Operation Storm-333 | War History

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On December 27, 1979, Soviet special forces executed Operation Storm-333

On December 27, 1979, Soviet special forces executed Operation Storm-333, a high-stakes raid on the Tajbeg Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Elite KGB and GRU units, dressed in Afghan uniforms to sow confusion, neutralized the palace guards and assassinated President Hafizullah Amin, whom the Kremlin viewed as an unreliable and potentially pro-Western leader.  

This surgical strike served as the opening act of the wider Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, as tens of thousands of Soviet troops crossed the border simultaneously. 

The operation was a tactical success but a strategic catastrophe, drawing the Soviet Union into a brutal, nine-year "Vietnam-style" insurgency that would deplete its economy and demoralize its military. 

On December 27, 1979, Soviet special forces executed Operation Storm-333

On December 27, 1979, Soviet special forces executed Operation Storm-333

On December 27, 1979, Soviet special forces executed Operation Storm-333