READERS REPLY TO SOLDIER'S LETTER FROM DRA

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CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9
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RIFPUB
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K
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5
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December 22, 2016
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October 29, 2010
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4
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Publication Date: 
March 22, 1984
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Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9 ? III. 26 Mar 84 V 5 USSR NATIONAL AFFAIRS MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS Like any book, needless to say, it contains certain omissions. One of these is the absence from its pages of an at-a-glance reference section both for the problem of col- laboration as a whole and for each operation. It is obviously necessary also to dif- ferentiate the terms "collaboration" [vzaimodeystviye] and "joint operations" [sovmestniye deystviya] more precisely. And one more wish. I think that postwar experience could provide important supplementary material foY. a problem like collabora- tion. After all, in the almost 40 years since World War II we have held a number of exercises and maneuvers in which the Army, Air Force, and Navy collaborated. Unfortu- nately, these questions are missing from the book under review. But despite these remarks, the book is of definite interest to readers, especially servicemen. PM261025 Moscow KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA in Russian 22 Mar 84 p 2 [Unattributed roundup of reader's letters under the rubric "Reader to Reader": "Letters to Viktor Yankin" -- first two paragraphs are editorial introduction] [Text] On 10 February our newspaper published a "better Home" by V. Yankin, a sergeant in the Soviet Army. The item generated a great response among KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA readers. The editorial office received over 2,600 letters. They are written by veterans, workers, students, schoolchildren, and entire collectives from virtually all the union republics. All the letters unanimously support the position of the author of "Letter Home." We are pub- lishing some of them today. All the letters will be forwarded to Viktor Yankin and his fellow soldiers. "You -- the soldiers of the Soviet Army -- provide us with the good fortune of being able to live and work in peace by defending our peace, sometimes at the risk of your own lives. That is why I want to express my gratitude for your difficult military labor. "Valentina Tsinyuk, a Komsomol member, Kovelo." "I fought my first battle at Ternopol on 3 July 1941 and finished the war at Prague on 15 May 1945. I was wounded six times during the war but I survived and triumphed. You are right, Viktor, when you say that the defense of the motherland is you duty now. Stand up for your fatherland as firmly as your fathers did and know that 'our thoughts are always with you. After all, our Army is the people's Army. "N. Rykov, war and labor veteran, Chelyabinsk." "I very much support Viktor Yankin's idea that love for .the motherland unites people and makes them nobler and more honorable. "Natashe Tllarionova, 10th grade schoolgirl. Novocheboksarsk." "I am an kindergarten teacher and I love little children very much. How good it is that there are young men like those serving in Afghanistan. It is they, after all, who are standing guard over peace! Thank you! "Irina Tikhomirova, Guryev." "I am the mother of one of you, my son is serving in the Army. But now I also regard Sasha, my son's friend, who saved his life, as a son. It could have been someone else instead of Sasha, but he rushed to the rescue first and now my son is still alive. All mothers know that our sons -- the reliable defenders of our motherland and home -- will be the state's firm bulwark. After all,. most of you are workers or peasants, future breadwinners, which means that you are the country's most important people. "A mother's regards. "L. Butusova, Moscow." Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9 Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9 III. 26 Mar 84 V 6 USSR NATIONAL AFFAIRS MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS "My brother Stanislav is also serving in the Army at present. He writes home about his service and how many real. friends he has found. These young soldiers are united by a strong friendship, loyalty to the motherland, and heroism. I am proud of my brother and want to be like him. "B. Dadyk, Novosady village in Brest Oblast." "Hello, Viktor! This is Fatima Turtbayeva writing to you from Kazakhstan. Like you, many of my friends are now serving in the ranks of the Armed Forces. You young men of my generation are having to perform your duty as a man and a solider in difficult times. But I believe that you, the young men of the eighties, will do everything to defend peace on earth. "F. Turtbayeva, Chimkent." "My whole family read your letter. My .wife cried and the tears welled up in my eyes, too. As a participant in the war I particularly value everything that our country's young people are doing to defend the dear motherland. I believe that your letter, Viktor, will be a warning to those who are now dreaming of 'crusades' against the USSR and the socialist countries. "A. Potemkin, Odessa." "We who are writing to you are young rural teachers from Omsk Oblast. We believe that you will fulfill your duty to the motherland honorably. We are striving to teach our pupils to be like you -- bold, courageous, ready for exploits. "L. Shvartskopf, Omsk Oblast." "We, the members of.the Hero of the Soviet Union N.F. Karatsupa Young Dog Breeders Club, are also preparing for Army service. We are proud that army dogs raised by members of our club are helping in the performance of the difficult service on the country's borders. "Moscow." "At present I am working at opening up the oil wealth of the northern Tyumen Oblast. I would like Viktor and his friends to-know: Boys, if you need us, we are ready to stand beside you. "Vladimir Shevchenko, Tyumen." "I come from the Tajik city of Ura-Tyube. I served in the Soviet Army and fulfilled my internationalist duty in Afghanistan. During my period of service I deeply under- stood the strength of our friendship -- the friendship of the peoples of the Soviet Union. I am now working at the No 1 automobile transportation office where I also worked before entering the Army. I have not forgotten and will never forget the lessons that Army service taught me. "M. Nishonov, Tajik SSR." "Our group discussed 'Letter Home.' We began discussing the fact that some young. people prefer to take a passive stance in life. They like being protected by their parents but despite their apparent prosperity, their life cannot be called full-blooded. It is squalid. It is hard to imagine now the heavy price that is paid by our country for each day of peace. All the young people in our group have decided to do everything they can for our motherland's prosperity. "Students group No 123 of the College of Education, Izhevsk." Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9 Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9 ? III. 26 Mar 84 V 7 USSR NATIONAL AFFAIRS MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS PM231430 [Editorial Report] Moscow KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA in Russian on 13 March 1984 publishes on page 2 under the rubric "Following Onr Publications" and the heading "Accord- ing to the Law of Duty" a feature consisting of readers' letters and official replies in response to the paper's 26 February item on the official mistreatment of a Soviet Soldier disabled in Afghanistan. The feature opens with the following editorial comment: "I. Rudenko's feature 'Duty' published in KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA on 26 February generated a large amount of emotional interest among our readers. The editorial office had receiv- ed 969 comments as of 12 March. The authors unanimously support the newspaper item, ponder the reasons for the callousness and heartlessness which are still encountered in our life, and offer their assistance to the hero of the sketch, A. Nemtsov. We thank all those who have responded to our publication. We publish some of the letters today to- gether with official replies." "The fate of Aleksandr Nemtsov, about whom I have read in KOMSOMOLSKAYA\ PRAVDA, has literally shaken me. I remember Pavka Korchagin: Indeed, his life also contained a turning point of this kind, and he also mastered his fear and death itself. I believe that Shasha Nemtsov comes from the same stock as Korchagin." "The Goncharovs" write from Karaganda: "We sometimes seek heroes only in the past, and dredge through history. Yet they are frequently living alongside us. The example of Aleksandr Nemtsov is the best proof. A man like that will not abaondon his friends in misfortune and will fulfill his duty to the motherland to the end." "The feature 'Duty' published in KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA is very thought-provoking. Not least with regard to the lofty title of Komsomol member and a person's attitude toward his Komsomol badge. Sasha Matrosov bore it on his breast; now Sasha Nemtsov bears it. But do all their contemporaries realize what a great pride and honor this is? Do they always have sufficient courage to be honest and principled to the end, even in situa- tions far less distressing than the one in which the hero of the sketch "Duty" found himself? I think not." "01ya Korotkova and all our family" write from .Moscow: "For many years now we have been living without war. My generation, and I am a year older than Sasha, knows of war mainly from books, movies, and our elders' accounts. Why should we, who have grown up in prosperity, sometimes be unable to heed someone else's pain and fail to rush to the aid of someone in trouble? The feature makes us think not only about our duty to the motherland, but also about our duty to the people who have accomplished exp"lofts for the sake of our motherland. 'Things are hard for Sasha Nemtsov now. Great strength of will and courage are needed to cope with a misfortune to take up a worthy place among the people again. I want to believe that after the KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA item he will find many loyal, good friends. "P.S. Today I sent Sasha a letter and a parcel of books." Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9 Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9 III. 26 Mar 84 V 8 USSR NATIONAL AFFAIRS MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS T. Nazaryants writes from Beltsy in the Moldavian SSR "The day after the KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA item, my son and I telephoned Sasha Nemtsov. For a long time the girls from, the intercity exchange could not get through to Nikopol, but they did eventually connect us. Sasha was pleased and surprised that complete strangers had decided to take a part in his destiny. At the end of our talk, we told Sasha that in Moldavia he now has reliable, loyal friends, and on the same day we sent him a letter. I believe that friendship with Sasha will help my fourth grader son to grow up a real man." A.P. and A.N. Cherenushkin write from Smolensk: "We are pensioners now, war and labor veterans, but we must respond to your article. Sasha Nemtsov and his friend Tolik fulfilled their duty utterly, and proof of this is the order of the Red Star on Sasha's breast. We bow our heads to Sasha and his dead comrade. They are real patriots. People will be proud of them." Pensioner M.F. Kovaleva, a former plant Komsomol official, writes from Leningrad:. "Sasha's example must be used to educate young people in how to love their comrades and the motherland and defend common interests." Reserve Sergeant P. Garin writes from Dnepropetrovsk: "Since reading the feature in KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA, I still cannot rest. It is very important that Sasha Nemtsov and people like him should know that we are eternally grate- ful to them for what they have done, that they will never be forgotten by us. 3 am dis- tressed to the point of tears that at the Komsomol Gorkom and the Nikopol social security department Sasha should have met callous, heartless people who caused him heartache. I believe that the strictest party sanctions should be imposed on them." The second half of the feature is published under the subhead "Official Replies" and begins with the following letter from V. Boyko, first secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk Ukrainian Communist Party Obkom: "The Dnepropetrovsk Ukrainian Communist Party Obkom Bureau, having examined the report 'Duty' published in KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA on 26 February, believes that it raised important moral problems and rightly criticized the indifference and callous attitude of some officials of the city of Nikopol toward Komsomol member Aleksandr Nemtsov. "This exceptional, extraordinary fact has been given a principled assessment and steps have been taken to prevent a similar occurrence in the future. The culprits have been severely punished. In particular, A.V. Kapliyenko, first secretary of the Komsomol Gorkom, A.A. Kuzmenko, deputy director of the Yuzhnotrubnyy plant, and B.F.Ztierdev., chief engineer of the crane building plant, have been expelled from the party and dismissed from work. Yu. I. Kovalenko, chairman of the gorispolkom, has been severely reprimanded, with the penalty entered on his record card. N.G. Grebenishchikov, chief of the city social security department, has, been dismissed. The question of the imcompetence of city Military Commissar N.I. Shevchuk has been raised. Strict party sanctions .have been imposed on other officials who displayed a lack of attention toward Aleksandr Nemtsov's family. "All the questions concerning the material, daily living, and medical services for Aleksandr Nemtsov and his family mentioned in the report have been resolved. "Considering Aleksandr's state of health, it has been decided to build a house of the homestead type for his family. In accordance with Aleksandr's expressed wish, he will be given work within his power at the Yuzhnotrubnyy plant and helped in continuing his studies. Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9 Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9 III. 26 Mar 84 V 9 USSR NATIONAL AFFAIRS MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS "The disgraceful instance of the heartless attitude toward Aleksandr Nemtsov has. .also been sharply assessed during a discussion of the KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA item at the Nikopol party gorkom, the Komsomol gorkom and obkom, and the relevant soviet organs `and. collectives' party organizations. "Here it was noted that this incident took place in a city where much has been done to improve the living and daily existence conditions for the defenders of the motherland and the families of dead servicemen. "The incident became possible as a result of the blunting of the sense of responsibility of some workers, the slackening of control over the fulfillment of party and government decisions on these questions by the party gorkom and gorispolkom, and the manifestation of formalism in the work of some Komsomol committees. "The party obkom is taking specific steps to ensure that Great'Patriotic War veterans, defenders of the motherland, and the families of dead servicemen are surrounded every-: where with care and attention. "The solution of all these questions has been taken under daily control by the party obkom secretariat. In conjunction with the Ukrainian Komsomol Central Committee, the Komsomol obkom is rendering aid to the Nikopol Komsomol Obkom in improving work within the Komsomol and educational work in the city Komsomol organizations. "It is planned to discuss questions of stepping up attention toward the needs of defen- ders of the motherland and their families at the party and Komsomol organizations of collectives whose activities are linked with serving the working people." The feature ends with the following unattributed report: "The newspaper item was examined at a Ukrainian Komsomol Central Committee Bureau session. The editorial office has been informed by V. Moronenko, first secretary of the republic's Komsomol Central Committee, that the decision taken by the bureau notes that the article raised moral problems of exceptionally great importance for-the education of young people and Komsomol cadres and the aktiv. Those guilty of formalism and red. tape have been strictly punished. "I. I. Lelikov, secretary of the Yuzhnotrubnyy plant Komsomol committee, has been strict- ly sanctioned, with the penalty entered on his Komsomol record card. His further hold- ing of this post has been deemed inexpedient. S.A. Kapersak, Komsomol obkom secretary for agitation and propaganda, has been sanctioned, and V.M. Gavrikov, chief of the sports and mass defense work section, has been strictly sanctioned. "The Ukrainian Komsomol Central Committee Bureau has demanded that the republic's Komsomol committees pay special attention to forming in Komsomol cadres and the aktiv an implacable attitude toward arrogance and bureaucratism and instances of an inattentive formal and bureaucratic approach toward the examination of young people's verbal and written appeals. Steps are being taken in: all oblast Komsomol organizations to improve housing and consumer conditions, provide access to study and work, and. involve in public life servicemen released into the reserve for reasons of health and invalidity. Ukrainian Komsomol Central Committee workers have been sent to all oblast Komsomol organizations to assist the Komsomol committees in organizing this work. "The Komsomol members and young people of the No 7 shop at Nikopol's Yuznotrubnyy plant have now assumed patronage of Aleksandr Nemtsov." Approved For Release 2010/10/29: CIA-RDP96R01136R002605130004-9