Ural Military Officers in the Horn of Africa of the Cold War Era and Their Memoirs

The article is devoted to the problem of local military conflicts in the Horn of Africa region of the Cold War era. The author focuses on the perception of these conflicts (first of all, the Somali-Ethiopian war of 1977—1978) by Soviet military officers, whose life turned out to be connected with the Urals. Particular attention is paid to the memoirs of the captain of the air defense forces Leonid Bersenev, who served in Somalia in 1974—1976. The article uses the theoretical developments of Russian specialists who are engaged in the analysis of the psychological and value attitudes of Soviet combatants in local military conflicts in the second half of the 20th century. The article analyzes the living conditions of Soviet officers in Africa in the 1970s, the specifics of their stay in Somalia, Ethiopia and other countries of the region, shows the features of their relationship with the local population. Considerable attention is paid to Captain L. Bersenev’s perception of the Somali regime of S. Barre and its relations with the Soviet Union and China. The author argues that Soviet military personnel made a significant contribution to Ethiopia’s victory over Somalia in 1978. At the same time, the Somali-Ethiopian war is shown in the context of general political processes in the countries of the Horn of Africa during the Cold War era. The conclusion is substantiated that local military conflicts have become the most important factor in the formation of the problem of refugees and displaced persons, which by the end of the 20th — beginning of the 21st centuries became one of the most acute in African countries

Context (archaeology · Development economics · French horn · Memoir · Political science · Politics · Population · Refugee · Sociology · Somali · Victory · Demography · Economic Sanctions and International Relations · Economic, Social, and Public Health Issues in Russia and Globally · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · History · Law