FEW figures in post-Soviet Russia embody the paradoxes of war, politics and reconciliation as vividly as Alexander Rutskoy. His life story traverses the cockpit of a Sukhoi fighter jet, the corridors of Kremlin power and the tumultuous streets of Moscow during the constitutional crisis of 1993. Yet one episode—his capture in Pakistan during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan—remains a defining moment that shaped his worldview and later diplomatic gestures.

Rutskoy’s career began in the Soviet Air Force, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, he flew the rugged SU-25 ground attack aircraft, designed to provide close air support in hostile terrain. On 4 August, during an attack mission targeting a Mujahideen training camp six miles inside Pakistani territory, Rutskoy’s aircraft was shot down by a PAF F-16A flown by Squadron Leader Athar Bukhari of No. 14 Squadron. Rutskoy ejected safely but was captured by local villagers before being handed over to the army and briefly held as a POW in Islamabad.

For his bravery and having flown 428 combat missions, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1988. It is a striking coincidence that Athar Bukhari, the man who downed Rutskoy’s aircraft, would himself rise to the rank of Air Marshal—three stars in the Pakistan Air Force—underscoring how the destinies of adversaries in war can later converge in distinguished careers marked by honour and service.

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