This is a beautiful group to to Lieutenant Colonel Pogorelov, Signal Troops.  He was born in the Ukraine in 1941, and joined the Soviet Army in 1966.  He served in Afghanistan, and later in Kazakhstan in the mid 1980's.  

In 1985, he was awarded the Order for Service to the Motherland 3rd Class for his work in Kazakhstan.  

While we do not know exactly what his particular Order was awarded for, we do know that the Order was awarded for "accomplishments in military and political training, support for the high level of troop preparation, and developing new military equipment; For high ratings in official activity; For successfully accomplishing special command assignments; For bravery and self-sacrifice displayed in executing military duties; and for other accomplishments for the Motherland..." 

Interesting to note with this group is his citation and awards for service in Afghanistan.  The certificate, which looks similar to that of a document for the Hero of the Soviet Union, was to proclaim each of the soldiers who had gone to Afghanistan as "Soldier-Internationalists".  

Unfortunately for these men, they were thrown into a conflict that did not always have clear delineation between 'right' and 'wrong' and who really was the enemy. 

They did, for the most part, serve honorably, in the proud tradition of their forefathers, those who had gone before to fight in the last War in the USSR, the Great Patriotic War. 

Additional photos of Pogorelov's Group