Who fought in Damansky. Border conflict on Damansky Island

The conflict on Damansky Island in 1969 was a reflection of the contradictions between China and the USSR

They have an old character. Good neighborly relations were replaced by periods of instability. The dispute over Damansky Island occupies a special place in the conflict with China.

Causes of the conflict

After the end of the opium wars in the 19th century, Russia and some Western European countries were able to reap considerable benefits for themselves. In 1860, Russia signed the Beijing Treaty, according to which the state border ran along the Chinese bank of the Amur and the Ussuri River. The document excluded the use of river resources by the Chinese population and secured island formations in the riverbed for Russia.

For several decades, relations between the countries remained smooth. The elimination of friction and disagreement was facilitated by:

• small population of the border strip;
• lack of territorial claims;
• political conjuncture.

In the 40s of the last century, in the face of China, the Soviet Union received a reliable ally. This was facilitated by military assistance in the conflict with the Japanese imperialists and support in the fight against the Kuomintang regime. But soon the situation changed.

In 1956, the 20th party congress was held, at which Stalin's personality cult was condemned and his methods of government were criticized. In China, the events in Moscow were closely followed. After a short silence, Beijing called the actions of the Soviet government revisionism, relations between the countries cooled.

The rhetoric between the parties took on the character of open claims, including territorial ones. China demanded that Mongolia and other lands be transferred to Chinese jurisdiction. In response to harsh statements by the Chinese side, Soviet experts were withdrawn from Beijing. Russian-Chinese diplomatic relations have degraded to the level of chargé d'affaires.

The territorial claims of the Chinese leadership were not limited to the northern neighbor. Mao's imperial ambitions turned out to be bigger and wider. In 1958, China began an active expansion against Taiwan, and in 1962 went into a border conflict with India. If in the first case the Soviet leadership approved the behavior of the neighbor, then in the issue with India it condemned the actions of Beijing.

Attempts to resolve territorial issues

Relations between the USSR and China continued to deteriorate. The Chinese side raised the issue of the illegality of state borders. Beijing's claims were based on the decisions of the Paris Conference of 1919, which regulated the drawing of borders between countries. The treaty demarcated the states along shipping routes.

Despite the severity of interpretations, the document provided for exceptions. According to the provisions, it was allowed to draw dividing lines along the coast, if such borders were formed historically.

The Soviet leadership, not wanting to aggravate relations, was ready to agree with the Chinese. To this end, bilateral consultations were held in 1964. They were supposed to discuss:

• territorial disputes;
• an agreement on border lands;
• legal regulation.

But due to a number of reasons, the parties did not reach an agreement.

China's preparations for war

In 1968, unrest began in Czechoslovakia, caused by dissatisfaction with the rule of the Communist government. Fearing the collapse of the Warsaw bloc, Moscow sent troops to Prague. The rebellion was suppressed, but not without casualties.

The Chinese leadership condemned Moscow's actions, accusing the USSR of excessive imperial ambitions and revisionist policies. As an example of Soviet expansion, Beijing cited the disputed islands, including Damansky.

Gradually, the Chinese side moved from rhetoric to action. Peasants began to appear on the peninsula and engage in agriculture. Russian border guards expelled farmers, but they crossed the line again and again. Over time, the number of provocations grew. In addition to civilians, Red Guards appeared on the island. The "Falcons of the Revolution" behaved exceptionally aggressively, attacking border patrols.

The scale of provocations grew, the number of attacks increased. The number of participants in illegal actions was in the hundreds. It became clear that the provocative attacks were taking place with the consent of the Chinese authorities. There is evidence that during 1968-1969, Beijing used the attacks for domestic political purposes. In January 1969, the Chinese planned a military scenario on the island. In February, it was approved by the General Staff and the Foreign Ministry.

How the USSR prepared for war

KGB agents who worked in the PRC repeatedly reported to Moscow about possible unfriendly actions by the Chinese. The reports said that as a result of the growing escalation, a large-scale Sino-Soviet conflict was possible. The government of the Soviet Union decided to pull in additional troops. For this purpose, units from the central and western military districts were transferred to the eastern borders.

Attention was paid to the army equipment of personnel. Troops additionally supplied:

• heavy machine guns;
• means of communication and detection;
• uniforms;
• combat vehicles.

The border was equipped with new engineering systems. The personnel of the border detachments was increased. Among the border guards, classes were held to repel aggression, to study the weapons and equipment received. The interaction of mobile groups and mobile detachments was worked out.

China's attack on the USSR 1969 - the beginning of the war

On the night of March 2, 1969, Chinese border guards secretly crossed the border of the USSR and set foot on Damansky Island. They headed for the western part of it, where they took up an advantageous position on a hill. The soldiers were dressed in white camouflage robes, light covers were put on their weapons. Warm uniforms were hidden under the robes, and the Chinese calmly endured the cold. Education and alcohol also contributed to this.

The foresight of the Chinese border guards was manifested in the thorough preparation for the operation. The soldiers were equipped with machine guns, carbines, and pistols. Separate parts of the weapon were treated with special compounds that exclude metallic sounds. In the coastal strip, sites were prepared for:

• recoilless guns;
• heavy machine guns;
• mortar calculations.

The coastal group consisted of about 300 people. About a hundred fighters were involved in the main detachment.

2nd of March

Thanks to covert night transfers and camouflage, the PRC fighters managed to go unnoticed for a long time. We found them only at 10 o'clock in the morning. The commander of the outpost, Senior Lieutenant Strelnikov, decided to advance towards the enemy. The outpost garrison was divided into 2 parts. The first went to the nearest group of Chinese. The task of the second was to neutralize the military, heading deep into Damansky.

Having approached the Chinese soldiers, the commander asked for an explanation of what their presence on Soviet territory meant. In response, automatic bursts rang out. At the same time, machine-gun fire was opened on the second group under the command of Rabovich. The suddenness and deceit left no chance for the Russian soldiers. Only a few Soviet border guards managed to survive.

The shooting was heard at a nearby outpost. The commander of the unit, Senior Lieutenant Bubenin, with two dozen soldiers advanced on an armored personnel carrier in the direction of the peninsula. The Chinese attacked the group by opening fire. The platoon courageously held the defense, but the forces were unequal. Then the commander made a strategically accurate and the only correct decision. Using the fire maneuverability of the combat vehicle, he went on the offensive. The raid on the flank of the enemy gave results: the Chinese faltered and retreated.

USSR and China conflict continues

With the outbreak of hostilities on the island, the Soviet command decided to increase the number of troops in the Damanskong area. A motorized rifle division advanced to the hot spot, reinforced by the division of Grad multiple launch rocket systems. In response, the Chinese deployed an infantry regiment.

In the dispute over Damansky Island, China took not only military actions. In the course were:

• diplomatic receptions;
• political methods;
• use of the media.

A picket was held near the Soviet embassy in Beijing condemning the actions of the Soviets. Chinese newspapers burst into a series of angry articles. Distorting the facts and throwing in outright lies, they accused the Soviet side of aggression. Newspapers were full of headlines about the invasion of Russian troops into Chinese territory.

The USSR did not remain in debt. On March 7, a rally was organized outside the Chinese embassy in Moscow. The picketers protested the unfriendly actions of the Chinese authorities and threw ink at the building.

March 15th

The Soviet-Chinese conflict entered a new phase on March 14. On this day, Soviet troops were ordered to leave their positions on the island. After the withdrawal of the units, the Chinese began to occupy the territory. Then a new order came: to push back the enemy. 8 armored personnel carriers advanced towards the enemy. The Chinese retreated, and our units again settled on Damansky. Lieutenant Colonel Yanshin commanded the military.

The next morning, the enemy opened heavy artillery fire. After a long artillery preparation, the Chinese again attacked the island. A group of Colonel Leonov hastened to help Yanshin. Despite the losses, the unit managed to stop the enemy. Leonov was hurt. He died from his wounds.

Ammunition ran out, and the Soviet troops had to retreat. Despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, the Soviet soldiers showed:

• heroism;
• courage;
• courage.

Outnumbering the Russians and elated by success, the enemy attacked continuously. A significant part of Damansky passed under the control of the Chinese. Under these conditions, the command decided to use the Grad systems. The enemy was stunned and suffered heavy losses in manpower and equipment. The offensive of the Chinese troops bogged down. Attempts to regain the initiative were unsuccessful.

Number of victims

As a result of clashes on March 2, 31 servicemen were killed on the Soviet side, and 39 on the Chinese side. On March 15, 27 Russian soldiers were killed. Damage from the Chinese side is estimated differently. According to some reports, the number of dead Chinese exceeds several hundred. The greatest damage to the Chinese side was caused by Grad rocket launchers.

During the entire conflict, the Soviet troops lost 58 people, the Chinese - about 1000. 5 Soviet soldiers received the title of Hero, many were awarded orders and medals.

The results of the war

The main result of the incident was the realization by the Chinese leadership of the impossibility of confrontation with the USSR. The courage and valor of Soviet soldiers is evidence of the fortitude of the fighters. The ability to act in difficult conditions, with dignity to get out of critical situations, commanded respect. The Soviet Union demonstrated the ability to quickly redeploy large formations, and the use of Grad systems left no chance for the enemy.

All these factors prompted the Chinese leadership to sit down at the negotiating table. A number of high-level meetings were held in autumn. Agreements were reached to end conflicts and revise some lines.

Damansky Island today

For twenty years Damansky's fate was not finally decided. Consultations on disputed territories were held repeatedly. Only in 1991, the island officially received the status of Chinese territory.

In honor of the dead Chinese soldiers, an obelisk was opened on the island, where they take schoolchildren and lay flowers. Nearby is a frontier post. The Chinese media rarely return to the topic of the conflict. In those distant days, the Chinese showed:

• perfidy;
• cruelty;
• cunning.

Contrary to the truth, some Chinese journalists and historians blame the Soviet Union.

Conclusion

The Daman incident went down in history as a conflict of political elites. Exorbitant ambitions, unwillingness to hear the arguments of the opposite side and the desire to achieve goals by any means almost led to a new tragedy and did not drag the world into another war. It was only thanks to the heroism of Soviet soldiers that the world escaped this danger.

For the first time I heard about this story back in 1978, in the city of Chita. Then we, a group of local schoolchildren, were taken on an excursion to the local museum of local lore. In one of the halls of military glory, we saw a stand with photographs of young guys dressed in frontier uniforms. I was struck by the designated date of their death - 1969. It is now the participation of our troops in various military conflicts is not surprising. And then, in the very calm 70s, the whole country knew for sure that our army fought for the last time in 1945. Since then, Soviet people seem to have lived only a peaceful life ... In any case, official propaganda claimed so.

The guide, an elderly woman, said to us in a low voice:

- These are our countrymen, Transbaikalians. They died on Damansky Island...

She very briefly told us that in 1969 there was a conflict on the Soviet-Chinese border. The Chinese attacked our border post, a shootout ensued, in which our border guards died. That, perhaps, is all. We did not hear any other details from her.

At that time I could not find anything in our military-historical literature either. It was only briefly mentioned that "Chinese provocateurs throughout the second half of the 60s staged armed incidents along the entire length of the Soviet-Chinese border." But the details of these "incidents" were also not reported. For some reason, the Soviet government kept the chronicle of the conflict in the Far East as a top-secret state secret. And only from the end of the 80s did the circumstances of this short war begin to surface, which in 1969 almost led to full-scale hostilities ...

This March marks the 45th anniversary of the events on Damansky Island - events no less heroic for our military history than the deeds of our soldiers during the Great Patriotic War.

On the border of the clouds go gloomy

In principle, Damansky was the result of a long Soviet-Chinese confrontation, its tragic final note. It all started in the late 1950s...

Some historians today write that the Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong quarreled with our country solely because of Khrushchev's negative assessment of Stalin's personality cult. They say that Mao could not stand Khrushchev's slander against the "leader of all times and peoples", who in the 40s helped the Chinese communists make a revolution, and therefore went to break with Moscow.

In fact, the Chinese "great helmsman" has always been burdened by the role of the junior partner of the Soviet "big brother". He was only looking for an excuse to break away from the Kremlin and embark on an independent voyage in the sea of ​​big politics. The death of Stalin (whom Mao was always personally very afraid of), and his subsequent exposure by Khrushchev, were only an excuse to do what had been planned for a long time.

In the 1950s, Mao Zedong began to pursue a "big push" strategy in order to ensure the development of China's national economy. This was done by typical perverted methods inherent in Eastern despotism. The Chinese either massively built blast furnaces in each of their yards (this was supposed to raise the level of metallurgy), or they hunted the whole country for sparrows, supposedly destroying rice plantations (poor birds were even equated with class enemies). It is clear that such events, reeking of paranoid delirium, could not end in anything good for the economy. And a crisis soon set in.

To avoid discontent in the country, Mao urgently invented enemies, internal and external, "hindering the progressive development of China on the path to communism". A “cultural revolution” began in the country, or rather, mass repressions against “enemies of the people”, as a result of which Mao destroyed all his competitors within the Communist Party.

At the same time, the PRC authorities began to violently quarrel with their neighbors over the "unfair" borders, according to China. In 1958, Mao entered into a border conflict with Taiwan, and then, in 1962, staged a grandiose armed provocation on the border with India. And in the mid-60s, provocations began already against the Soviet Union, whose leaders were declared "bourgeois revisionists and opportunists".

Mao then declared that the USSR should return to China all the lands that the horse of Genghis Khan had once walked through - this medieval Mongol conqueror was for some reason declared a Chinese. No sooner said than done! As if on command, hundreds of subjects of Mao, the so-called Red Guards. began to organize demonstrations near the Soviet border points, demanding to get out of the "Chinese lands". In January 1968, the Chinese, armed with sticks and shovels, attacked our border guards on Kirkinsky Island, on the Ussuri River. The Soviet soldiers, who received serious injuries, behaved very correctly, did not use weapons, and in fact pushed the provocateurs into Chinese territory with their bare hands.

Apparently, the Chinese regarded this as our weakness.

We ourselves wanted to give this island

A year later, the Chinese decided on direct aggression. Their goal was Damansky Island, on the same Ussuri River. The target was not chosen by chance.

Mao and his generals took advantage of the real unsettled border along the river channels. Even tsarist Russia imposed an agreement on China, according to which the border was to pass not along the fairway of the river, as is usually customary in international practice, but along the edge of the Chinese coast. As a result, most of the islands on the Amur, Ussuri and Argun rivers ended up in our hands.

The Soviet Union at various bilateral meetings recognized the injustice of the existing river border and was ready to make significant concessions. Moscow itself offered to transfer a number of river islands to China. Including Damansky Island. In the spring, the island was flooded and therefore had no economic significance for us. On it, except for the outfits of the border guards, no one else lived. In addition, the island was 500 meters from our river bank, and only 300 meters from the Chinese one ...

In 1964, a joint Soviet-Chinese consultation on border issues was even held in Beijing, but it ended to no avail - Mao did not need peace, Mao needed blood. Most likely, this was done because of the passionate desire of the "great helmsman" to humiliate the Soviet Union, from which China had long been politically and economically dependent. In addition, Mao knew very well that after the well-known events that happened in Czechoslovakia in 1968, Moscow's international prestige was greatly shaken, and therefore it is unlikely that it will decide on any drastic actions in the near future.

In general, he was not mistaken in his calculations ...

The enemy crossed in secret

On the night of March 2, 1969, about 300 Chinese soldiers, dressed in white camouflage robes, crossed to Damansky and lay down on the western tip of the island. To support them, battery positions of recoilless guns, heavy machine guns and mortars were equipped on the Chinese coast of the Ussuri. The Chinese command also kept another 200 people in reserve.

Alas, our border detachments did not notice the maneuvers of the Chinese. Only at about 10 a.m. on March 2, an observer at one of the posts reported to the commander of the Nizhne-Mikhailovka frontier post that a small group of Chinese had left their bank and were heading towards Damansky. Somewhere around 30-40 people, no more.

Deciding that this was an ordinary provocation, the commander of the outpost, Senior Lieutenant Ilya Strelnikov, decided to expel the uninvited guests with the forces of only ... 32 fighters. Oh, if only he knew how many Chinese were actually already on Damansky!

The border guards advanced to the island in two trucks and one armored personnel carrier. One car was out of order, and the group of junior sergeant Yuri Babansky following it fell behind the main forces. The rest, having arrived at the place, were divided. Several people, led by the commander of the ice outpost, moved towards the standing Chinese soldiers to find out what was the matter. Another group, under the command of Sergeant Vladimir Rabovich, moved deep into the island.

But as soon as the commander of the outpost approached the Chinese, one of them raised his hand up, which served as a signal to open fire. Strelnikov and the border guards following him were killed immediately, almost simultaneously in a fleeting battle, the squad of Sergeant Rabovich almost completely died - only Private Gennady Serebrov and Corporal Pavel Akulov survived (captured in an unconscious state). The Chinese finished off the wounded Soviet soldiers with bayonets and butts ...

In the meantime, a group of junior sergeant Babansky, consisting of only 12 fighters, arrived at the battlefield. The sergeant did not lose his head, took up defense and began to repel the attacks of the enemy. "After 20 minutes of fighting,- Babansky later recalled, - out of 12 guys, eight survived, after another 15 - five. Of course, it was still possible to retreat, return to the outpost, wait for reinforcements from the detachment. But we were seized with such fierce anger at these bastards that in those moments we wanted only one thing - to put as many of them as possible. For the guys, for myself, for this span of our land that no one needs, but still.

Soon, border guards from a neighboring outpost arrived to help. Their commander, Senior Lieutenant Vitaly Bubenin, heard shooting from Damansky and hurried to help his neighbors. Having sent his fighters to Babansky, the senior lieutenant himself drove around the island in his armored personnel carrier and went to the rear of the Chinese, opening fire from a heavy machine gun. He destroyed the Chinese command post. After that, the invaders fled in panic.

Bad Orders Bring Trouble

However, the events did not end there. The Chinese concentrated even more forces on their coast, a whole division! Ours also began to intensify.

Armored vehicles were sent to the border, including several of the then newest T-62 tanks. And in the rear, the 135th motorized rifle division of the Far Eastern Military District began to unfold. Probably, if our top leadership showed determination (for example, demonstrate all your strength), the Chinese would hardly have dared to attack Damansky a second time. But Moscow, which after the Czechoslovak events was afraid of everything and everything, reacted rather sluggishly to the incident on March 2. There were only a few diplomatic protests. And that's it!

On March 14, someone from Moscow unexpectedly (it is still not clear who) gave the order to ... leave Damansky?! As soon as our border guards began to evacuate, the Chinese again rushed to the island. By evening, a new order came - to return to Damansky. 60 border guards returned and kicked out the Chinese who had already entered the island. All night from March 14 to March 15, these soldiers, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Yanshin, dug trenches and built fortifications. And in the morning, the enemy launched a new offensive with the forces of two infantry battalions.

The whole surrealism of the situation lay in the fact that motorized riflemen from the 135th division ... could not help their comrades in any way: Moscow categorically forbade the army to interfere in the conflict?! Like, such an intervention would actually mean a declaration of war on China. The division commander and the commander of the Far Eastern District literally begged the capital to launch a counterattack. But Moscow was silent ...

In the meantime, the forces of the border guards were dwindling every hour. In the afternoon, the head of the 57th border detachment, Colonel Democrat Leonov, died, trying to outflank the Chinese on the T-62 tank. The tank was hit, and the colonel who crawled out of the hatch was shot dead by a Chinese sniper.

What happened next can only be guessed at today. Either the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Leonid Brezhnev, finally assessed the situation and gave the order for the complete destruction of the enemy. Either the army command, spitting on Moscow, took full responsibility. In any case, at the most critical moment, a motorized rifle battalion was sent to Damansky to help the border guards, and ours advanced a battery of Grad multiple rocket launchers to the Ussuri shore.

According to eyewitnesses, the Grad shots literally mixed the Chinese with the ground! Not only those who were on the island got it. Rockets swept away enemy units for several kilometers deep into China. Panic broke out among the Chinese. This is what our troops used. By a powerful joint attack by motorized riflemen and border guards, the remnants of Chinese units were finally thrown out of the ill-fated island...

The Soviet flag was hoisted over Damansky.

The island no longer belongs to us

In these battles, 58 Soviet servicemen were killed, 94 people were wounded. For some time Pavel Akulov, Komsomol organizer of the Nizhne-Mikhailovka frontier post, was considered missing. Later it turned out that he was wounded and taken prisoner, where he was martyred: in mid-April 1969, the Chinese transferred his mutilated body to Soviet territory, they counted 28 bayonet and stab wounds on him.

As for the Chinese, about a thousand people died. More accurate data is hidden by the Chinese authorities until now. Which, however, does not prevent the Chinese from considering the events on Damansky their victory! In any case, this is how the events of 1969 are interpreted by local history books.

Their main trump card - Damansky eventually became Chinese territory. After the armed conflict, the Chinese entered into peace negotiations, and we ceded this island to them. The final agreement on this matter was signed in 1991, and now a piece of land literally soaked with the blood of our border guards is called Zhenbao-dao ...

Now voices are often heard - they say, why then did our border guards give their lives, if the island has now become Chinese land? This can be answered as follows. The island was still supposed to be given to China. But Mao Zedong wanted to do this at the cost of humiliating the Soviet Union. If he succeeded, and our border guards would not resist, then Damansky would become a precedent for further aggressive territorial aspirations of Beijing. And so, having got it right in the teeth, the Chinese sat down at the negotiating table and accepted all our conditions for the transfer of the island, no longer stuttering "about the horse of Genghis Khan."

So our soldiers literally defended the international prestige of our state with their blood!

Igor Nevsky, especially for "Ambassadorial order"

Soviet-Chinese border conflict on Damansky Island- armed clashes between the USSR and the PRC and March 15, 1969 in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bDamansky Island (Chinese 珍宝, Zhenbao- "Precious") on the Ussuri River, 230 km south of Khabarovsk and 35 km west of the regional center Luchegorsk ( 46°29′08″ s. sh. 133°50′40″ E d. HGIO). The largest Soviet-Chinese armed conflict in the modern history of Russia and China.

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Background and causes of the conflict

Damansky Island, which was part of the Pozharsky District, Primorsky Territory, was located on the Chinese side of the main channel of the Ussuri. Its dimensions are 1500-1800 m from north to south and 600-700 m from west to east (an area of ​​about 0.74 km²). During the flood period, the island is completely hidden under water, and flooded meadows are a valuable natural resource. However, there are several brick buildings on the island.

Since the early 1960s, the situation around the island has been heating up. According to the statements of the Soviet side, groups of civilians and military personnel began to systematically violate the border regime and enter Soviet territory, from where they were expelled each time by border guards without the use of weapons. At first, at the direction of the Chinese authorities, peasants entered the territory of the USSR and defiantly engaged in economic activities there: mowing and grazing, declaring that they were on Chinese territory. The number of such provocations increased dramatically: in 1960 there were 100 of them, in - more than 5000. Then the Red Guards began to attack border patrols. The number of such events was in the thousands, each of them involved up to several hundred people. On January 4, 1969, a Chinese provocation involving 500 people was carried out on Kirkinsky Island (Qiliqingdao). [ ]

According to the Chinese version of events, the Soviet border guards themselves “arranged” provocations and beat up Chinese citizens who were engaged in economic activities where they always did it. During the Kirkinsky incident, Soviet border guards used armored personnel carriers to force out civilians, and on February 7, 1969, they fired several single automatic shots in the direction of the Chinese border detachment.

However, it has been repeatedly noted that none of these clashes, no matter whose fault it occurred, could result in a serious armed conflict without the approval of the authorities. The assertion that the events around Damansky Island on March 2 and 15 were the result of an action carefully planned by the Chinese side is now the most widely spread; including directly or indirectly recognized by many Chinese historians. For example, Li Danhui writes that in 1968-1969, the directives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China limited the response to "Soviet provocations", only on January 25, 1969, it was allowed to plan "retaliatory military operations" near Damansky Island with the forces of three companies. On February 19, the General Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC agreed to this. There is a version according to which the leadership of the USSR was aware in advance through Marshal Lin Biao of the upcoming action of the Chinese, which resulted in a conflict.

In a US State Department Intelligence Bulletin dated July 13, 1969: “Chinese propaganda emphasized the need for internal unity and urged the population to prepare for war. It can be assumed that the incidents were set up solely to strengthen domestic politics.

Chronology of events

Events March 1-2 and the next week

The command over the surviving border guards was taken over by junior sergeant Yuri Babansky, whose squad managed to covertly disperse near the island due to a delay in moving out from the outpost and, together with the crew of the armored personnel carrier, took up a firefight.

Around 13:00, the Chinese began their retreat.

In the battle on March 2, 31 Soviet border guards were killed, 14 were injured. The losses of the Chinese side (according to the assessment of the KGB USSR commission chaired by Colonel-General N. S. Zakharov) amounted to 39 people killed.

At about 13:20, a helicopter arrived at Damansky with the command of the Imansky border detachment and its chief, Colonel D.V. Leonov, and reinforcements from neighboring outposts, the reserves of the Pacific and Far Eastern border districts were involved. Reinforced detachments of border guards went to Damansky, and the 135th motorized rifle division of the Soviet Army was deployed in the rear with artillery and installations of the BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system. On the Chinese side, the 24th Infantry Regiment, numbering 5,000 men, was preparing for combat operations.

For their heroism, five servicemen received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Colonel D. V. Leonov I. Strelnikov (posthumously), junior sergeant V. Orekhov (posthumously), senior lieutenant V. Bubenin, junior sergeant Yu. Babansky. Many border guards and military personnel of the Soviet Army were awarded state awards: 3 - Orders of Lenin, 10 - Orders of the Red Banner, 31 - Orders of the Red Star, 10 - Orders of Glory, III degree, 63 - medals "For Courage", 31 - medals "For Merits" .

The Soviet soldiers failed to return the downed T-62 tail number 545 due to constant Chinese shelling. An attempt to destroy it with mortars was unsuccessful, and the tank fell through the ice. Subsequently, the Chinese were able to pull it to their shore, and now it stands in the Beijing Military Museum.

After the ice melted, the exit of Soviet border guards to Damansky turned out to be difficult, and Chinese attempts to capture it had to be hindered by sniper and machine-gun fire. On September 10, 1969, a ceasefire was ordered, apparently to create a favorable background for negotiations that began the next day at Beijing Airport. Immediately, the Damansky and Kirkinsky islands were occupied by Chinese armed forces.

On September 11, in Beijing, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR A. N. Kosygin, who was returning from the funeral of Ho Chi Minh, and the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai, agreed to stop hostile actions and that the troops remain in their positions. In fact, this meant the transfer of Damansky to China.

On October 20, 1969, new negotiations were held between the heads of government of the USSR and the PRC, and an agreement was reached on the need to revise the Soviet-Chinese border. Further, a series of negotiations were held in Beijing and Moscow, and in 1991 Damansky Island finally ceded to the PRC (de facto it was transferred to China at the end of 1969).

In 2001, photographs of the discovered bodies of Soviet soldiers from the archives of the KGB of the USSR were declassified, indicating the facts of abuse by the Chinese side, the materials were transferred to the museum of the city of Dalnerechensk.

In the spring of 1969, a conflict began on the Soviet-Chinese border. During the clashes, 58 Soviet soldiers and officers were killed. However, at the cost of their lives, they managed to stop a big war.

1. Patch of contention
The two most powerful socialist powers at that time, the USSR and the PRC, almost started a full-scale war over a piece of land called Damansky Island. Its area is only 0.74 square kilometers. In addition, during the flood on the Ussuri River, he was completely hidden under water. There is a version that Damansky became an island only in 1915, when the current eroded part of the spit on the Chinese coast. Be that as it may, the island, which in Chinese was called Zhenbao, was located closer to the coast of the PRC. According to the international position adopted at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the borders between states should run along the middle of the main fairway of the river. This agreement provided for exceptions: if the border had historically developed along one of the banks, with the consent of the parties, it could be left unchanged. In order not to aggravate relations with a neighbor gaining international influence, the leadership of the USSR allowed the transfer of a number of islands on the Soviet-Chinese border. On this occasion, 5 years before the conflict on Damansky Island, negotiations took place, which, however, ended in nothing, both because of the political ambitions of the leader of the PRC, Mao Zedong, and because of the inconsistency of the USSR Secretary General Nikita Khrushchev.

2. Black Chinese ingratitude
The border conflict on Damansky occurred just 20 years after the formation of the People's Republic of China. More recently, the Celestial Empire was a semi-colonial formation with a poor and poorly organized population, with a territory that was constantly divided into spheres of influence by the strongest world powers. So, for example, the famous Tibet from 1912 to 1950 was an independent state, which was under the "trusteeship" of Great Britain. It was the help of the USSR that allowed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to take power and unite the country. Moreover, the economic, scientific and technical support of the Soviet Union allowed the ancient "sleeping empire" in a few years to create the newest, most modern sectors of the economy, strengthen the army, and create conditions for the modernization of the country. The war in Korea of ​​1950-1953, in which the troops of the Celestial Empire actively, albeit tacitly, took part, showed the West and the whole world that the PRC is a new political and military force that can no longer be ignored. However, after Stalin's death, a period of cooling began in Soviet-Chinese relations. Mao Zedong now claimed almost the role of the leading world leader of the communist movement, which, of course, could not please the ambitious Nikita Khrushchev. In addition, the policy of the Cultural Revolution pursued by Zedong constantly demanded to keep society in suspense, to create more and more new images of the enemy, both inside and outside the country. And the course towards “de-Stalinization” pursued in the USSR threatened the cult of the “great Mao” himself, which began to take shape in China since the 1950s. Played a role and a very peculiar style of behavior of Nikita Sergeevich. If in the West, kicking on the podium and “Kuzkin’s mother” were perceived mainly as a good informational occasion for hype in the media, then the much more subtle East, even in Khrushchev’s rather risky proposal to place a million Chinese workers in Siberia at the suggestion of Mao Zedong, saw “the imperial manners of the USSR ". As a result, already in 1960, the CPC officially announced the “wrong” course of the CPSU, relations between previously friendly countries escalated to the limit, and conflicts began to arise on the border, which was more than 7.5 thousand kilometers long.

3. Five thousand provocations
For the USSR, which, by and large, has not yet recovered either demographically or economically after a series of wars and revolutions in the first half of the 20th century and especially after World War II, an armed conflict, and even more so full-scale military operations with a nuclear power, in which, moreover, at that time, every fifth inhabitant of the planet lived, were unnecessary and extremely dangerous. Only this can explain the amazing patience with which the Soviet border guards endured constant provocations from the "Chinese comrades" in the border areas. In 1962 alone, there were more than 5 thousand (!) Various violations of the border regime by Chinese citizens.

4. Originally Chinese territories
Gradually, Mao Zedong convinced himself and the entire population of the Celestial Empire that the USSR illegally owns vast territories of 1.5 million square kilometers, which supposedly should belong to China. Such sentiments were actively inflated in the Western press - the capitalist world, during the period of the Soviet-Chinese friendship, was strongly frightened by the red-yellow threat, now rubbed its hands in anticipation of the clash of two socialist "monsters". In such a situation, only a pretext was needed to unleash hostilities. And such an occasion was the disputed island on the Ussuri River.

5. "Put as many of them as possible..."
The fact that the conflict on Damansky was carefully planned is indirectly recognized even by Chinese historians themselves. For example, Li Danhui notes that in response to "Soviet provocations" it was decided to conduct a military operation with the forces of three companies. There is a version that the leadership of the USSR was aware in advance through Marshal Lin Biao of the upcoming action of the Chinese. On the night of March 2, about 300 Chinese soldiers crossed the ice to the island. Due to the fact that it was snowing, they managed to go unnoticed until 10 am. When the Chinese were discovered, the Soviet border guards did not have an adequate idea of ​​their numbers for several hours. According to a report received at the 2nd outpost "Nizhne-Mikhailovka" of the 57th Iman border detachment, the number of armed Chinese was 30 people. 32 Soviet border guards left for the scene. Near the island, they split into two groups. The first group, under the command of Senior Lieutenant Ivan Strelnikov, headed straight for the Chinese, who were standing on the ice southwest of the island. The second group, under the command of Sergeant Vladimir Rabovich, was supposed to cover Strelnikov's group from the southern coast of the island. As soon as Strelnikov's detachment approached the Chinese, a hurricane of fire was opened on him. Rabovich's group was also ambushed. Almost all border guards were killed on the spot. Corporal Pavel Akulov was captured in an unconscious state. His body with signs of torture was later handed over to the Soviet side. The squad of junior sergeant Yuri Babansky entered the battle, which was somewhat delayed, advancing from the outpost, and therefore the Chinese could not destroy it using the surprise factor. It was this unit, together with the help of 24 border guards who came to the rescue from the neighboring Kulebyakiny Sopki outpost, in a fierce battle, showed the Chinese how high the morale of their opponents was. “Of course, it was still possible to withdraw, return to the outpost, wait for reinforcements from the detachment. But we were seized with such fierce anger at these bastards that in those moments we wanted only one thing - to put as many of them as possible. For the guys, for ourselves, for this span of land that no one needs, but still our land, ”recalled Yuri Babansky, who was later awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his heroism. As a result of the battle, which lasted about 5 hours, 31 Soviet border guards were killed. The irretrievable losses of the Chinese, according to the Soviet side, amounted to 248 people. The surviving Chinese were forced to withdraw. But in the border area, the 24th Chinese Infantry Regiment, numbering 5,000 people, was already preparing for combat operations. The Soviet side pulled up the 135th motorized rifle division to Damanskoye, which was given installations of the then secret Grad multiple launch rocket systems.

6. Preventive "Grad"
If the officers and soldiers of the Soviet army demonstrated determination and heroism, then the same cannot be said about the top leadership of the USSR. In the following days of the conflict, the border guards received very conflicting orders. For example, at 15-00 on March 14 they were ordered to leave Damansky. But after the island was immediately occupied by the Chinese, 8 of our armored personnel carriers advanced in battle order from the side of the Soviet frontier post. The Chinese retreated, and the Soviet border guards at 20-00 of the same day were ordered to return to Damansky. On March 15, about 500 Chinese attacked the island again. They were supported by 30 to 60 artillery pieces and mortars. From our side, about 60 border guards on 4 armored personnel carriers entered the battle. At the decisive moment of the battle, they were supported by 4 T-62 tanks. However, after a few hours of battle, it became clear that the forces were too unequal. The Soviet border guards, having shot all the ammunition, were forced to retreat to their own shore. The situation was critical - the Chinese could launch an attack already on the frontier post, and according to the instructions of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, in no case could Soviet troops be brought into the conflict. That is, the border guards were left face to face with the many times superior units of the Chinese army. And then the commander of the troops of the Far Eastern Military District, Colonel-General Oleg Losik, at his own peril and risk, gives an order that greatly sobered up the militancy of the Chinese, and, perhaps, forced them to abandon full-scale armed aggression against the USSR. Multiple launch rocket systems "Grad" were introduced into the battle. Their fire practically swept away all the Chinese units concentrated in the Damansky area. Already 10 minutes after the shelling of the Grad, organized Chinese resistance was out of the question. Those who survived began to retreat from Damansky. True, two hours later, the approaching Chinese units unsuccessfully tried to attack the island again. However, the "Chinese comrades" learned the lesson they learned. After March 15, they no longer made serious attempts to seize Damansky.

7. Surrendered without a fight
In the battles for Damansky, 58 Soviet border guards were killed and, according to various sources, from 500 to 3,000 Chinese troops (this information is still kept secret by the Chinese side). However, as happened more than once in Russian history, diplomats surrendered what they managed to keep by force of arms. Already in the autumn of 1969, negotiations were held, as a result of which it was decided that the Chinese and Soviet border guards would remain on the banks of the Ussuri without going to Damansky. In fact, this meant the transfer of the island to China. The island was legally transferred to China in 1991.

Why, under Yeltsin and under Putin, were they given away the Soviet and Russian island of Damansky, for which other Russian people during the conflict with China fought to the death and shed their blood? Why were other islands in the immediate vicinity of Khabarovsk given to China?
http://masterok.livejournal.com/1077558.html
http://nvo.ng.ru/history/2008-08-08/14_border.html

In 1990 under Yeltsin and in the 2000s under Putin, there was no conflict between China and Russia at the level of armed confrontation. Damansky Island could, in general, not be given to China. There would be no war because of this.

A possible hidden reason for the transfer of Damansky Island to China is the self-interest of Soviet and Russian officials, who were either comfortable or even profitable to make this scandalous territorial concession to China. What happened behind the scenes of official negotiations - the clarification of these circumstances requires a separate deep public and parliamentary investigation of free Russian people in the future in Russia - a free country.
In fact, in the same way as it happened, China took 2 islands from the USSR and Russia by force and secured this military victory with subsequent agreements.
A Chinese military victory over the USSR is in fact impossible. However, the leadership of the USSR and then Russia demonstrated to China that it was allegedly possible to resolve disputed territorial issues by military force and consolidate the results of their military provocations in subsequent peace agreements. This is an encouragement to the military aggressor and an ambiguous historical lesson for the Chinese people. The mere fact that the Soviet T-62 tank, shot down on the ice of the Ussuri River near Daman Island, is now in the military history museum in Beijing as a symbol of the victory of Chinese weapons over Soviet military power - this is already defiant anti-Russian propaganda and a lesson for Russia that it is wrong , on this note to end these events.
Shot island ... "Sold" Victory ...

Dedicated to the 47th anniversary of the Daman events...

On March 2 and 15, 1969, Chinese armed units of the regular army violated the Soviet-Chinese border on the river. Ussuri near Damansky Island. Having accepted an unequal battle, the Soviet border guards repelled provocative attacks! The young guys fulfilled their duty with honor - they defended the Fatherland, did not allow the Soviet Union to be drawn into a new war!

During the two repulsions of the attack, the Soviet border guards lost almost the entire personnel of the outposts - 59 people were killed, 5 people survived! ... Damansky Island remained in our memory a symbol of COURAGE and HONOR !!!

Soviet-Chinese border conflict on Damansky Island - armed clashes between the USSR and China on March 2 and 15, 1969 in the area of ​​Damansky Island (Chinese Zhenbao - "Precious") on the Ussuri River 230 km south of Khabarovsk and 35 km west of the regional center Luchegorsk (46°29'08" N 133°50'40" E (G) (O)). The largest Soviet-Chinese armed conflict, also in the modern history of Russia and China.
By the way, on March 14, a motorized rifle battalion of the 135th motorized rifle division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, a front-line soldier, who by some miracle continued to serve along with the battalion's political officer, also a front-line soldier, was thrown into the battle for the island.

The battalion turned around on the BTR-60PB, went on the attack, but was stopped by enemy artillery fire, the motorized riflemen dismounted and rushed forward in army jackets. At the same time, all the property burned down along with the wrecked armored personnel carriers. During the day it was bearable (plus 7-10 degrees), but at night the temperature dropped to minus five, but there were no warm clothes, and it was not supposed to give out others. It took Moscow's intervention to get a replacement for everything destroyed...

The attack continued, but the battalion suffered unjustified losses from heavy machine-gun and mortar fire, and the battalion commander ordered to retreat to its shore. He, together with the political officer, took people out of the battle, explained why he did it and, having received a second order to attack, refused to carry it out, demanding to suppress enemy machine guns and mortars before throwing people into battle, to a senseless death! Well, then, as always: "Coward, under the tribunal!"

But when they reported to Moscow, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, General Ivan Pavlovsky, a front-line soldier, Hero of the Soviet Union, said: “Well, the battalion commander speaks correctly! Suppress the machine guns!" And all at once saw the light!

In the end, with powerful rocket artillery fire, tank fire and the actions of the motorized rifle battalion of Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, the island was liberated from the invaders and the hostilities ceased. Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov and his political officer were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and many soldiers and officers were also awarded. The battalion commander was appointed commander of a motorized rifle regiment on the Red River, near Khabarovsk. He was a worthy officer, and it is a pity that in the course of my further service I was no longer able to meet with him.

The lessons, of course, were learned, the command of the Far Eastern Military District was replaced, but the real Moscow culprits left the answer ... Conflicts on the border did not stop, and we constantly “kept the gunpowder dry”, but it never came to fire again.