Former Soviet soldier, Khakimov, who is living in Herat province, said that Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a mistake and President Putin will face failure in the war.

Khakimov, who goes by the name Shaikh Abdullah now, said that he was captured during the Soviet Union attack on Shindand district in Herat province and refused to go back to his own country after he became Moslem.

Khakimov’s father is Russian, and his mother was Ukrainian. Khakimov said he is suffering from the war that is going on in Ukraine.

“The Russian and Ukrainians have to resolve their issues via negotiations. But Russia, which attacked Ukraine, will not go ahead and capture the country, even if it sends millions of soldiers to Ukraine,” said Shaikh Abdullah.

He added that the Russians have to learn some lessons from the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan and never attack Ukraine. “I think any government or any country which attacks another country makes a mistake,”

Some of the crimes that occurred during the war between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union are featured at the Jihad memorial museum in Herat province. Based on some figures, at least 15,000 Russian soldiers were killed and over 35,000 were wounded in the war.