Alien Wars: The Soviet Union's Aggression Against the World, 1919 to 1989

by Oleg Sarin, Lev Dvoretsky

Previously secret archives detail Soviet military follies, right up to final disaster in Afghanistan.

Genres: Politics

243 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Dr. Oleg Sarin was major general in the Soviet Army and former first Deputy Chief Editor of red star (Krasnaya Zvezda), the daily newspaper of the armed forces of the USSR. He joined the army in 1958 as a graduate of the Soviet Military Acadamy and the Artillery School, and has also received a ph.D. in history.

Reviews

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) The most interesting and useful part of this older book is that you get the perspective of the Soviet military in the various campaigns/wars/actions that the USSR was involved in outside of its borders from the Spanish Civil War to Afghanistan. Additionally, you learn how the Soviet military also faced hardships, questions about purpose of mission and activity, and a seeming confirmation of the idiocy of their leadership, so not too dissimilar to American experiences during that time. It is a good balance to the various Western-backed narratives of the various Cold War military engagements.

The writing style was not my personal favorite, but I think the insight will be of more value to most other readers. Perhaps the perspectives and information is dated, but you have authors whose service in the USSR military was still quite fresh in their minds and experiences, which can come through in the writing. Worth a read for those researching USSR military actions.