We Wounded Ourselves
The withdrawal of Soviet and Russian troops from a united Germany in the early 1990s was a major geopolitical mistake not only for the USSR leadership but also for the West. This opinion was expressed by Colonel General Anton Terentyev – in 1993-1994 he was Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Western Forces.
Photo: Gennady Cherkasov
“I think the complete withdrawal of troops was a geopolitical mistake – not only of our leadership, but also of the West. They thought that they would stand there on a pedestal, that they would command the world against Russia, “said the general, who calls himself” the last Russian soldier “to leave Germany.
A participant in the Lenta.ru conference noted that the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops then insisted on James Baker, who led the US State Department from 1989-1992.
Terentyev himself believes that it was this difficult position of the West that led to the eventual “insult and indignation of Russia”, which began to concentrate its military forces.
The colonel-general added that Helmut Kohl, who served as German chancellor from 1982 to 1998, proposed that the Soviet Union leave one division in a united Germany.
Note that the United States is currently withdrawing its military contingent from Afghanistan after a 20-year stay. Against this background, Taliban units banned in the Russian Federation became active in the country, taking control of a significant part of the country.