Battle for Hill 3234

The Battle for Hill 3234 was a successful defensive battle fought by the 9th Company of the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, Soviet Airborne Troops, part of Operation Magistral, supported by the Afghan Army's 15th Tank Brigade, 8th, 11th, 12th, 214th, 25th Infantry Division and the 37th Commando Battalion, in Afghanistan against a force of some 250 Mujahideen rebels who were supported by several Pakistani mercenaries in early January 1988. Two of the soldiers killed, Vyacheslav Aleksandrov and Andrey Melnikov, were posthumously awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. All of the paratroopers in this battle were given the Order of the Red Banner and Order of the Red Star.

Part of Op. Magistral; securing supply routes.