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Russian pilots prisoners of the Taliban: the movie
Published: 10 February, 2010, 06:38
Edited: 11 February, 2010, 02:11
TAGS: Movies, Russia, Terrorism, Afghanistan
With Afghanistan occupying global headlines, a new film about the war torn country is taking the Russian box office by storm.
Based on true events, it chronicles the story of a Russian cargo plane crew captured by Afghan’s Taliban, who were a little-known militant group at the time and held prisoner for over a year.
For 378 days they were tortured, starved and subjected to constant attempts to convert them to Islam. Now their saga has been turned into a major motion picture.
“In this situation when you, a peaceful person, are imprisoned, at this moment all the best and worst features of the human character are revealed,” said actor Vladimir Mashkov, who played the co-pilot in the movie. “For them it was the hardest test to pass: 378 days of uncertainty. I would never wish anyone to go through that.”
To understand their plight one has to go back to the chaotic Afghanistan of 1995.
Burhanuddin Rabbani is nominally president, but the country is in a civil war and the Taliban are on the rise.
Into the maelstrom flies Vladimir Sharpatov and his crew in their cargo plane. The Taliban was fighting against the government and it found out about the flight carrying ammunition and was waiting to intercept it.
“We flew in taking shells for the Rabbani government but were intercepted,” remembered Vladimir Sharpatov, the original pilot-captain of the unfortunate plane. “So the Taliban took these shells. But they also had another agenda – to show that Russia was still involved in Afghanistan. The Taliban wanted to provoke Russia to see what actions it would take.”
Kandahar poster
Once captured they were kept in a small, walled compound. All the anger of the Afghans over the war with the Soviet Union was directed against them.
“For them we were pagans, the untouchables,” explained pilot Vladimir Sharpatov. “They would just bring in groups and show us off like animals in a zoo. They showed us their wounds and stumps, saying – this is what your soldiers have done. So we represented the whole of Russia and were to blame for everything.”
They were bundled off as government forces attacked Kandahar and brought back again when the attack failed. Their spirits sank. But just as all seemed lost a medical team from the Russian government was allowed to visit them, bringing supplies and news from their families.
“We had a very productive stay. Four of the crew, if I am not mistaken, had developed hepatitis and we left them the necessary medication. Sadly, the food they were given was very poor but we gave them as much support as we could,” recalled a rescue coordinator Sergey Kudinov who visited captured pilots.
As the months dragged on and negotiations bogged down it became clear to the men they would have to try and escape.
They chose their moment carefully, recaptured their plane and flew home. The rest is history… and film.
“We tried to tell this story as much as we understand it. But I don't think we’ve understood more than 10%,” confessed the director of the movie, Andrey Kavun, “And nobody would have understood. You can only understand it when you’ve been through it.”
He also told RT: “The most interesting aspect of the story is the human’s side – what happened within the crew, their relationships.”
The film Kandahar tries to portray the ordeal these men went through, as it was their counterparts in real life who escaped their captors and were greeted as heroes on their return to Russia in 1996.
And today, with the Taliban's power apparently growing in Afghanistan once again, perhaps its time to remember the perseverance and resourcefulness of Vladimir Sharpatov and his crew.
10.02.2010, 05:39
1 comment
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As usual the Russian propaganda against Muslims. even though the above two comments are enough to expose the lying Russians, never the less, even without the above eye witness, i would have said, hey! you are lying. being Muslim, i know all the Muslims has to follow the conduct of war as prescribed in Qur'an and Sunnah. Which is to treat the prisoner equally as if you are treating your very own brother. So why this movie?............The Russians are taking the cue from USA. When ever you have a agenda to be fulfilled, start spreading lies and demonize the target before implementing your action. My dear Russians, please do, then wait for the Scourge from ALLAH. Know that Muslims worship ONE GOD (ALLAH) ALONE, and to HIM Muslims asks for Help.
This movie sounds to describe and make the Taliban show wrong, bad and rude and brutal. Honestly speaking, I as an Afghan know everything about this Russian cuptured crew and plane. The reason why I make such a strong view is that by the time the Il-76TD was landed by force by the Taliban small air force (MIG-21bis) in Kandahar international airport and most interestingly is that I was working for the Red Cross (ICRC). Anyone who knows about ICRC is that they look after the prisoners of war (POW) and providing medical assistance. As per the Geneva Convention, that was our mandate to visit these prisoners and we did. They were kept inside the guesthouse where most high profile Taliban were residing and this Il-76 crew was also kept there and were allowed to listen to music, play pin-pong and a Thursday Sat phone to contact their families at least once a week(we as ICRC even provided them with pin-pong balls and rockets with the authorization of the Taliban Minister of Culture and Information (Amir Khan Mutaqi). We were astonished they way Taliban were treating them so well (Afghan style hospitality) - and they were not detained there for over a year - it was just not more than a couple of months. How they were released is another long story. Taliban also arranged a local Kandahari who had his education in the ex-USSR to be with them as interpreter whenever the crew needs to communicate with the Taliban. I remember, the captain of Il-76 was used to joke with MOCI minister who was also residing in that nice guesthouse. What I mean here to say, is they should at least also show the side of the coin - the hospitality been given by the Taliban. I met them along with the ICRC team 3 times, and I was greeting them in Russian language. And one thing more, the crew was allowed conduct time to time their beautiful Il76TD checked (and even I know what was inside this plane after force landing). Please publish it for interested readers.
@Waqas, Best Friend - The problem is that it is real story bu the way, so you can explain ahatever you whant but all those pilots are still alive. And this movie is truth not only about Talibans, but also about musulmans. It is more truth then what Reagan said officially about the support of talibs, at least Russians says TRUTH, not like americans. 1-st and 2-nd pilots became "Hero of Russia", all others got medal "For Courage". Hit on youtube "Побег из Кандагара", it is documentary movie with vids of 1996, the REAL LANDING, after real 380 days, it is in russian in 4 parts. But you do not need even to know russian, everything is clear just with images and vids it is the same story with real participants, just look it then speak about smth. )))) So in difference with USA it is NOT Propaganda but TRUTH. ))))) And propaganda was when Reagan lied, and it is proven in documentary movie, about him. I saw it here in France.