«IN THE CIRCLE OF KUNDUZ» Page #15

Sidor delays the moment of departure from the Mi-8MT, remains among the last. He is alarmed, annoyed out loud: "Damn it, they've already informed!", he turns to Lieutenant Vikulov standing in front.

SIDOR:

(ingratiatingly)

Comrade Lieutenant!

I was the last one to leave the mine and took the trunk with three sleeping bags. Do you know the price of sleeping bags in the mountains?! When I had already climbed to the top, I found this aluminum box inside one of them, some other documents.

Sidor hands everything to Vikulov. Vikulov lifted the drawer by the handle and, appreciating the weightiness, grinned through a thick blond mustache.

VIKULOV:

(with a grin)

Discovered, you say?!

Well, of course, it's completely weightless! Okay, the equilibrist! You'll explain everything after!

SIDOR:

(without emotion)

That's right!

Vikulov clutched an envelope with documentation under his arm and, taking a stuffed box, jumps off the Mi-8MT. Unloading of the captured arsenal continues. Vikulov, approaches the 3rd German prisoners standing on the sidelines, waiting for further instructions, hands one of the Germans a box, shakes his finger, ironically warns.

VIKULOV:

(ironically to the German)

Look, don't lose it!

Vikulov addresses Koster and Strela escorting the Germans.

VIKULOV:

(with irony)

And you make sure that this Hans doesn't hide the box somewhere!

Vikulov keeps the envelope with the documents for himself. Sereda gives instructions to the company and goes to report to Skvortsov and Semenov. Sereda gets cross-examined by Skvortsov and Semenov, begins to justify himself. Sereda orders Koster and Strela to bring 3 captured Germans.

VIKULOV:

(to Skvortsov)

Comrade Lieutenant Colonel! May I address Captain Sereda?!

SKVORTSOV:

Permission granted!

VIKULOV:

(to Sereda)

Comrade Captain!

We were returning by different helicopters; I didn't have time to report to you about the discovery at the mine.

Vikulov hands over an envelope with documents to Lieutenant Colonel Skvortsov and, smartly taking an aluminum box from the German's hands, puts it on the metal fabric of the runway. Vikulov pulls aside the two ends of the cable, sealed together with a sealing wax seal, opens it. The box is filled with green stones of different sizes and shapes. Skvortsov and Semenov are amazed at the trophy. Sereda calms down, looking at their joyful faces, exhales with relief.

62. INT. BIG OFFICE — EVENING. TABLE LAMP LIGHTING

TITLE:
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN. THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE 40TH ARMY, THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF THE OPERATIONAL GROUP OF THE USSR MINISTRY OF DEFENSE IN AFGHANISTAN, MARSHAL OF THE SOVIET UNION SOKOLOV S.L.

A large office, a desk lamp is lit on the table, a Marshal of the Soviet Union is sitting at the table, working with papers. The phone rings.

MARSHAL OF THE USSR SOKOLOV S.L.

(picks up the phone)

I'm listening!

COLONEL NEFEDOV (V.O.)

Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union, reports the military adviser of the zone "North" Colonel NEFEDOV.

This afternoon, when returning from a work shift, 16 of our civilian specialists who worked under contract at a bakery in Mazar-I-Sharif were abducted and taken to an unknown destination.

In hot pursuit, a bus was found on the southern outskirts of the city, in which their transportation was carried out. There are traces of blood inside the cabin.

According to preliminary data, the driver was connected with the kidnappers. During the search, the body of one of our specialists was found 5 kilometers south of Mazar-I-Sharif.

Apparently, he was injured and could not move. Obviously, in order not to waste time transporting him, the rebels decided to shoot him. The collected data suggest that the specialists were taken away in the direction of the Marmol mountain range.

MARSHAL OF THE USSR SOKOLOV S.L.

What measures have you taken?! The identity of the kidnappers has already been established?!

COLONEL NEFEDOV (V.O.)

At the moment – not yet, Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union!

We have set up a headquarters in Mazar-I-Sharif and formed an operational group to search for them. The group included representatives of the Afghan State Security Service KHAD, the DRA Armed Forces and the Tsaranda People's Militia. We collect intelligence and intelligence data. We check their authenticity.

MARSHAL OF THE USSR SOKOLOV S.L.

Well. I will order the commander of the 40th Army, Lieutenant General Generalov, to urgently develop an operation plan and begin its implementation.

The head of the operation will be

Deputy Chief of Staff of the 40th Army, Major General Shevchenko. Establish interaction with him.

COLONEL NEFEDOV (V.O.)

It will be done to establish cooperation with Major General Shevchenko.

63. EXT. MARMOL MOUNTAIN VILLAGE — DAY

TITLE:
MARMOL, BALKH PROVINCE. AFGHANISTAN

The commander of the rebel detachment, Mullah MIRSAID, operating in the area, called the local population to the outskirts of the village, presents them with Soviet civilian specialists abducted by his detachment in Mazar-I-Sharif.

MULLAH MIRSAID:

(emotionally)

Here are Soviet military pilots shot down by our Mujahideen.

They bombed our villages! The Shuravi came to Afghanistan to turn us away from our faith, age-old traditions. All of us – as one should rise to the holy jihad with the kafirs and expel them from our sacred land!

In the sky above the village, a pair of combat Mi-24s, four Mi-8MTs with amphibious reconnaissance groups under the command of Captain Sereda. Mi-24 helicopter pilots cut off a group of rebels and a ferocious crowd eager to lynch Soviet citizens with bursts of their onboard 4-barrel YakB-12.7 heavy machine guns. Mi-8MTs flying up behind them hover in the air, begin landing combat groups on the mountain terraces above the village. The scouts entering the battle destroy the rebels, but most of them retire to the mountains.

The rebels manage to shoot 6 Soviet specialists. The other 9 specialists were repulsed by scouts. The scouts are filled with rage, an impulse to get even for the murder of compatriots, seize the initiative and, having broken the resistance, begin to pursue the rebels. Scouts climb to one of the peaks, meet with dense machine-gun fire of the rebels.

From the thickness of the mountain folds, hollowed out in the rock of the strongholds, the rebel strongholds are firing. Sereda calls combat Mi-24s by communication, directs strikes at the rebel defenses. The resistance of the rebels has been suppressed. The scouts continue to move along a meter-wide ravine, pass over a mountain steep, break into a cave.

64. INT. MOUNTAIN RANGE. CAVE — IT'S GETTING DARK

TITLE:
MARMOL. CAVE IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA

Long labyrinths connect several caves. Scouts find an extensive arsenal, food depots, a prison with medieval racks and cells, the corpses of tortured Afghan soldiers lie. Sidor approaches Sereda, shows a jar of stew with an inscription in Arabic script.

SIDOR:

Comrade Captain! You can live with this wealth!

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