A Soviet Army Soldier, Declared Killed In 1980, Was Found Alive In Afghanistan Three Decades Later

A Soviet army soldier, declared killed in action in 1980, was found alive in Afghanistan three decades later — with a new name, and no memory of the Russian language.

When the Soviet Union sent troops into Afghanistan in 1979, thousands of young soldiers crossed the border, thinking they would one day return. Among them was one young soldier,—Bakhrudin Hakimov—who was deployed in 1980 during the early and bloodiest phase of the war.

It wasn’t long before everything changed

Hakimov was badly wounded during a fierce battle. He disappeared in the chaos. His unit never saw him again. His name was quietly added to the list of soldiers presumed killed in action. His family mourned him—without a body, burying only the memories. For them, the story ended there. But the truth didn’t end there.

Hakimov was alive

Afghan villagers found him wounded, picked him up, sheltered him, treated him, and didn’t leave him alone. Recovery was slow. His body healed, but his old life never returned. Over time, he adapted to the world that lay before him. He adopted a new name—Sheikh Abdullah. A new identity, a new life, a new routine. Gradually, he became a respected traditional healer in Herat.

Years passed—then decades. His Russian language faded, even disappeared altogether. He spoke only local languages. The soldier was a thing of the past—now only the Afghan healer remained. Meanwhile, far away, his family lived with a nameless grief. His name remained in the military records—just another missing soldier from the war.

Then came 2013

A Russian volunteer organization searching for missing Soviet soldiers began to pursue old clues and vague reports. A clue reached a healer in Herat—and the pieces began to fit together. And one day — more than thirty years later — the authorities sat before the man who had once been known as Bakhruddin Hakimov.

He was alive

His language had changed, his life had changed, his community had changed. The long beard, the traditional dress, the calm demeanor — Russia had almost vanished from his memory. He was no longer a prisoner — he had simply become part of a new life.

It was one of the most startling discoveries of the post-Soviet era — a reminder that war does not always produce heroes and villains; it sometimes leaves people lost somewhere between lives. Hakimov decided to stay in Afghanistan. This place had long since become his home. The man who had left Russia had never returned, and the world he had come from had ceased to exist.

But the truth had come out

A soldier, thought dead, had actually entered another life and moved on. And a family, who had been mourning in silence for years, finally learned that the son they had buried in their hearts… had never fallen.