Skip to main content

My Never Ending Journey Back

My Never Ending Journey Back

Today we start a new blog from Marco Vorobiev. His series of stories on Soviet Spetsnaz arms in Afghanistan was a big hit with SGN readers. He's a U.S. citizen now and conducts training courses that draw on his special forces training. He'll have a new installment every Wednesday.

I have always had a fascination with firearms. So it was only natural that after moving to the United States I absorbed the American gun culture, or rather it absorbed me.

As a kid growing up in the Soviet Union, you are exposed to guns from an early age. First it was a trip to a market and air rifle range with your dad. Then in 5th through 8th grade, it was mandatory for boys to take a field trip to the DOSAAF (Volunteers Society to Assist Army, Air Force and Navy) range for .22 cal. rifle exercise.

Most every middle school had a .22 rifle range in its basement, where students would exercise their skills at least twice a year. At the same time, numerous sports clubs offered a variety of shooting disciplines from competitive pistol to trap and skeet, available to any kid.

Then came the 9th and 10th grades, with the twice-a-week Beginners Military Preparation Course that included drilling, marching in formation, digging foxholes, putting on a gas mask and such, but the goal of this class was to make you proficient with an AK and as such to make you ready for a draft.

As a final exam for this course you took a trip to a real military range. There you were given an AK (the real full-auto military gun) and had to shoot three rounds on semi-auto into a 100-meter static target and six rounds on full-auto at resetting metal silhouette targets that were set at 200-400 meter ranges.

Just think, by age 16 all Soviet boys and most girls have had fired a full automatic AK and could field strip it with their eyes closed.

Then came a draft into Soviet Armed Forces and two years of mandatory service in 1985-87. As fate would have it, I wound up in Spetsnaz Training Center in Chirchik, Uzbekistan (then part of the Soviet Union) for preparation for deployment to Afghanistan.

There I reported to the 467 Spetsnaz Training Regiment. Three months to the date after putting on a uniform, I was ready or more accurately, was deemed ready by the Soviet Army to kill and be killed for the Motherland. Shortly thereafter came a short ride aboard a luxurious AN-26 military transport to Bagram followed by an exotic vacation in Afghanistan, where I have served for 16 months, at first as a sniper within a fire support group and later as a rifleman within an assault unit in my Spetsnaz detachment fighting Mujahideen in eastern Afghanistan.

A ragged and desolate place, our area of responsibility is better described by the Soviet Military manual as Mountainous Desert Area. Basically you either swallow dust in the summer or freeze to death in the winter. In both cases those inconveniences are usually accompanied by hiking up and down some pretty formidable mountains while dodging bullets. Needless to say we, our gear and equipment got real workout in most adverse conditions.

Now, I often reflect on my longer than life time in Afghanistan. I am glad I made it back and have an opportunity to share my experiences with others. Some say what I write is informative, some say it is interesting, but for me is it mostly therapeutic.




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Gear

Firearms News Gets the Rundown on Burris's New XTR-PS

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Guns

SDS Arms Releases New Tactical Shotgun Lineup

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Guns

New Hunting Shotguns Available in Mossy Oak and Realtree Camo

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Guns

Inglis MFG Launches New P35 Pistol

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Guns

MAC Firearms unveils New 5' Comp Barreled Double Stack 1911

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Gear

New Iron Lady Gun Safes from ATI

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Guns

American Tactical Releases GSG Anniversary 1911 Pistol

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Gear

First Look at ATI's new Rukx Rifle Case

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Guns

ATI Launches New Double and Triple Barreled Shotguns for 2025

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Guns

American Tactical Showcases their Latest GSG-16 22 LR Pistol and 410 Bull Dog Shotgun

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Gear

New Glock 17/19 18-Round Magazines Offered by Mec-Gar

KelTec releases their PR57 pistol and SUB2000 rifle in 5.7x28mm as the demand grows for more firearms in this unique and...
Guns

KelTec Launches PR57 Pistol: The Best and Lightest 5.7

Firearms News Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

PREVIEW OUR CURRENT ISSUE

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Firearms News App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Firearms News stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Firearms News subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Firearms News stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use