Atlas of Battles

campaign, Cold War

Operation Baikal-79

Operation Baikal-79 was a campaign fought in 1979 at Kabul, in what is now Afghanistan. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Kabul. It was part of the Soviet-Afghan War, which ran from 1979 to 1989. The recorded result: Soviet victory; Pro-Soviet government installed under Babrak Karmal.

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Fought1979
WhereKabul, Afghanistan34.533N, 69.166E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeSoviet victory; Pro-Soviet government installed under Babrak Karmal
BelligerentsSoviet UnionagainstDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan
Casualties and lossesLightand~300 Presidential Guards killed; ~700 Afghan paratroopers killed or captured
Part ofSoviet-Afghan War1979 to 1989

Where it sits in the Soviet-Afghan War

Operation Baikal-79, 1979Tajbeg Palace assault, 1979Siege of Khost, 1980Panjshir offensives, 1980Marmoul offensives, 1983Siege of Urgun, 1983raids inside Soviet Union during Soviet–Afghan war, 1984Operation Curtain, 1984Battle of Maravar Pass, 1985Battle near the village of Afridge, 1985Operation Trap, 1986Battle of Jaji, 1987Battle of Arghandab, 1987Operation Magistral, 1987Battle for Hill 3234, 1988Operation Arrow, 198819791988Operation Baikal-79, 1979
16 placed engagements of the Soviet-Afghan War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1979 (year precision)
to 1979
PlaceKabul, Afghanistan
34.533N, 69.166E
KindCampaign, Cold War
Strength~30,000 troops total; 25 Alpha Group (Grom) operatives; 30 KGB Zenit operatives; 87 troops from 345th Airborne; 520 troops from Muslim Battalion~700 soldiers (26th Airborne Regiment); More than 500 of Presidential Guards
Casualties and lossesLight~300 Presidential Guards killed; ~700 Afghan paratroopers killed or captured
Commanders
  • Yuri Drozdov (general)
  • Hafizullah Amin
Operation Baikal-79Operation Baikal-79Siege of KabulSiege of the British Residency in KabulSiege of the Sherpur CantonmentBattle of KabulTajbeg Palace assaultTajbeg Palace assaultBamianGhazniGardizCharikarParachinarBaraki BarakMehtar Lam100 km34.533N, 69.166E
Placed at Kabul; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1979

Operation Baikal-79 is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 83 in present-day Afghanistan.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q133891397, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Baikal-79, revision 1376333300, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.