THE ANGOLAN VICTORY WAS FORGED WITH SOVIET WEAPONS Angola is one of those African states that many people in our country feel involved in the modern history of which. Because, first of all, the Soviet Union was one of the first to support the liberation struggle of the peoples of the Portuguese colonies for independence and, together with some other States, provided political, economic, military, and moral support to the anti-colonial forces of Angola throughout all the years of their struggle. One of the most reliable sources of evidence about this is the recently published book by S. A. Kolomnin "The Russian Trail under Kifangondo" (Moscow, "Ethnika", 2014, 128 p). The author of the book is a military journalist, a direct participant in the provision of military-technical assistance to Angola in 1977-1978. He is the author of numerous publications devoted to the war in Angola in 1975-1991 with the participation of Soviet and Russian servicemen.1 The new book deals with the crucial role of Soviet and Cuban assistance to the armed forces of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in their confrontation at Kifangondo with units of the opposition National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA)2, supported by regular troops of Zaire and units of foreign mercenaries. Assistance from the USSR, Cuba and other allies became vital for the MPLA in 1975, on the eve of independence, due to the increasing confrontation between the MPLA, on the one hand, and on the other, the FNLA and the TOILET, which were supported by the invading regular troops of Zaire and South Africa. At the same time, political, economic, and military assistance to the leadership of the FNLA and UNITA was provided by the United States and major Western powers, as well as China and a number of other countries. On the eve of the declaration of independence of Angola (and November 1975) on the map was the actual situation in the country.- page 75 the fate of the country is at stake. The d ... Read more