Soviet Border Guards and Their Service Dog — Last Days Before the War, 1941

June 27, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Soviet border guards with a service dog observe enemy territory near the Danube Delta in the last peaceful days before Nazi Germany's invasion of the USSR. Both soldiers would go on to serve in the NKVD Internal Troops during the war.

Vilkovo, Danube Delta, June 20, 1941.
Just two days before Operation Barbarossa shattered the peace, two Soviet border guards kneel in cover by a quiet marsh. With them — a watchful service dog. The photo is serene, almost peaceful. But in truth, it's the calm before the storm.

The men in the picture are Lieutenant Alexander Ivanovich Kashkakha and Junior Sergeant Konstantin Sergeyevich Gusev, both recognized as outstanding in combat and political preparedness at their border outpost in southwestern Ukraine. Behind them: the vast expanse of the Soviet Union. Ahead: war, fire, and loss.

When the German invasion began on June 22, these men did not retreat. They were reassigned to the 34th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Sukhumi Rifle Division, part of the NKVD Internal Troops. Both continued to serve with valor.

Lt. Kashkakha went on to become a battalion adjutant, receiving the Medal “For Courage” in April 1943.

Sgt. Gusev rose to become deputy company commander for political work — the komsorg (political officer) of his battalion. He, too, earned the Medal “For Courage” in 1943, but was killed in action on July 23, 1944, near Krichilsk, Rivne Oblast. He was just 24.

This photo — first published in Izvestia on June 22, 1941, the very day the war began — has become a symbol of the Soviet border guards' unwavering readiness and quiet heroism. Men like these were the first to face the enemy. Many never returned.

📷 Technical photo data:
📸 Photographer: Georgy Zelma
📰 Source: 1. Izvestia No. 146 (7522), June 22, 1941

2. pamyat-naroda.ru
📅 Date: June 20, 1941
📍 Location: Vilkovo, Odessa Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR