The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

curriculum vitae. He was the commander of the 500,000 Soviet troops dispatched to pacifyCzechoslovakia in 1968. One year later, he was awarded the highest military honor, “TheHero of the Soviet Union.” Lev Gorelov, the current military adviser in the DRA, served inCzechoslovakia under Pavlovsky’s command. Lieutenant General Boris Ivanov, who wasserving in Afghanistan along with Gorelov, also had been an active participant of the 1968Soviet military intervention.General Pavlovsky was a member of the Central Committee of CPSU, a deputy of theSupreme Soviet of CPSU, and the highest-ranking military figure who was sent toAfghanistan. He immediately became a member of the top council of Soviet officialsworking in Kabul, along with the Soviet ambassador and the KGB resident. Aminimmediately appreciated the political prominence of the newly arrived high-ranking Sovietofficial. He used his first meeting with Pavlovsky to ask the general to forward his “personalrequest” to dispatch an air force brigade to Afghanistan. Pavlovsky got in touch withUstinov and firmly stated that there was no need for military intervention. The ministerrecommended that Pavlovsky stick to the same line of thinking in the future.Starting from the first hours after their arrival in Afghanistan, Pavlovsky and themembers of his group could distinctly sense tension within the Afghan leadership andamong Soviet officials. During the orientation session at the Soviet embassy, which tookplace on the day of their arrival, General Ivanov approached Colonel General Merimsky,deputy head of Pavlovsky’s group, and informed him that he had some materials related toAmin that might be of interest to the newly arrived colleagues. He said that Amin may havebeen of some interest to the CIA during his studies in the United States, and allegedly hecould have been recruited by the agency. Now, according to Ivanov, Amin was planning to495