Because the Soviets were a parallel to the US:
1. Both were represented by a star on their equipment: Soviet Red & US White.
2. Both nations were conglomerates of different peoples & states.
3. Both nations were world super-powers, with "US" as their first initials.
4. Both nations were fighting a long war in Southern Asia for roughly ten years.
5. Both nations were having difficulties with those wars.
6. Both nations utlimately pulled out of those South Asian countries.
7. Both nations fought with drafted men (conscripts).
Differences:
A) The Afghan war was not fought against a foreign nation. It was fought by insurgents from their own country (with some foreign mercenaries...they're usually present in all conflicts); another words, the Soviets weren't fighting another regular (standing) army, air force, navy, or marine corps. The Vietnam War was fought against a foreign country...just like WWI, WWII, Korea, etc. US forces had to fight a standing regular army, navy, and air force; in fact the Gulf of Tonkin incident was initiated by a NAVAL force (NVN P 4 Torpedo Boats attacking a USN destroyer).
B) The Afghan war with the Soviets began on or about December '79 and lasted until about Feb '89; about 9 years. The US Military began landing in South Vietnam in 1955 (1954 for transitioning the French out) & didn't completely leave until the embassy fell in April of '75. That's about 20 years "in country."
C) The Afghan war produced roughly 10,000 Soviet dead and nearly 500 destroyed aircraft. The Vietnam War produced about 58,000 US dead and nearly 12,000 destroyed aircraft (aircraft-both fixed and rotor-wing).
soviet worriors
The Soviet Army invaded AFghanistan in the 1980's and lost because they didn't get were caught in a quagmire.
Russia, then called the Soviet Union, supplied America's enemy with weapons. The Soviet Union (Russia) was a cold war enemy. Russia (Soviet Union) and America never officially fought each other. Russia (Soviet Union) and America were allies only during WWII.
Containment .
Soviet-Russia, from 1922 it was called the Soviet Union (previously, Russia). The founder was Vladimir Ilyich (Ulyanov)Lenin in October, 1917.
This appellation came from the fact that the Soviet-Afghanistan War of 1979-1989 was a war in which many Soviet troops, trying to prop up a pro-Soviet government, died in a foreign land (Afghanistan) opposed by rebel insurgents (Mujahedin). This was very similar to the US experience in the Second Indochinese War (called the Vietnam War in the USA), where many US troops, trying to prop up a pro-US government, died in a foreign land (Vietnam) opposed by rebel insurgents (VietCong).
soviet worriors
The Soviet Army invaded AFghanistan in the 1980's and lost because they didn't get were caught in a quagmire.
the intelligentia
The Vietnam war is also called the Second Indochina War. The war was fought by between North Vietnam who were supported by China and Soviet Union and South Vietnam which was supported by the United States.
Only when the Afghans began moving away from communism, and the Afghan government requested the Soviets to move in and help their government regain control; this was the Soviet Afghanistan war, which the Soviets (Russians) fought for close to 10 years and lost about 10,000 men fighting it. Today, those former Soviet veterans of that war consider themselves to be the Russian equivalent of American "Vietnam" veterans. Another words, the Soviets called Afghanistan their Vietnam. It's possibly a slightly comparable resemblance; but the Soviets (Russians) weren't fighting against the armed forces of Afghanistan, they didn't have to fight Afghan tanks, jets, and patrol boats nor a standing Afghanistan army. The US did in Vietnam; but other than that, both the USSR & US experience involved fighting many years in a small Asian country with thousands of fatalities.
Russia, then called the Soviet Union, supplied America's enemy with weapons. The Soviet Union (Russia) was a cold war enemy. Russia (Soviet Union) and America never officially fought each other. Russia (Soviet Union) and America were allies only during WWII.
Containment .
Afghanistan was called Ariana at the time Alexander the Great came to Afghanistan and before he came.
Afghanistan was called Aryana by it's inhabitants.
Soviet-Russia, from 1922 it was called the Soviet Union (previously, Russia). The founder was Vladimir Ilyich (Ulyanov)Lenin in October, 1917.
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan the people of Afghanistan are called Afghans or Pashtuns