It's 28 years since Soviet troops marched into Afghanistan, beginning a conflict which had far-reaching consequences. About 14,500 Soviet service personnel lost their lives in the controversial campaign, which lasted more than nine years.

The Soviet contingent was sent in following requests from the Afghan government for help in their fight against Islamic rebels. In the USSR this deployment was seen as international assistance.

However, the U.S. saw it as an act of Soviet aggression and funded the mujahideen insurgents.

The Afghanistan conflict became another battlefield of the Cold War.

The large number of casualties, rising costs, and dwindling support at home led to the Soviet government pulling out of Afghanistan.

The last Soviet troops left the country in February 1989.

RT military expert Evgeny Khruschev says that “at that time American propaganda tried to influence the world’s opinion that the Soviet Union was a part of a great game… they took it as a major offensive in the framework of the global Cold War and considered it almost as an invitation for aggression.”

To watch the interview with Evgeny Khruschev, please, follow the link.