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The reason for the collapse of the USSR was only the betrayal of Gorbachev and Yeltsin, who were led by the United States. The American administration has always, all the years, strived to destroy the USSR, and now Russia, and take advantage of our wealth.

— Valentin Varennikov

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More quotes by Valentin Varennikov

Two years after the introduction of our troops in Afghanistan, it became clear to the General Staff that we were at an impasse.

I am happy because I, together with my fellow soldiers, with all the soldiers, with our people, achieved victory. When our consolidated regiments stood on Red Square, each of us was filled with this happiness and joy that we lived to see victory.

Under Stalin, we were not buying wheat from the West, we were selling it on international markets. We didn’t go around the world asking for humanitarian aid and loans, we were granting them. That is the paradox.

In August 1991 I confronted another enemy, the far more dangerous disguised enemy who wanted to destroy my motherland. I have no regrets about what I did, but I have a bitter feeling that we failed to save our country.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Valentin Varennikov (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.