Doman war. Damansky Island - conflict with China: how was it? Attempts to resolve territorial issues

46 years ago, in March 1969, the two most powerful socialist powers at that time - the USSR and the PRC - almost started a full-scale war over a piece of land called Damansky Island.

1. Damansky Island on the Ussuri River was part of the Pozharsky District of Primorsky Krai and had an area of ​​0.74 km². It was located a little closer to the Chinese coast than to ours. However, the border did not run along the middle of the river, but, in accordance with the Beijing Treaty of 1860, along the Chinese bank.
Damansky - view from the Chinese coast


2. The conflict on Damansky occurred 20 years after the formation of the People's Republic of China. Until the 1950s, China was a weak country with a poor population. With the help of the USSR, the Celestial Empire was not only able to unite, but began to develop rapidly, strengthening the army and creating the conditions necessary for modernizing the economy. However, after Stalin's death, a period of cooling began in Soviet-Chinese relations. Mao Zedong now claimed almost the role of the leading world leader of the communist movement, with which Nikita Khrushchev could not agree. At the same time, the policy of the Cultural Revolution pursued by Zedong constantly demanded to keep society in suspense, to create new images of the enemy both inside and outside the country, and the process of “de-Stalinization” in the USSR in general threatened the cult of the “great Mao” himself, which gradually formed in China. As a result, in 1960, the CPC officially announced the “wrong” course of the CPSU, relations between countries escalated to the limit, and conflicts often began to occur along the border with a length of more than 7.5 thousand kilometers.
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


3. On the night of March 2, 1969, about 300 Chinese soldiers crossed to Damansky. For several hours they remained unnoticed, the Soviet border guards received a signal about an armed group of up to 30 people only at 10:32 in the morning.
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


4. 32 border guards under the command of the head of the Nizhne-Mikhailovskaya outpost, senior lieutenant Ivan Strelnikov, left for the scene. Approaching the Chinese military, Strelnikov demanded that they leave Soviet territory, but small arms fire was opened in response. Senior Lieutenant Strelnikov and the border guards following him died, only one soldier managed to survive.
Thus began the famous Damansky conflict, which for a long time was not written anywhere, but which everyone knew about.
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


5. Shooting was heard at the neighboring outpost "Kulebyakiny Sopki". Senior Lieutenant Vitaly Bubenin went to the rescue with 20 border guards and one armored personnel carrier. The Chinese actively attacked, but retreated after a few hours. Residents of the neighboring village of Nizhnemikhailovka came to the aid of the wounded.
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


6. On that day, 31 Soviet border guards were killed, 14 more soldiers were injured. According to the KGB commission, the losses of the Chinese side amounted to 248 people.
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


7. On March 3, a demonstration took place near the Soviet embassy in Beijing; on March 7, the PRC embassy in Moscow was picketed.
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


8. Weapons captured from the Chinese
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


9. On the morning of March 15, the Chinese went on the offensive again. They brought the strength of their forces to an infantry division, reinforced by reservists. Attacks by the method of "human waves" continued for an hour. After a fierce battle, the Chinese managed to push back the Soviet soldiers.
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


10. Then, to support the defenders, a tank platoon headed by the head of the Iman border detachment, which included the outposts Nizhne-Mikhailovskaya and Kulebyakiny Sopki, Colonel Leonov, moved to counterattack.


11. But, as it turned out, the Chinese were prepared for this turn of events and had a sufficient amount of anti-tank weapons. Due to their heavy fire, our counterattack failed.
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


12. The failure of the counterattack and the loss of the latest T-62 combat vehicle with secret equipment finally convinced the Soviet command that the forces put into battle were not enough to defeat the Chinese side, which was prepared very seriously.
Photo: Ogonyok magazine archive


13. Then the forces of the 135th motorized rifle division deployed along the river entered the business, the command of which ordered its artillery, including a separate BM-21 Grad division, to open fire on the positions of the Chinese on the island. This was the first time that Grad rocket launchers were used in combat, the impact of which decided the outcome of the battle.


14. The Soviet troops withdrew to their shore, and the Chinese side did not take any more hostile actions.


15. In total, during the clashes, Soviet troops lost 58 soldiers and 4 officers killed and died from wounds, 94 soldiers and 9 officers were wounded. The losses of the Chinese side are still classified information and, according to various estimates, range from 100-150 to 800 and even 3,000 people.


16. For their heroism, four servicemen received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Colonel D. Leonov and Senior Lieutenant I. Strelnikov (posthumously), Senior Lieutenant V. Bubenin and Junior Sergeant Yu. Babansky.
In the photo in the foreground: Colonel D. Leonov, Lieutenants V. Bubenin, I. Strelnikov, V. Shorokhov; in the background: the personnel of the first frontier post. 1968

Exactly 42 years ago, on March 2, 1969, the first shots of the Soviet-Chinese border conflict rang out on Damansky Island. The tragedy left a deep imprint in the memory of the great neighboring nations. Looking to the future, we do not forget the past. ETERNAL MEMORY TO THE FALLEN HEROES OF THE BORDER! GLORY TO THE VETERANS OF 1969!

disputed island

Damansky Island, because of which the border armed conflict broke out, occupies 0.75 square meters in area. km. From south to north it stretches for 1500 - 1800 m, and its width reaches 600 - 700 m. These figures are quite approximate, since the size of the island strongly depends on the time of year. In the spring, Damansky Island is flooded with the waters of the Ussuri River and it almost disappears from view, and in winter the island rises like a dark mountain on the icy surface of the river. From the Soviet coast to the island about 500 m, from the Chinese - about 300 m. In accordance with generally accepted practice, the borders on the rivers are drawn along the main fairway. However, taking advantage of the weakness of pre-revolutionary China, the tsarist government of Russia managed to draw a border on the Ussuri River in a completely different way - along the water's edge along the Chinese coast. Thus, the entire river and the islands on it turned out to be Russian. This apparent injustice persisted after the October Revolution of 1917 and the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, but did not affect Sino-Soviet relations for some time. And only at the end of the 50s, when ideological differences arose between the Khrushchev leadership of the CPSU and the CPC, the situation on the border began to gradually worsen. Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders have repeatedly said that the development of Sino-Soviet relations presupposes a solution to the border problem. The "solution" meant the transfer to China of certain territories - including the islands on the Ussuri River. The Soviet leadership was sympathetic to the desire of the Chinese to draw a new border along the rivers and was even ready to transfer a number of lands to the PRC. However, this readiness disappeared as soon as the ideological and then the interstate conflict flared up. Further deterioration of relations between the two countries eventually led to an open armed confrontation on Damansky.

Tensions in the Damansky area increased gradually. At first, Chinese citizens simply went to the island. Then they began to come out with posters. Then sticks, knives, carbines and machine guns appeared... For the time being, communication between Chinese and Soviet border guards was relatively peaceful, but in accordance with the inexorable logic of events, it quickly turned into verbal skirmishes and hand-to-hand fights. The most fierce battle took place on January 22, 1969, as a result of which the Soviet border guards recaptured several carbines from the Chinese. Upon inspection of the weapon, it turned out that the cartridges were already in the chambers. The Soviet commanders clearly understood how tense the situation was and therefore all the time called on their subordinates to be especially vigilant. Preventive measures were taken - for example, the staff of each frontier post was increased to 50 people. Nevertheless, the events of March 2 turned out to be a complete surprise for the Soviet side. On the night of March 1-2, 1969, about 300 servicemen of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) crossed to Damansky and lay down on the western coast of the island. The Chinese were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, as well as SKS carbines. The commanders had TT pistols. All Chinese weapons were made according to Soviet models. There were no documents or personal belongings in the pockets of the Chinese. But everyone has Mao's quote book. To support the unit that landed on Damansky, positions of recoilless guns, heavy machine guns and mortars were equipped on the Chinese coast. Here the Chinese infantry with a total number of 200-300 people was waiting in the wings. Around 9:00 am, a Soviet border detachment passed through the island, but they did not find the invading Chinese. An hour and a half later, at the Soviet post, observers noticed the movement of a group of armed people (up to 30 people) in the direction of Damansky and immediately reported this by telephone to the Nizhne-Mikhailovka outpost, located 12 km south of the island. Head of outpost Lieutenant Ivan Strelnikov raised his subordinates "to the gun." In three groups, in three vehicles - GAZ-69 (8 people), BTR-60PB (13 people) and GAZ-63 (12 people), Soviet border guards arrived at the scene. Dismounting, they moved in the direction of the Chinese in two groups: the first was led along the ice by the head of the outpost, Senior Lieutenant Strelnikov, the second, by Sergeant V. Rabovich. The third group, led by Art. Sergeant Yu. Babansky, moving in a GAZ-63 car, lagged behind and arrived at the scene 15 minutes later. Approaching the Chinese, I. Strelnikov protested about the violation of the border and demanded that the Chinese military personnel leave the territory of the USSR. In response, the first line of the Chinese parted, and the second opened a sudden automatic fire on Strelnikov's group. Strelnikov's group and the head of the outpost himself died immediately. Part of the attackers got up from their "beds" and rushed to attack a handful of Soviet soldiers from the second group, commanded by Yu. Rabovich. Those took the fight and shot back literally to the last bullet. When the attackers reached the positions of the Rabovich group, they finished off the wounded Soviet border guards with point-blank shots and cold steel. This shameful fact for the People's Liberation Army of China is evidenced by the documents of the Soviet medical commission. The only one who literally miraculously survived was Private G. Serebrov. Having regained consciousness in the hospital, he spoke about the last minutes of the life of his friends. It was at this moment that the third group of border guards under the command of Y. Babansky arrived. Taking up a position at some distance behind their dying comrades, the border guards met the advancing Chinese with machine gun fire. The battle was unequal, there were fewer and fewer fighters left in the group, ammunition quickly ran out. Fortunately, the border guards from the neighboring outpost of Kulebyakina Sopka, located 17-18 km north of Damansky, came to the aid of Babansky’s group, commanded by Senior Lieutenant V. Bubenin. hurried to the rescue of neighbors. At about 11.30 the armored personnel carrier reached Damansky. The border guards got out of the car and almost immediately ran into a large group of Chinese. A fight ensued. During the battle, Senior Lieutenant Bubenin was wounded and shell-shocked, but did not lose control of the battle. Leaving several soldiers in place, led by junior sergeant V. Kanygin, he and four fighters plunged into an armored personnel carrier and moved around the island, going into the rear of the Chinese. The climax of the battle came at the moment when Bubenin managed to destroy the Chinese command post. After that, the border violators began to leave their positions, taking with them the dead and wounded. Thus ended the first battle on Damansky. In the battle on March 2, 1969, the Soviet side lost 31 people killed - this is exactly the figure that was given at a press conference at the USSR Foreign Ministry on March 7, 1969. As for Chinese losses, they are not known for certain, since the PLA General Staff has not yet made this information public. The Soviet border guards themselves estimated the total losses of the enemy at 100-150 soldiers and commanders.

After the battle on March 2, 1969, reinforced squads of Soviet border guards constantly went out to Damansky - numbering at least 10 people, with a sufficient amount of ammunition. Sappers carried out mining of the island in case of an attack by Chinese infantry. In the rear, at a distance of several kilometers from Damansky, the 135th motorized rifle division of the Far Eastern Military District was deployed - infantry, tanks, artillery, Grad multiple rocket launchers. The 199th Upper Uda Regiment of this division took a direct part in further events. The Chinese also accumulated forces for the next offensive: in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe island, the 24th Infantry Regiment of the People's Liberation Army of China, which included up to 5,000 soldiers and commanders, was preparing for battle! On March 15, noticing the revival on the Chinese side, a detachment of Soviet border guards consisting of 45 people on 4 armored personnel carriers entered the island. Another 80 border guards concentrated on the shore in readiness to support their comrades. Around 9:00 am on March 15, a loudspeaker installation started working on the Chinese side. A sonorous female voice in pure Russian urged the Soviet border guards to leave "Chinese territory", abandon "revisionism", and so on. A loudspeaker was also turned on on the Soviet coast. The broadcast was conducted in Chinese and in rather simple words: think again before it's too late, before you are the sons of those who liberated China from the Japanese invaders. After some time, silence fell on both sides, and closer to 10.00, Chinese artillery and mortars (from 60 to 90 barrels) began shelling the island. At the same time, 3 companies of Chinese infantry (each with 100-150 people) went on the attack. The battle on the island was of a focal nature: scattered groups of border guards continued to repel the attacks of the Chinese, who outnumbered the defenders by far. According to the recollections of eyewitnesses, the course of the battle resembled a pendulum: each side pressed the enemy when the reserves approached. At the same time, however, the ratio in manpower was always about 10:1 in favor of the Chinese. Around 15.00, an order was received to withdraw from the island. After that, the arriving Soviet reserves tried to carry out several counterattacks in order to expel the violators of the border, but they were unsuccessful: the Chinese thoroughly fortified on the island and met the attackers with dense fire. Only by this moment was it decided to use artillery, since there was a real threat of the complete capture of Damansky by the Chinese. The order to strike the Chinese coast was given by the first deputy. commander of the Far Eastern Military District, Lieutenant General P.M. Plotnikov. At 17.00, a separate rocket division of BM-21 Grad installations under the command of M.T.
So for the first time, the then top-secret 40-barrel "Grad" was used, capable of releasing all the ammunition in 20 seconds. In 10 minutes of artillery raid, nothing remained of the Chinese division. A significant part of the Chinese soldiers in Damansky (more than 700 people) and the adjacent territory were destroyed by a firestorm (according to Chinese data, more than 6 thousand). In the foreign press, the hype immediately went that the Russians used an unknown secret weapon, either lasers, or flamethrowers, or the devil knows what. (And the hunt for this, the devil knows what, began, which was crowned with success in the far south of Africa after 6 years. But that's another story ...)
At the same time, a cannon artillery regiment equipped with 122-mm howitzers opened fire on identified targets. Artillery hit for 10 minutes. The raid turned out to be extremely accurate: the shells destroyed the Chinese reserves, mortars, shell piles, etc. Radio interception data spoke of hundreds of dead PLA soldiers. At 17.10, motorized riflemen (2 companies and 3 tanks) and border guards in 4 armored personnel carriers went on the attack. After a stubborn battle, the Chinese began to withdraw from the island. Then they tried to recapture Damansky, but their three attacks ended in complete failure. After that soviet soldiers retreated to their own shore, and the Chinese made no more attempts to take possession of the island.

Political settlement of the conflict

On September 11, 1969, talks were held at the Beijing airport between the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR A.N. Kosygin and the Premier of the State Council of the PRC, Zhou Enlai. The meeting lasted three and a half hours. The main result of the discussion was an agreement to stop hostile actions on the Soviet-Chinese border and to stop troops at the lines they occupied at the time of the negotiations. It must be said that the wording "the parties remain where they have been until now" was proposed by Zhou Enlai, and Kosygin immediately agreed with it. And it was at this moment that Damansky Island became de facto Chinese. The fact is that after the end of the fighting, the ice began to melt, and therefore the exit of the border guards to Damansky was difficult. We decided to carry out fire cover of the island. From now on, any attempt by the Chinese to land on Damansky was thwarted by sniper and machine-gun fire. On September 10, 1969, the border guards received an order to cease fire. Immediately after that, the Chinese came to the island and settled there. On the same day, a similar story took place on Kirkinsky Island, located 3 km north of Damansky. Thus, on the day of the Beijing talks on September 11, there were already Chinese on the Damansky and Kirkinsky Islands. The consent of A.N. Kosygin with the wording "the parties remain where they were until now" meant the actual surrender of the islands to China. Apparently, the order to cease fire on September 10 was given in order to create a favorable background for the start of negotiations. The Soviet leaders knew perfectly well that the Chinese would land on Damansky, and deliberately went for it. Obviously, the Kremlin decided that sooner or later, they would have to draw a new border along the fairways of the Amur and Ussuri. And if so, then there is nothing to hold on to the islands, which will still go to the Chinese. Shortly after the completion of the negotiations, A.N. Kosygin and Zhou Enlai exchanged letters. In them, they agreed to begin work on the preparation of a non-aggression pact.

The final end to these Soviet-Chinese conflicts was put only in 1991. On May 16, 1991, an agreement was signed between the USSR and the PRC on the eastern section of the border. According to this agreement, the border was established along the main fairway of the rivers. Damansky Island went to China ...

And the People's Republic of China. The Daman conflict is another indicator of human irresponsibility and cynicism. Calm had not yet reigned in the world after the Second World War, and pockets of armed confrontation arose here and there. And before colliding face to face, the USSR and China actively participated in various confrontations that did not directly concern them.

background

After the Second Opium War ended, countries such as France, Russia and Great Britain were able to sign treaties with China on favorable terms. So, in 1860, Russia supported the Beijing Treaty, according to its terms, a border was drawn along the Chinese bank of the Amur, and Chinese peasants did not have the right to use it.

For a long time, the countries maintained friendly relations. The frontier population was sparse, so there were no conflicts about who owned the deserted river islands.

In 1919, the Paris Peace Conference was held, as a result, a provision on state borders appeared. It stated that the border should run in the middle of the main fairway of the river. As an exception, it could pass along the coast, but only in two cases:

1. This is how it happened historically.
2. As a result of the colonization of land by one of the parties.

At first, this decision did not provoke any disagreements and misunderstandings. Only after a while, the provision on state borders was taken seriously, and it became an additional reason for the emergence of the Daman conflict.

In the late 1950s, China began to seek to increase its international influence, therefore, without much delay, it entered into conflict with Taiwan (1958), and took an active part in the border war with India. Also, the PRC did not forget about the provision on state borders and decided to use it to revise the existing Soviet-Chinese borders.

The ruling elite of the Soviet Union was not opposed, and in 1964 a consultation was held on border issues. True, it ended to no avail - everything remained the same as it was. During the Cultural Revolution in the PRC and after the Prague Spring, the Chinese government declared that the Soviet Union began to support "socialist imperialism", relations between the countries escalated even more. And at the center of this conflict was the island question.

What else could be the prerequisites for the Daman conflict?

After World War II, China became a powerful ally for the USSR. The Soviet Union provided assistance to China in the war with Japan and supported in the civil war against the forces of the Kuomintang. The Chinese communists began to be loyal to the USSR, and there was a short calm.

This fragile peace continued until 1950, when the cold war between Russia and the USA. Two large countries wanted to unite the Korean Peninsula, but their "noble" aspirations led to global bloodshed.

At that time, the peninsula split into communist and South Korea. Each of the parties was sure that it was their vision of the country's development that was true; on this basis, an armed confrontation arose. At first, communist Korea was in the lead in the war, but then to the aid of South Korea came America and the UN forces. China did not stand aside, the government understood that if South Korea won, then the country would have a strong adversary who would certainly attack sooner or later. Therefore, the PRC is on the side of communist Korea.

During the conduct of hostilities, the front line shifted to the 38th parallel and remained there until the end of the war, until 1953. When the confrontation subsided, the PRC government rethought its position in the international arena. China decides to get out of the influence of the USSR and pursue its own foreign policy, which would not depend on anyone.

This opportunity presented itself in 1956. At that time, the 20th Congress of the CPSU was held in Moscow, at which it was decided to abandon the personality cult of Stalin and radically change the foreign policy doctrine. The PRC was not enthusiastic about such innovations, the country began to call Khrushchev's policy revisionist, and the country chose a completely different foreign policy course.

This split became known as the war of ideas between China and the Soviet Union. If the opportunity arose, the PRC tried to show that it was opposed to the USSR, like some other countries of the world.

In 1968, a period of liberalization (Prague Spring) began in Czechoslovakia. The first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubchenko, proposed reforms that significantly expanded the rights and freedoms of citizens and also assumed the decentralization of power in the country. The inhabitants of the state supported such changes, but for the USSR they were not acceptable, so the Soviet Union sent troops into the country. This action was condemned by the PRC, it became another, really real reason for the start of the Daman conflict.

Feelings of superiority or deliberate provocation

Historians argue that as a result of the aggravation of relations between countries in the USSR, a sense of superiority over the inhabitants of China began to be cultivated. Russian border guards chose the exact location of the border for deployment and frightened Chinese fishermen by driving boats near their boats at high speed.

Although according to other sources, it was the Chinese side that arranged the provocations. The peasants crossed the border and went about their business, not paying attention to the border guards, who had to catch them and send them back. The weapon was not used.

Perhaps these were the main causes of the Daman conflict.

Islands

O. Damansky at that time was part of the Pozharsky district of Primorsky Krai, on the Chinese side it was located not far from the main channel of the Ussuri River. The size of the island was small: the length from north to south was approximately 1700 meters, from west to east - 600-700. The total area is 0.74 km2. When floods come, the land is completely submerged. But despite this, there are several brick buildings on the island, and water meadows are a valuable natural resource.

Due to the increased number of provocations from China, the situation on the island became more and more tense. If in 1960 there were about 100 illegal border crossings, then in 1962 their number increased to 5 thousand. The conflict on Damansky Island was approaching.

Information began to appear about the attack of the Red Guards on the border guards. Such situations were not isolated, their number was already in the thousands.

On January 4, 1969, the first mass provocation was carried out on Kirkinsky Island, more than 500 Chinese residents took part in it.

To our time, the memoirs of a junior sergeant who served at the frontier post that year, Yuri Babansky, have survived:

In February, he was unexpectedly appointed to the post of commander of the outpost section, the head of which was Senior Lieutenant Ivan Strelnikov. I come to the outpost, and there, except for the cook, there is no one. “Everything,” he says, “is on the shore, they are fighting with the Chinese.” Of course, I have a machine gun on my shoulder - and to the Ussuri. And there is actually a fight. Chinese border guards crossed the Ussuri on the ice and invaded our territory. So Strelnikov raised the outpost "in the gun." Our guys were both taller and healthier. But the Chinese are not born with a bast - dexterous, evasive; they do not climb on the fist, they try in every possible way to dodge our blows. While everyone was thrashed, an hour and a half passed. But without a single shot. Only in the face. Even then I thought: "Merry Outpost".

These were the first prerequisites for the conflict on Damansky Island. According to the Chinese version, it was the Russians who acted as provocateurs. They beat Chinese citizens for no reason who were peacefully going about their business on their own territory. During the Kirkinsky Incident, the Soviet military used armored personnel carriers to force out civilians, and on February 7, 1969, they fired several automatic shots at the Chinese border guards.

True, no matter whose fault these clashes were, they could not lead to a serious armed conflict without the approval of the government.

Culprits

Now the most common opinion is that the military conflict on Damansky Island was a planned action by China. Even Chinese historians directly or indirectly write about this in their writings.

Li Danhui wrote that at the end of the 60s of the last century, the directives of the CPC Central Committee forbade the Chinese to respond to the "provocations" of Soviet soldiers, only on 01/25/1969 it was allowed to plan retaliatory military operations. Three companies of soldiers were brought in for this purpose. On February 19, the decision on retaliatory military operations was approved by the General Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC. There is also an opinion that Marshal Lin Biao warned the USSR government in advance about the upcoming action, which then turned into a conflict.

An American intelligence bulletin, which was released on July 13, 1969, said that China was conducting propaganda, the main ideas of which emphasized the need to unite citizens and urged them to prepare for war.

Sources also say that intelligence informed the forces of the Soviet Union about the armed provocation in a timely manner. In any case, the impending attack was somehow known. In addition, it was hard not to notice that the Chinese leadership wanted not so much to defeat the USSR as to clearly demonstrate to America that it was also an enemy of the Soviet Union, and therefore could be a reliable partner for the United States.

The beginning of the conflict. March 1969

The conflict with China on Damansky Island in 1969 began on the first night of March - from the 1st to the 2nd. A group of Chinese soldiers of 80 people crossed the Ussuri River and landed in the western part of the island. Until 10 am, no one noticed these unauthorized intruders, as a result, the Chinese military was able to improve the location and plan further actions.

At about 10:20 a.m., Chinese military personnel were spotted at a Soviet observation post.

A group of Russian border guards headed by Senior Lieutenant Strelnikov immediately went to the place of violation of the border. Arriving on the island, they were divided into two subgroups: one led by Strelnikov went to the Chinese military, the other, led by Sergeant Rabovich, moved along the coast, thereby cutting off the Chinese military group from moving inland.

The Chinese conflict on Damansky began in the morning, when Strelnikov's group approached the violators and protested against the unauthorized invasion. The Chinese soldiers suddenly opened fire. At the same time, they open fire on Rabovich's group. The Soviet border guards were taken by surprise and almost completely destroyed.

The conflict on March 2, 1969 on Damansky Island did not end there. The shots were heard by the head of the Kulebyakiny Sopki outpost, which was located next door, Senior Lieutenant Bubenin. He quickly decided to advance with 23 fighters to help. But as soon as they approached the island, Bubenin's group was forced to immediately take up a defensive position. The Chinese military launched an offensive operation with the goal of completely capturing Damansky Island. Soviet soldiers courageously defended the territory, not giving the Chinese the opportunity to throw themselves into the river.

True, such a conflict on the Damansky Peninsula could not continue for a long time. Lieutenant Bubenin made a fateful decision, which on March 2 determined the outcome of the battle for the island. Sitting on an armored personnel carrier, Bubenin went to the rear of the Chinese troops, thereby trying to completely disorganize them. True, the armored personnel carrier was soon knocked out, but this did not stop Bubenin, he got to the transport of the murdered lieutenant Strelnikov and continued his movement. As a result of this raid, the command post was destroyed, the enemy suffered serious losses. At 13:00, the Chinese began to withdraw troops from the island.

Due to the military conflict between the USSR and China on Damansky Island on March 2, the Soviet army lost 31 people, 14 were wounded. According to Soviet data, the Chinese side was left without 39 soldiers.

Events from 2 to 14 March 1969

After the end of the first stage of the military conflict, the military command of the Imansky border detachment arrived on the Damansky Peninsula. They planned activities that could stop similar provocations in the future. It was decided to increase the border detachments. As an additional increase in combat capability, the 135th motorized rifle division settled in the area of ​​​​the island with the latest Grads in its arsenal. On the Chinese side, the 24th Infantry Regiment was put up against the Soviet army.

True, the countries did not limit themselves to military maneuvers: organizing a demonstration in the center of the capital is a sacred thing. So, on March 3, a demonstration took place near the Soviet embassy in Beijing, the participants of which demanded an end to aggressive actions. Also, the Chinese press began to publish completely implausible and propaganda materials. The publications said that the Soviet army invaded China and opened fire on the troops.

The Moscow newspaper Pravda also did not remain indifferent and expressed its point of view on the border conflict on Damansky Island. Here the events that took place were more reliably described. On March 7, the Chinese embassy in Moscow was picketed and pelted with ink vials, apparently the public learned about the implausible rumors that were circulating among the Chinese about the Soviet army.

Whatever it was, and such provocative actions on March 2-14 did not significantly affect the course of events, a new border conflict on Damansky Island was just around the corner.

Fight in the middle of March

On March 14, at about three o'clock in the afternoon, the Soviet army received an order to retreat, the Russian participants in the Daman conflict had to leave the island. Immediately after the retreat of the Soviet army, the territory of the island began to be occupied by the Chinese military.

The government of the USSR could not calmly look at the current situation, obviously, the border conflict on Damansky Island in 1969 was forced to move to the second stage. The Soviet army sent 8 armored personnel carriers to the island, as soon as the Chinese noticed them, they immediately moved to their shore. On the evening of March 14, the Soviet border guards were ordered to occupy the island, a group under the command of Lieutenant Colonel E. Yanshin immediately carried it out.

On March 15, fire was opened on Soviet troops in the morning. The Daman conflict of 1969 entered its second phase. According to intelligence data, about 60 enemy artillery barrels fired at the Soviet troops, after the shelling, three companies of Chinese fighters went on the offensive. However, the enemy did not succeed in capturing the island, the Daman conflict of 1969 was just beginning.

After the situation became critical, reinforcements advanced to the Yanshin group, a group led by Colonel D. Leonov. The newly arrived soldiers immediately entered into battle with the Chinese in the south of the island. In this conflict on Damansky Island (1969), Colonel Leonov dies, his group suffers serious losses, but still does not leave their positions and inflicts damage on the enemy.

Two hours after the start of the battle, the ammunition was used up, and the Soviet troops had to retreat from Damansky Island. The 1969 conflict did not end there: the Chinese felt their numerical advantage and began to occupy the vacated territory. But at the same time, the Soviet leadership gives the green light to the use of Grads to deliver a fire strike on enemy forces. At about 5 pm, Soviet troops opened fire. The Chinese suffered heavy losses, mortars were disabled, ammunition and reinforcements were completely destroyed.

Half an hour after the artillery attack, motorized riflemen began to attack the Chinese, followed by border guards under the command of lieutenant colonels Konstantinov and Smirnov. The Chinese troops had no choice but to hastily leave the island. The conflict with China on the Damansky Peninsula continued at seven o'clock in the evening - the Chinese decided to counterattack. True, their efforts were fruitless, and the situation Chinese army in this war has not changed significantly.

During the hostilities on March 14-15, the Soviet army lost 27 soldiers, 80 were wounded. As for the losses in the Daman conflict of the Chinese side, these data were strictly classified. Tentatively, it can be assumed that they lost about 200 people.

Confrontation Settlement

During the conflict with China on the Damansky Peninsula, Soviet troops lost 58 people, among the dead were four officer soldiers, 94 people were injured, including 9 officers. What losses the Chinese side suffered is still unknown, this is classified information, and historians only assume that the number of dead Chinese soldiers ranges from 100 to 300 people. There is a memorial cemetery in Bioqing County, which contains the ashes of 68 Chinese soldiers who died in the Daman conflict in 1969. One of the Chinese defectors said that there were other burials, so the number of buried soldiers could exceed 300 people.

As for the side of the Soviet Union, five military men received the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union" for their heroism. Among them:

• Colonel Democrat Vladimirovich Leonov - the title was awarded posthumously.
• Senior Lieutenant Ivan Ivanovich Strelnikov - awarded posthumously.
• Junior Sergeant Vladimir Viktorovich Orekhov - received the rank posthumously.
• Senior Lieutenant Vitaly Dmitrievich Bubenin.
• Junior Sergeant Yuri Vasilyevich Babansky.

Many border guards and military personnel received state awards. For conducting hostilities on Damansky Island, the participants were awarded.

• Three orders of Lenin.
• Ten Orders of the Red Banner.
• Order of the Red Star (31 pieces).
• Ten Orders of Glory, Third Class.
• Medal "For Courage" (63 pcs.).
• Medal "For Military Merit" (31 pcs.).

During the operation, the Soviet army left the T-62 tank on enemy soil, but due to constant shelling, it could not be returned. There was an attempt to destroy vehicle from a mortar, but this idea was not crowned with success - the tank ingloriously fell through the ice. True, a little later, the Chinese were able to pull it to their shore. It is currently a priceless exhibit in the Beijing Military Museum.

After hostilities ended, Soviet troops left the territory of Damansky Island. Soon the ice around the island began to melt, and it was difficult for Soviet soldiers to cross to its territory with their former agility. The Chinese took advantage of this situation and immediately took up positions on the lands of the border islands. To interfere with the plans of the enemy, Soviet soldiers fired at him with cannons, but this did not give a tangible result.

The Damansky conflict did not stop there. In August of the same year, another large Soviet-Chinese armed conflict took place. It went down in history as an incident near Lake Zhalanashkol. Relations between states have indeed reached a critical point. The possibility of starting a nuclear war was closer than ever between the USSR and the PRC.

Provocations and military clashes along the Soviet-Chinese border continued until September. As a result of the border conflict, the leadership was nevertheless able to realize that it was impossible to continue an aggressive policy towards the northern neighbor. The condition in which the Chinese army was, only once again confirmed this idea.

September 10, 1969 received an order to cease fire. Apparently, in this way they tried to create a favorable environment for political negotiations, which began the day after receiving the order at the Beijing airport.

As soon as the shooting stopped, the Chinese immediately took up stronger positions on the islands. This situation played an important role in the negotiations. On September 11, in Beijing, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR A.N. Kosygin, who was returning from the funeral of Ho Chi Minh, and Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhou Enlai met and agreed that it was time to stop hostilities and various hostile actions. They also agreed that the troops would remain in the positions they had previously taken. Roughly speaking, Damansky Island passed into the possession of China.

Negotiation

Naturally, this state of affairs did not please the government of the USSR, so on October 20, 1969, another negotiations took place between the Soviet Union and the PRC. During these negotiations, the countries agreed that it was necessary to revise the documents confirming the position of the Soviet-Chinese border.

After that, a whole series of negotiations were carried out, which were alternately held either in Moscow or in Beijing. And only in 1991, Damansky Island finally became the property of the PRC (although de facto this happened back in 1969).

Nowadays

In 2001, the archives of the KGB of the USSR declassified photographs of the discovered bodies of Soviet soldiers. The images clearly indicated the presence of the fact of abuse from the Chinese side. All materials were transferred to the Dalnerechensk Historical Museum.

In 2010, a series of articles was published in a French newspaper stating that the USSR was preparing a nuclear strike against the PRC in the fall of 1969. The materials referred to the People's Daily newspaper. A similar publication appeared in the print media in Hong Kong. According to these data, America refused to remain neutral in the event of a nuclear attack on China. The articles stated that on October 15, 1969, the United States threatened to attack 130 Soviet cities in the event of an attack on the PRC. True, the researchers do not specify from which sources such data were taken and themselves admit the fact that other experts do not agree with these statements.

The Daman conflict is considered a serious disagreement between two powerful states, which almost led to tragedy. But no one can say how true this is. Each country held to its own point of view, disseminated the information that was beneficial to it, and furiously concealed the truth. As a result, dozens of lost lives and ruined destinies.

War is always a tragedy. And we, those who are far from politics and the noble desire to shed blood for a lofty ideal, are completely incomprehensible why it is necessary to take up arms without fail. Mankind has long since left the caves, the cave paintings of bygone times have turned into quite understandable speech, and besides, you no longer need to hunt for survival. But the rituals of human sacrifice have been transformed and turned into completely legitimate armed confrontations.

The Daman conflict is another indicator of human irresponsibility and cynicism. It seems that the tragedy of the Second World War should have taught the rulers of all countries of the world one simple truth: "War is bad." Although this is bad only for those who do not return from the battlefield, for the rest, you can get some benefit from any confrontation - "here's a medal for you, and disappear completely." This principle was also applied during the Damansky conflict: the soldiers were sure that the enemy was provoking them, while government officials, meanwhile, resolved their issues. Some historians believe that the conflict was only an excuse to divert public attention from what is really going on in the world.

Damansky Island (or Zhenbao) is a Chinese island with an area of ​​less than 1 km₂, located on the Ussuri River. During the spring flood, Ussuri Damansky hides under water for several weeks. It is hard to imagine that two such powerful powers as the USSR and China could start a conflict over such a tiny piece of land. However, the reasons for the armed clash on Damansky Island lay much deeper than ordinary territorial claims.

Damansky Island on the map

The origins of the 1969 border conflict stemmed from the imperfection of the treaties drawn up by the two powers in the middle of the 19th century. The Beijing Treaty of 1860 stated that the line of the Russian-Chinese border should not run along the middle of the Amur and Ussuri rivers, but along their fairways (the deepest sections suitable for navigation). Because of this, almost the entire Ussuri River, together with the islands in it, ended up within Russia. In addition, St. Petersburg received the Amur region and vast territories adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.

In 1919, at the Paris Peace Conference, the terms of the Beijing Treaty were confirmed, the border between the USSR and China still passed along the Ussuri fairway. However, due to the peculiarities of the Ussuri current, the position of some islands changed: sand deposits formed in one place, and the land, on the contrary, was washed away in another. This also happened with the Damansky Island formed in the region of 1915.

However, at the beginning of the 20th century, the border issue did not interfere with cooperation between the USSR and China. With the support of Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong managed to come to power and form the communist People's Republic of China. Until Nikita Khrushchev came to power, relations between the Soviet and Chinese peoples remained friendly. Mao Zedong was extremely dissatisfied with Khrushchev's report "On the cult of personality and its consequences." This report indirectly affected the Chinese leader, who used in his country the same political methods as Stalin. Khrushchev's speech provoked anti-Stalinist protests in Poland and Hungary, and Mao Zedong rightly feared that the unrest Khrushchev had sown in the communist camp might also affect the Chinese people.

Khrushchev more than once allowed himself contemptuous remarks about the Chinese leadership, considering China a satellite of the USSR. According to Nikita Sergeevich, Mao Zedong was obliged to support any direction Soviet policy. However, as the power of the Chinese Communist Party grew, and the Chinese economy and military industry developed, the Great Pilot needed less and less approval and support from the Soviet Union.

The difficult international situation was aggravated by the Chinese cultural revolution that began in 1966, accompanied by mass executions and repressions. The events taking place in China were condemned not only by democratically minded Soviet dissidents, but also by the leadership of the CPSU.

Thus, the main reasons for the deterioration of Soviet-Chinese relations were:

• The desire of the Chinese to change the border between the two countries;
• Struggle for leadership in the socialist camp;
• The desire of Mao Zedong to strengthen his power in China through a victorious war;
• Political and ideological contradictions.

The apogee of the crisis was the border conflict on Damansky Island, which almost turned into a war.

Attempts to resolve territorial issues in the 1950s and 60s

Vladimir Lenin more than once called the policy of tsarist Russia towards China predatory and predatory. But for a long time the question of revising the Soviet-Chinese border was not raised. In 1951, representatives of the two countries signed an agreement on the preservation of the existing border. At the same time, the Chinese leadership agreed to the establishment of Soviet border control over the Amur and Ussuri rivers.

In 1964, Mao Zedong first announced the need to change the map Far East. It was not only about the islands in the Ussuri, but also about the vast Amur territories. The Soviet leadership was ready to make some concessions, but the negotiations reached an impasse and ended in nothing.

Many believed that tensions in Sino-Soviet relations would subside after the change of Secretary General, but under Brezhnev the conflict escalated even more. Since the early 1960s, the Chinese side has regularly violated the border regime and tried to provoke a conflict. Articles about the Soviet occupiers appeared daily in the Chinese press. In winter, when the Ussuri was frozen, the inhabitants of the nearest Chinese villages went out to the middle of the river with banners. They stood in front of the Soviet border outpost and demanded to move the border. Every day the protesters behaved more and more aggressively, they began to take with them sticks, knives and even guns. In the winter of 1969, local residents began to arbitrarily cross the Soviet-Chinese border and provoke fights with Soviet border guards.

From the Amur region, Moscow regularly received reports of an impending war. However, the answers were rather concise and monotonous. The border guards were instructed not to succumb to provocations and not to turn to violence, despite the fact that two Soviet servicemen had already been killed. The outpost on the Ussuri also did not receive serious military assistance.

March 1969 events

2nd of March

On the night of March 1-2, 1969, about 300 Chinese soldiers crossed to Damansky across the Ussuri ice and set up an ambush there. Artillerymen covered the landing from the Chinese coast. Since it snowed all night and there was poor visibility, the Soviet border guards noticed the presence of strangers on the island only on the morning of March 2. According to preliminary estimates, there were about thirty offenders. The situation was reported to the head of the Soviet border outpost in Nizhne-Mikhailovka, Senior Lieutenant Strelnikov. Strelnikov and 32 other border guards immediately arrived on the shore and began to approach the island. Suddenly, automatic fire was opened on the Soviet military. The border guards began to shoot back, however, the forces were clearly not equal. Most of Strelnikov's people, like the senior lieutenant himself, were killed.

The survivors gradually retreated under the pressure of the enemy, however, a group from the Kulebyakina Sopka outpost led by Senior Lieutenant Bubenin arrived to help them. Despite the fact that Bubenin had a small handful of people and was seriously wounded in battle, his group managed to accomplish the incredible: bypass the superior enemy forces and destroy the Chinese command post. After that, the attackers were forced to retreat.

On that day, the Soviet border guards lost 31 fighters, and the Chinese side - about 150.

Both Soviet citizens and the Chinese public were outraged by this incident. Pickets were held near the Soviet embassy in Beijing and near the Chinese embassy in Moscow. Each of the parties accused the neighbor of unjustified aggression and the desire to unleash a war.

March 15th

After the events of March 2, active military preparations were underway on the banks of the Ussuri. Both sides pulled equipment and ammunition to the coastal line, and border outposts were fortified.

On March 15, there was a repeated military clash between the Soviet and Chinese armies. The attack was launched by the Chinese, who were covered by artillerymen from the shore. For a long time the battle went on with varying success. At the same time, the number of Chinese soldiers was about ten times greater than the number of Soviet ones.

In the afternoon, the Soviet soldiers were forced to retreat, and Damansky was immediately occupied by the Chinese. Attempts to dislodge the enemy from the island with artillery fire ended unsuccessfully. Tanks were even used, but the Chinese side had an extensive arsenal of anti-tank weapons and repulsed this counterattack. One of the tanks - a wrecked T-62 equipped with secret equipment (including the world's first night vision sight) - remained standing just a hundred meters from the Chinese coast. The Soviet side tried in vain to undermine the tank, and the Chinese tried to pull the car ashore. As a result, the ice under the tank was blown up, but the depth in this place was not enough to fighting machine completely submerged. Already in April, the Chinese managed to remove the Soviet tank. Now it is exhibited as an exhibit in one of the Chinese military museums.

After several unsuccessful counterattacks, the Soviet command decided for the first time to use a newly developed secret weapon against the enemy - the BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher. These attitudes predetermined the outcome of the conflict. In a matter of minutes, hundreds of Chinese soldiers were killed, mortar systems and reserves were destroyed. After that, Soviet motorized rifles and a tank group went into battle. They managed to push the Chinese soldiers ashore, further attempts to occupy the island were thwarted. By the evening of the same day, the parties dispersed along their shores.

Consequences and results

The situation on the border remained tense throughout the spring and summer of 1969. However, there were no more serious incidents: the ice on the river melted, and it became almost impossible to occupy Damansky. The Chinese made several attempts to land on the island, but each time they were met with sniper fire from the Soviet coast. For several months, Soviet border guards had to open fire on violators about 300 times.

The situation required a speedy resolution, otherwise, by the end of the year, border clashes could lead to a war, possibly even a nuclear one. In September, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Kosygin arrived in Beijing to negotiate with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. The result of these negotiations was a joint decision to leave the troops on the lines where they are at the moment. The day before the meeting between Kosygin and Zhou Enlai, the Soviet border guards were ordered not to open fire, which allowed the Chinese troops to occupy the island. Therefore, in fact, this decision meant the transfer of Damansky to China.

As long as Mao Zedong and the Gang of Four were in power, relations between the two powers remained strained. Further attempts to resolve the issue of the border ended unsuccessfully. But since the early 1980s, the USSR and China began to establish trade and diplomatic ties. In the 1990s, it was decided to draw a new border between Russia and China. During these events, Damansky and some other territories officially became Chinese possessions.

Damansky Island today

Now Damansky Island is part of China. In honor of the dead Chinese soldiers, a memorial was erected on it, to which flowers are laid every year and schoolchildren are brought. There is also a frontier post here. Information about the exact losses of the Chinese army in March 1969 is classified. Official sources report 68 dead, but in foreign literature one can find data on several hundred or even several thousand killed Chinese soldiers and officers.

The conflict over Daman Island is, for some reason, not the most popular topic in Chinese historical scholarship.

• Firstly, a lifeless patch of land, of no interest to builders, geologists, or fishermen, was clearly not worth the loss of life;
• Secondly, the Chinese soldiers did not show themselves too worthy in this clash. They retreated, despite the fact that their numbers obviously outnumbered the enemy forces. Also, the Chinese side did not hesitate to finish off the wounded with bayonets and, in general, distinguished itself with particular cruelty.

However, in Chinese literature there is still an opinion that the Soviet border guards were the aggressors who unleashed the conflict over Damansky Island.

Many domestic researchers believe that for the Chinese side, the conflict over Damansky Island was a kind of test of strength before a full-fledged war with the SSSO. But thanks to the fearlessness and courage of the Soviet border guards, Mao Zedong decided to abandon the idea of ​​returning the Amur region to China.

Basically, no time limit. On the one side. On the other hand... Forty-nine years ago, our fighters and border guards clashed with the soldiers of the PLA in an unequal battle. And they won.

It is difficult to say how we will interpret and remember these events in 2019. And will they be remembered at all - simply because we no longer have Damansky Island, but China has Precious Island. Yes, and with the PRC, there seems to be peace, friendship, and so on. Let's see.

But today we want to remember not the events, no. We will remember the events next year. More precisely, we recall, but not in detail in terms of events.

Once upon a time, in 1888, during the survey work for the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, railway engineer Stanislav Damansky died. Drowned in the treacherous Ussuri River. The event is tragic, but ordinary for those places. Taiga and numerous Siberian rivers are dangerous even today.

The comrades found the body of the deceased engineer not far from the nameless island. And, according to the tradition that still exists, they named the island after the deceased - Damansky Island.

The island is small. 0.74 square kilometers area. 1500-1700 meters long and 500-600 meters wide. It's hard to live on it. During the spring flood, it is well flooded. But it is quite possible to conduct business activities on a rotational basis.

Legally, the island became part of Russia in 1860, even without being discovered. According to the Beijing Treaty, the border between China and Russian Empire began to pass along the Chinese bank of the Amur. In fact, the people on both sides used the rivers without restrictions. Moreover, a few Chinese and Russians lived quite friendly side by side. And the islands that either appear or disappear on the rivers were considered like draws.

I deliberately started the story from afar. Simply because there are still a lot of discrepancies in this issue in our and Chinese sources. Discrepancies that make it difficult to understand the background of the events described below. Who is right and who is wrong?

Now the stingy figures obtained from the award department of the archive of the RF Ministry of Defense. For the heroism and courage shown in the performance of official duties during the events of March 2 and 15, 1969, 300 people were awarded in the Damansky Island area, 59 of them posthumously. Of the total number of those awarded, 216 were servicemen of the border troops, 80 were servicemen of the Soviet army, and 4 were civilians.

Four border guards and one serviceman of the Soviet Army (three posthumously) were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Three were awarded the Order of Lenin. 18 people - the Order of the Red Banner (6 posthumously). 65 people were awarded the Order of the Red Star (6 posthumously). 29 people were awarded (!) Order of Glory III degree (4 posthumously). 118 people were awarded the medal "For Courage" (40 posthumously). 62 - medal "For Military Merit".

The events in the Damansky area did not come as a surprise to the top leadership of the USSR and the PRC. Intelligence worked well. Therefore, reports were periodically sent to Moscow about the impending provocation in the region of the island. And the border guards who served in the area saw everything perfectly. Moreover, periodic fights with Chinese agricultural army fighters have become the norm. border guards were forbidden to use.

This period in the history of China is called beautiful - the cultural revolution. In fact, what the young supporters of Mao, the Red Guards (Red Guards, Red Guards) were doing, had nothing to do with culture. They were used by the authorities for provocations. By 1968-69, attacks even on border patrols were commonplace.

What happened on Damansky on Sunday, March 2? Alas, this Sunday was a working day for the entire Far Eastern District. The troops participated in exercises to repel an enemy attack from the Primorye region. Including the border guards guarding the section of the border on the Ussuri River. The main forces and military equipment of the border guards were deployed 50 kilometers inland. Three dozen border guards remained at the outposts.

Taking advantage of the weakening of the frontier posts, the Chinese decided on a provocation. At night, a PLA company crossed the island and secretly took up a position on the high western coast of the island. In the afternoon, at about 10-20, up to 30 Chinese border guards came out onto the Ussuri ice.

The head of the 2nd outpost "Novo-Mikhailovka", Senior Lieutenant Ivan Strelnikov, decides to push the Chinese out of Soviet territory. On the BTR-60PB and two cars, he and a group of 31 border guards advance to the place of violation.

On the spot, Strelnikov divided the group into two detachments. One, under the command of the head of the outpost, was supposed to drive the Chinese off the ice in front of the island. The second is to cut off a group of up to 20 people who hid on the island. The border guards had no idea about the ambush prepared by the Chinese...

At that moment, when the officer demanded to leave the Soviet territory, at the command of the Chinese officer (raised hand), the ambush shot the border guards at close range. The same fate befell the second group under the command of Sergeant Rabovich. Of the 11 people, 9 were killed on the spot. Corporal Akulov was taken prisoner in an unconscious state. Only one wounded man remained alive - Private Serebrov.

Hearing the shooting, junior sergeant Yuri Babansky took over the command of the outpost. At that time, there were 12 people left at the outpost. Branch. They were the ones who took the fight. Half an hour later there were five left.

At this time, the commander of the neighboring 1st outpost "Kulebyakiny Sopki" Senior Lieutenant Vitaly Bubenin advanced to the aid of his neighbors in the BTR-60PB and two vehicles. At about 11:30 he joined Babansky's group. 24 border guards from "Kulebyakina Sopka" and five from "Novo-Mikhailovka" took up defensive positions with the support of two armored personnel carriers.

After 30 minutes of battle, the Chinese realized that it would not work to take the border guards alive. Then the mortars came into play. Bubenin decides to attack the armored personnel carrier. However, during the attack, the machine gun jammed. The senior lieutenant returned for the second. But now he attacked the Chinese from the rear.

Alas, the armored personnel carrier was "sufficient" only to destroy an enemy company on the ice. From the wrecked car, Bubenin with the fighters leaves towards the Soviet coast. But, having stepped onto Strelnikov's armored personnel carrier, he transfers to it and continues the fight. This time the command post was destroyed. But when trying to pick up the wounded, the stopped armored personnel carrier is shot from an RPG-2.

At about 13:00, the Chinese began to retreat... At the same time, Colonel Leonov, head of the border detachment, and reinforcements from neighboring outposts and the reserve of the Pacific and Far Eastern border districts arrived in the conflict area. In the depths, a motorized rifle division was deployed, equipped, among other things, with BM-21 Grad, which was then strictly classified.

On the opposite side, the 24th infantry regiment, numbering up to 5 thousand people, was deployed. Border guards were also reinforced at the expense of neighboring outposts.

The losses of the parties in this battle: the USSR - 45 people, 31 of them were killed. China - 39 killed. The number of wounded is unknown. This is according to our experts. The Chinese have classified their losses.

The next aggravation of the conflict dates back to March 14. At 15-00 an order was received to remove the border guards from the island. The Chinese immediately pulled up their units to the abandoned positions. Then the border guards under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Yanshin advanced to the island. 45 people supported by 4 armored personnel carriers.

On March 15, after mutual psychological processing of the enemy through loudspeakers, after an artillery attack with forces of up to 60 barrels, the Chinese launched an attack with 3 companies. Colonel Leonov advanced on 4 T-62 tanks to help Yanshin.

In battle, one of the tanks sank, and Leonov's tank was hit by a grenade launcher. Leonov himself died trying to leave the burning car. But the actions of the tankers made it possible for the Yanshin group to withdraw from the island. It became clear that the available forces would not be enough to defend the island.

Then the commander of the Far Eastern Military District, Lieutenant General Oleg Losik, took responsibility.

He ordered to strike with Grads. At 17-00 on March 15, "Grads" were used for the first time in a combat situation. The result stunned the Chinese. The personnel, ammunition depots, headquarters and command posts were destroyed. At 17:20, the 2nd battalion of the 199th motorized rifle regiment went on the attack. The Chinese fled to their shore.

Soviet units also returned. Individual pockets of resistance fired until 19:00. However, they were quickly suppressed by motorized riflemen. The conflict was over.

In conclusion, I want to give a complete list of awarded soldiers and officers for Damansky today. Someone is no longer with us, someone is alive. The fact is that the awarding of the participants in the battles was carried out by 6 decrees of the Supreme Council, most of which were then classified.

Two decrees on conferring the title Hero of the Soviet Union Yu. V. Babansky, D. A. Bubenin, D. V. Leonov (posthumously) and I. I. Strelnikov (posthumously) were signed on March 21, 1969.

For courage and courage shown in the defense of the state border, award:

Order of Lenin:
1. Junior Sergeant Kanygin Vasily Mikhailovich.
2. Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Dmitrievich Konstantinov

Order of the Red Banner:
1. Senior Lieutenant Buinevich Nikolai Mikhailovich (posthumously)
2. Private Anatoly Grigoryevich Denisenko (posthumously)
3. Sergeant Ermalyuk Viktor Markianovich (posthumously)
4. Private Zakharov Valery Fedorovich
5. Private Kovalev Pavel Ivanovich
6. Private Shamov Arkady Vasilyevich

Order of the Red Star:
1. Private Drozdov Sergei Matveyevich
2. Junior Sergeant Kozus Yuri Andreevich
3. Second Lieutenant Koleshnya Mikhail Illarionovich
4. Corporal Korzhukov Viktor Kharitonovich (posthumously)
5. Junior Sergeant Ivan Ivanovich Larichkin
6. Private Legotin Vladimir Mikhailovich
7. Private Petr Leonidovich Litvinov
8. Junior Sergeant Pavlov Alexei Petrovich
9. Private Petrov Nikolai Nikolaevich (posthumously)
10. Private Serebrov Gennady Aleksandrovich
11. Strelnikova Lidia Fedorovna
12. Private Shmokin Evgeny Viktorovich
13. Senior Lieutenant Shorokhov Vladimir Nikolaevich

Medal "For Courage":
1. Private Aniper Anatoly Grigorievich
2. Private Burantsev Valentin Alekseevich
3. Private Velichko Petr Alexandrovich
4. Private Vetrich Ivan Romanovich (posthumously)
5. Private Vishnevsky Vasily Andreevich
6. Private Gavrilov Viktor Illarionovich (posthumously)
7. Corporal Davydenko Gennady Mikhailovich (posthumously)
8. Private Danilin Vladimir Nikolaevich (posthumously)
9. Sergeant Dergach Nikolai Timofeevich (posthumously)
10. Private Egupov Viktor Ivanovich (posthumously)
11. Private Eremin Nikolai Andreevich
12. Junior Sergeant Yerukh Vladimir Viktorovich
13. Private Alexei Romanovich Zabanov
14. Private Zmeev Alexei Petrovich (posthumously)
15. Private Zolotarev Valentin Grigorievich (posthumously)
16. Private Izotov Vladimir Alekseevich (posthumously)
17. Private Ionin Alexander Filimonovich (posthumously)
18. Private Isakov Vyacheslav Petrovich (posthumously)
19. Private Kalashnikov Kuzma Fedorovich
20. Private Kamenchuk Grigory Alexandrovich (posthumously)
21. Private Kisilev Gavril Georgievich (posthumously)
22. Junior Sergeant Kolokin Nikolai Ivanovich (posthumously)
23. Corporal Kolkoduev Vladimir Pavlovich
24. Private Kuznetsov Alexei Nifantevich (posthumously)
25. Private Lobov Nikolai Sergeevich
26. Junior Sergeant Loboda Mikhail Andreevich (posthumously)
27. Private Malakhov Petr Ivanovich
28. Corporal Mikhailov Evgeny Konstantinovich (posthumously)
29. Private Nasretdinov Islamgali Sultangaleevich (posthumously)
30. Private Nechay Sergey Alekseevich (posthumously)
31. Private Ovchinnikov Gennady Sergeevich (posthumously)
32. Private Pasyutu Alexander Ivanovich (posthumously)
33. Private Petrov Alexander Mikhailovich
34. Private Pinzhin Gennady Mikhailovich
35. Private Pyotr Yegorovich Plekhanov
36. Corporal Prosvirin Ilya Andreevich
37. Private Puzyrev Nikolai Fedorovich
38. Corporal Putilov Mikhail Petrovich
39. Sergeant Rabovich Vladimir Nikitievich (posthumously)
40. Sergeant Sikushenko Pavel Ivanovich
41. Private Smirnov Vladimir Alekseevich
42. Private Syrtsev Alexei Nikolaevich (posthumously)
43. Private Shestakov Alexander Fedorovich (posthumously)
44. Private Shusharin Vladimir Mikhailovich (posthumously)

Medal "For Military Merit":
1. Avdeev Anatoly Georgievich - foreman of the state industrial enterprise
2. Avdeev Gennady Vasilievich - a fisherman of the state industrial enterprise
3. Avdeev Dmitry Artemyevich - beekeeper of the state farm
4. Captain Avilov Anatoly Ivanovich
5. Major Bazhenov Vladimir Sergeevich
6. Lieutenant Voronin Nikolai Nikolaevich
7. Senior Sergeant Gladkov Yuri Gavrilovich
8. Major of the medical service Kvitko Vyacheslav Ivanovich
9. Petty officer I article Kurchenko Ivan Dmitrievich
10. Captain 2nd rank Makeev Vasily Stepanovich
11. Private Milanich Gennady Vladimirovich
12. Colonel Pavlinov Boris Vasilyevich
13. Corporal Rychagov Alexander Mikhailovich
14. Major Sinenko Ivan Stepanovich
15. Junior Sergeant Mikhail Egorovich Fadeev

For heroism and courage shown in the defense of the state border of the USSR, to award junior sergeant Viktor Viktorovich Orekhov the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously).

For courage and heroism shown in the defense of the state border of the USSR to award:

Order of the Red Banner:
1. Lieutenant Barkovsky Mikhail Grigorievich
2. Corporal Bogdanovich Alexander Dmitrievich
3. Major Gatin Zinnur Gatievich
4. Private Kuzmin Alexei Alekseevich (posthumously)
5. Sergeant Ryabtsev Viktor Petrovich
6. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Ivanovich Smirnov
7. Senior Lieutenant Shelest Roman Mikhailovich

Order of the Red Star:
1. Lieutenant Alexandrov Alexander Ivanovich
2. Lieutenant Colonel Rivgad Nazipovich Almaev
3. Senior lieutenant of the medical service Afanasiev Vladislav Matveevich
4. Lieutenant Bayutov Gennady Ivanovich
5. Engineer-Major Volochanov Vladimir Mikhailovich
6. Private Gorokhov Evgeny Alexandrovich
7. Lieutenant Grigorenko Nikolai Yakovlevich
8. Captain Lavrov Yuri Vladimirovich
9. Captain Levitsky Viktor Nikolaevich
10. Senior Lieutenant Melnik Nikolai Artemovich
11. Junior Lieutenant Motorny Peter Antonovich
12. Sergeant Nekhoroshev Alexander Nikolaevich
13. Junior Sergeant Nikonov Sergey Garifovich
14. Lieutenant Ostrovsky Sergey Alexandrovich
15. Engineer-Captain Razdoburdin Yury Sergeevich
16. Lieutenant Sizarev Alexander Mikhailovich
17. Sergeant Sokolnikov Valentin Ivanovich
18. Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Makarovich Solodovkin
19. Lieutenant Colonel Stankevich Eduard Ignatievich
20. Senior lieutenant of the medical service Starev Valery Mikhailovich
21. Private Stepanov Alexander Vladimirovich
22. Lieutenant Troyanov Nikolai Ivanovich
23. Junior Lieutenant Khrapov Nikolai Nikolaevich
24. Lieutenant Colonel Khrulev Gury Petrovich
25. Lieutenant Tsarenko Vladimir Petrovich
26. Major Cherny Evgeny Evstafievich
27. Junior Sergeant Shaimanov Alexander Semenovich
28. Senior Lieutenant Shelkunov Leonid Alexandrovich
29. Sergeant Shlepov Gennady Iosifovich
30. Sergeant Shutov Nikolai Ivanovich
31. Private Shcheglakov Vladimir Andreevich
32. Sergeant Yarulin Rubis Yusupovich
33. Captain Yasnev Igor Valerianovich

Order of Glory III degree:
1. Sergeant Badmazhapov Tsyren Dorzhievich
2. Sergeant Nikolay Ivanovich Baranov
3. Junior Sergeant Vlasov Anatoly Ivanovich (posthumously)
4. Corporal Volozhanin Mikhail Vladimirovich
5. Private Gelvikha Alexander Khristianovich (posthumously)
6. Sergeant Karmazin Vasily Viktorovich (posthumously)
7. Junior Sergeant Knelets Anatoly Leonidovich
8. Private Korobenkov Boris Nikolaevich
9. Junior Sergeant Korolev Nikolai Ivanovich
10. Private Cuckoo Ivan Andreevich
11. Corporal Lemeshev Viktor Alexandrovich
12. Private Loskutkin Boris Ivanovich
13. Junior Sergeant Matisov Gennady Anatolyevich
14. Junior Sergeant Pastukhov Viktor Mikhailovich
15. Private Perevalov Evgeny Stepanovich
16. Private Vladimir Potapov (posthumously)
17. Corporal Reshetnikov Valery Alekseevich
18. Junior Sergeant Viktor Ivanovich Sanzharov
19. Senior Sergeant Shulbaev Veniamin Prokopevich

Medal "For Courage":
1. Private Abdulgazirov Erik Mukhamedovich
2. Corporal Augerwald Oscar Leonardovich
3. Private Bedarev Alexander Vasilyevich (posthumously)
4. Private Valeev Valentin Khairivarovich
5. Private Galimbekov Boris Nuritovich
6. Sergeant Gladkov Vladimir Nikitovich
7. Senior Sergeant Gomanov Valery Ivanovich
8. Sergeant Gorinov Anatoly Grigorievich
9. Private Gubenko Viktor Alekseevich
10. Lieutenant Davletbaev Reinad Tulkubayevich
11. Junior Sergeant Darzhiev Sergey Zanduevich
12. Sergeant Demintsev Vladimir Eduardovich
13. Corporal Detinkin Alexander Nikolaevich
14. Private Egorov Nikolai Petrovich
15. Private Ignatiev Georgy Grigorievich
16. Private Karev Gennady Aleksandrovich
17. Private Karpov Gennady Ivanovich
18. Private Vladimir Sergeevich Kisilev
19. Private Koltakov Sergei Timofeevich (posthumously)
20. Sergeant Korolkov Anatoly Fedorovich
21. Sergeant Kosov Yuri Alexandrovich
22. Private Petr Ivanovich Kochetkov
23. Sergeant Kravchuk Mikhail Ivanovich
24. Junior Sergeant Krainov Vladimir Artemovich
25. Junior Sergeant Krayushkin Viktor Ivanovich
26. Private Kruglik Alexander Sergeevich
27. Private Kryzhanovsky Valentin Vasilyevich
28. Junior Sergeant Krymets Vitaly Vasilyevich
29. Private Kuanyshev Vladimir Fedorovich
30. Private Kuzmin Nikolai Alexandrovich
31. Junior Sergeant Kutlin Anatoly Nikolaevich
32. Junior Sergeant Lavrinenko Nikolai Alexandrovich
33. Sergeant Lizunov Alexander Mikhailovich
34. Sergeant Lipovka Gennady Nikolaevich
35. Private Lyavin Mikhail Andreevich
36. Private Mamonov Alexander Yakovlevich
37. Private Manzarkhanov Eduard Georgievich
38. Private Muratov Vladimir Ilyich
39. Private Osipov Viktor Leonidovich
40. Junior Sergeant Panov Vyacheslav Ivanovich
41. Private Vladimir Peskov
42. Private Polegaev Gennady Georgievich
43. Lieutenant Polyaev Vladimir Fedorovich
44. Private Popov Alexander Alekseevich
45. Lieutenant Prokhorov Vladimir Pavlovich
46. ​​Corporal Rachenkov Anatoly Zinovievich
47. Private Sovetnikov Yuri Petrovich
48. Junior Sergeant Spitsyn Nikolai Gavrilovich
49. Private Strigin Gennady Matveyevich
50. Private Viktor Alexandrovich Sysoev
51. Senior Sergeant Tereshchenko Alexander Nikolaevich
52. Private Shkramada Gennady Vasilyevich
53. Private Shtoiko Vladimir Timofeevich (posthumously)
54. Corporal Yanovsky Vladimir Ilyich

Medal "For Military Merit":
1. Private Avdankin Viktor Nikolaevich
2. Private Akimov Vladimir Grigorievich
3. Private Ivan Stepanovich Burnyshev
4. Corporal Gneushev Dmitry Prokofievich
5. Private Dubovichtsky Viktor Ivanovich
6. Corporal Egorov Alexei Ivanovich
7. Corporal Emelianenko Alexander Grigorievich
8. Private Emelyanov Gennady Aleksandrovich
9. Lieutenant Kordubailo Dmitry Semenovich
10. Private Maksimovich Alexander Pavlovich
11. Private Vladimir Ivanovich Nabokov
12. Private Nikonov Ivan Ivanovich
13. Private Ozheredov Sergei Semenovich
14. Sergeant Ponomarev Alexander Petrovich
15. Private Ponomarev Nikolai Alexandrovich
16. Private Poplevin Mikhail Polikarpovich
17. Senior Sergeant Popov Georgy Nikolaevich
18. Junior Sergeant Sinichkin Anatoly Ivanovich
19. Private Solomanin Vladimir Mikhailovich
20. Private Terekhov Nikolai Stepanovich
21. Junior Sergeant Uryvkov Vladimir Nikolaevich
22. Private Utyatnikov Mikhail Alexandrovich
23. Major Fitisov Alexei Grigorievich
24. Private Shikunov Yuri Pavlovich
25. Private Nikolai Antonovich Shokot
26. Private Yasyrev Mikhail Alexandrovich

For courage and courage shown in the defense of the state border of the USSR, to award:

Order of Lenin:
Lieutenant Colonel Yanshin Evgeny Ivanovich

Order of the Red Banner:
1. Corporal Akulov Pavel Andreevich (posthumously)
2. Major Kosinov Petr Ivanovich
3. Senior Lieutenant Mankovsky Lev Konstantinovich (posthumously)
4. Senior Lieutenant Nazarenko Nikolai Ivanovich
5. Senior Lieutenant Solovyov Viktor Mikhailovich

Order of the Red Star:
1. Senior Sergeant Alekseev Yuri Ivanovich
2. Private Bashukov Anatoly Nikolaevich
3. Junior Sergeant Gayunov Vladimir Konstantinovich (posthumously)
4. Junior Sergeant Golovin Boris Aleksandrovich (posthumously)
5. Private Golovin Viktor Fedorovich
6. Lieutenant Gubarev Valery Aleksandrovich
7. Captain Deripaskin Geatsent Stepanovich
8. Lieutenant Colonel Zubkov Ivan Vasilyevich
9. Lieutenant Klygu Anatoly Petrovich
10. Junior Sergeant Kobts Ilya Georgievich
11. Major Kornienko Ivan Grigorievich
12. Sergeant Krasikov Nikolai Andreevich (posthumously)
13. Private Nakonechny Vladimir Ivanovich
14. Captain Petrikin Evgeny Vasilyevich
15. Private Petukhov Anatoly Viktorovich
16. Captain Poletavkin Vitaly Alekseevich
17. Private Prosviryakov Leonid Arkadyevich
18. Private Alexey Nikolaevich Salkov
19. Private Shamsudinov Vitaly Gilionovich (posthumously)

Order of Glory III degree:
1. Private Borovsky Vladimir Dmitrievich
2. Private Gribachev Gennady Mikhailovich
3. Corporal Ivanov Gennadly Vasilyevich
4. Private Viktor Trofimovich Kalinin
5. Private Kamzalakov Alexander Alekseevich
6. Private Kozlov Yuri Filippovich
7. Junior Sergeant Rudakov Sershey Alekseevich
8. Private Simchuk Ilya Moiseevich
9. Sergeant Fomin Valentin Mikhailovich
10. Private Shulgin Alexander Mihaflovich

Medal "For Courage":
1. Private Abbasov Tofik Rza oglu (posthumously)
2. Private Akhmetshin Yuri Yurievich (posthumously)
3. Private Bildushkin Vladimir Tarasovich (posthumously)
4. Private Gladyshev Sergey Viktorovich (posthumously)
5. Private Elistratov Nikolai Stepanovich
6. Senior Sergeant Zainetdinov Anvar Akhkiyamovich (posthumously)
7. Junior Sergeant Mikhail Petrovich Ivanov
8. Sergeant Ignatiev Alexei Ivanovich
9. Private Kovalev Anatoly Mikhailovich (posthumously)
10. Captain Kurlykov Vladimir Timoeyevich
11. Junior Sergeant Lutsenko Nikolai Andreevich
12. Junior Sergeant Malykhin Vlidimir Yurievich (posthumously)
13. Captain Matrosov Vladimir Stepanovich
14. Sergeant Mashinets Vyacheslav Ivanovich
15. Private Solyanik Viktor Petrovich (posthumously)
16. Private Tkachenkov Dmitry Vladimirovich (posthumously)
17. Private Chechenin Alexei Ivanovich (posthumously)
18. Private Yurin Stanislav Fedorovich (posthumously)
19. Private Yakimov Ivan Makarovich
20. Private Yakovlev Anatoly Iosifovich (posthumously)

Medal "For Military Merit":
1. Senior Lieutenant Burdin Mikhail Alekseevich
2. Lieutenant Vishnevsky Nikolai Kupriyanovich
3. Private Golubev Mikhail Alekseevich
4. Junior Sergeant Anatoly Sergeevich Kozin
5. Lieutenant Colonel Kukhta Vladimir Andreevich
6. Captain Lebedev Arkady Pavlovich
7. Sergeant Malyshenko Boris Grigorievich
8. Private Martynov Boris Grigorievich
9. Private Mironov Vladimir Vasilyevich
10. Engineer-Captain Vladimir Ignatievich Palkin
11. Private Perederei Petr Grigorievich
12. Private Plotnikov Viktor Alexandrovich
13. Junior Sergeant Anatoly Filippovich Rogov
14. Major Skladanyuk Grigory Andreevich
15. Private Smelov Nikolai Vasilyevich
16. Private Soroku Anatoly Grigorievich
17. Private Ustyugov Mikhail Sergeevich
18. Lieutenant Fatovenko Boris Yakovlevich
19. Private Fedorov Vladimir Mikhailovich
20. Senior Lieutenant Khripel Yuri Timofeevich
21. Private Shalupa Petr Dmitrievich

And four citizens are not from the military.

Order of the Red Star Strelnikova Lidia Fedorovna (widow of the head of the 2nd outpost I.I. Strelnikov) was awarded for first aid.

Medals "For Military Merit" Avdeevs, Anatoly Gerasimovich, Gennady Vasilyevich and Dmitry Artemyevich were awarded, who brought sleigh carts on March 2, 1969, on which ammunition was transferred to the battlefield.

The list is big. But here, on our pages, it is absolutely appropriate and logical. The memory of those who took the fight 49 years ago is our, one might say, combat mission.

All that remains for us is the memory of those who fought and who died in March 1969.

Damansky Island, and now Precious, is a military-administrative zone of the PRC, and Russians, and other foreigners, cannot get there. But the Chinese military do not just let their tourists go there. They are transported specially, "so that the Chinese people do not forget their history and remember the feat on Precious Island."

There is a museum on the island, which presents the Chinese point of view on events. Commemorative events and ceremonies are held to commemorate the dead, the number of which is still a huge secret.

We are left with only such a memory. However, we will remember all the heroes of our time listed above and we will remember their contribution to the understanding of the whole world that what is ours is ours.

Despite the fact that the politicians actually did not give a damn about the blood spilled by our soldiers, we are obliged to keep the memory of the events on Damansky, no matter how relations between Russia and China develop. For whoever remembers the old is out of his sight, and whoever forgets the old is two.