Veterans of the Soviet war in Afghanistan march carrying a banner reads "We fulfilled the Motherland's request!" during a memorial ceremony marking 30 year anniversary of withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. When the Soviet Union completed its troops withdrawal from Afghanistan on Feb. 15 1989, it was widely hailed as a much-anticipated end to a bloody quagmire, but public perceptions have changed and many Russians now see the 10-year Soviet war in Afghanistan as a necessary and largely successful endeavour. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko), APTOPIX