern to him, and prompted him to wear high-heeledboots and to have a preference for large, imposing objects. Sometimes, when he drove agovernment car, it would seem like there was no driver inside and the car was driving by itself.The drivers on the opposite side of the road were horrified at the sight and would often pull off theroad. He spoke with a high-pitched voice. He was afraid of women, particularly of his wife, MayaAlexeyevna.Ivan Ivanovich was a veteran of World War II. At first, being a Navy cadet in Kronstadt, heextinguished Nazi firebombs on the roofs of Leningrad. Later he became a sniper. He was in chargeof the Komsomol organization of a military regiment when the war was coming to an end. Whenhis regiment freed Bulgaria and was preparing to enter Sofia triumphantly, Ivan Ivanovich decidedto enter the city riding horseback. They found a good horse for him, but the saddle that someonehad selected for the horse gave Ivan Ivanovich blisters on his buttocks, rendering him toouncomfortable to carry out his plan. Instead of entering Sofia on a horse, Ivan Ivanovich enteredthe city in an ambulance. Since then, he became very mistrustful, suspecting foul play at everyturn.After the war was over, he enrolled in the Institute of Military Interpreters in Moscow,where he studied French. As one of the most politically reliable and academically inclinedgraduates, he received an offer to work in the counterintelligence service of the KGB. IvanIvanovich agreed. However, having begun to work, he was very surprised that his bosses decided123