Soviet Soldier Who Lived in Afghanistan for 40 Years Returns to Russia Only to be Called Traitor

Soviet serviceman Sergey Krasnoperov, who spent 40 years living in Afghanistan, returned to Russia on Thursday, May 22.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by POA(Phot) Hamish Burke is licensed under OGL v1.0

Flag of Afghanistan

In 1985, during the Soviet-Afghan war, Krasnoperov was captured. Prior to being taken prisoner, he had left his unit without authorization following a conflict with fellow soldiers. According to him, they were coercing him to trade his supplies for alcohol on the local market, and subjected him to threats and beatings, RT said.

After fleeing his unit, Krasnoperov encountered mujahideen fighters. Although they initially intended to kill him, they ultimately spared his life. However, they could not release him afterward, as he had learned too much about their activities.

Now 60 years old, Krasnoperov built a life for himself in Afghanistan. He married a local woman who gave birth to six of his children. During his time there, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Nurmamad. He explained that his decision to return to Russia was driven by his desire to reunite with family he had not seen in decades.

Shocked by Appearance of Modern Russian Women

Upon returning to Russia, one of the first things that caught Krasnoperov's attention was the transformation in local fashion and appearance since Soviet times. He expressed surprise at the popularity of lip fillers among Russian women.

"Girls now get their lips done. What is this? Looks like two liver sausages. Is that fashion now?” he wonders.

Branded a Traitor in Russia

Russian journalist and Moscow City Duma deputy Andrei Medvedev condemned Krasnoperov, calling him a traitor and suggesting he be imprisoned in the country's harshest penal colony, The Black Dolphin (holds cannibals and terrorists). Medvedev criticized Krasnoperov for expressing disapproval of Russian women's appearance while failing to condemn Afghanistan's human rights abuses, including widespread pedophilia.

"This man comes back and immediately starts complaining about things here. Does it mean Afghan traditions were all fine with him all these years?” Medvedev said, pointing to issues like child prostitution, marriages to underage girls, and the use of teenage boys as sex slaves.

War correspondent Alexander Kots also raised doubts about Krasnoperov's account, suggesting that he may have fought against his homeland. Kots referenced a past interview Krasnoperov gave to American journalist Jerome Starkey, in which he reportedly said:

"The [Soviet] tanks and helicopters gave us a lot of trouble. I repaired machine guns and artillery. We were accurate in shooting at helicopters, frightened the pilots, and eventually, they stopped coming.”

Calls for Criminal Prosecution

Telegram channel "Zlawyers. Russian Lawyers” called Krasnoperov "filth and a traitor” and demanded he be imprisoned in a high-security colony. The channel proposed charging him under Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (aiding terrorist activity), which carries no statute of limitations.

Krasnoperov clarified that the mujahideen had forced him to marry a local woman. By the time he was formally released from captivity, he already had one child, and his wife was pregnant with a second. This, combined with fear of reprisal and public condemnation, prevented him from returning to the USSR.

Now, he hopes to obtain Russian citizenship and bring his family, including his now-grown children, to Russia. He currently has no passport or official nationality. His previous passport was voided by the new Afghan authorities, and he holds no citizenship from either Russia or the former Soviet Union.

Krasnoperov added that if granted Russian citizenship, he would be willing to take part in the special military operation.

Details

Afghanistan officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's capital and largest city. Afghanistan's population is estimated to be between 36 and 50 million.