Exhibition on Soviet-Afghan War opens in Russia's Volgograd

An exhibition titled "Afghanistan: Narrative of Courage" opened on Saturday at the Museum-Panorama of the Battle of Stalingrad in Volgograd, Russia.

The event coincides with the "Day of Remembrance for Russian Citizens Who Served Outside the Country." The museum's press office stated that the exhibition is dedicated to residents of Volgograd and surrounding areas who served in the Soviet army during the Afghanistan war in the 1980s.

Displays include photos, documents, personal belongings and military badges of these individuals. Samples of weapons and military equipment used by Soviet soldiers during that period are also on view for visitors.

Organizers said the purpose is to preserve the memory of the war's participants. The exhibition will remain open to the public for two months.

The Soviet Union deployed troops to Afghanistan in December 1979 in a conflict that lasted nearly 10 years and became one of its longest and costliest foreign engagements. Soviet forces withdrew in February 1989, but the war's political, military and social repercussions continue to be discussed and historically revisited in both Russia and Afghanistan.