Russia did not invade Afghanistan, the Soviet Union did. Two different countries, even if the current leader of the existing country longs for the days of the previous one. :P
I hit a road block going down with the spelling of the city, so I worked backwards. I had a devil of time coming up with a breed of canine that ended with a "g". Word to the wise regarding word chains. If you have to go backwards be sure to read the clues carefully.