Fyodor Yakovlevich Kostenko (russian: Фёдор Яковлевич Костенко; 22 February 1896–26 May 1942) was a Soviet corps and army commander.

Biography

He was born in Bolshaya Martynovka, Martynovsky District, Rostov Oblast to an ethnic

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

family. He fought in the Imperial Russian Army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

before going over to the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

during the subsequent

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. In World War II, he commanded the 26th Army (June – September 1941) and the Southwestern Front (December 1941–April 1942). He led an operational group during the

Yelets Operation The Yelets Offensive Operation was a front–line offensive operation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army during the Great Patriotic War, undertaken from 6 to December 16, 1941 by the troops of the right wing of the Southwestern Front during a ...

from 6 December to 16 December 1941, which ended with the defeat of several enemy divisions. Kostenko went missing on 26 May 1942, and was presumed killed, being surrounded during the tragic Second Battle of Kharkov. He was a recipient of the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

, the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...

and the Order of the Red Star.

Discovery and reburial

Kostenko's body was rediscovered in spring 2016 in

Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast ( uk, Харківська́ о́бласть, translit=Kharkivska oblast), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna ( uk, Ха́рківщина), is an oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. The oblast borders Russia to the north, Luhan ...

, between the villages of Gusarovka and . Two sets of human remains were found, identified as officers from their boots. The fabric remains of stripes and the name "Kostenko" on a document helped to identify the remains of the older individual as being Kostenko's. This was later confirmed with DNA testing with his granddaughter. The second set of remains, of a younger and shorter individual, were speculated to be those of Kostenko's adjutant, Captain Vasily Ivanovich Petrovich, who had disappeared with Kostenko. Kostenko's remains were repatriated to Russia, and were interred at the

Federal Military Memorial Cemetery The Federal Military Memorial Cemetery (Russian: Федеральное военное мемориальное кладбище) is a national cemetery of Russia, located in Mytishchinsky District, Moscow Oblast, on the north-eastern outskirts o ...

on 20 June 2018.

Sources

Books

* Великая Отечественная война. 1941–1945. События. Люди. Документы: Краткий исторический справочник/ ''Под общ. ред. О. А. Ржешевского. Сост. Е. К. Жигунов'' — М.: Политиздат, 1990. — С. 337. * ''Колесников Г. М., Лебединский Г. Н., Марков Н. В. и др.'' Липецк. Справочник-путеводитель. — Воронеж: Центр.-Чернозем. кн. изд-во, 1967. * 1896 births 1940s missing person cases 1942 deaths Burials at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery Formerly missing people Missing in action of World War II Missing person cases in Asia People from Don Host Oblast People from Martynovsky District People of the Soviet invasion of Poland Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet lieutenant generals Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War {{Russia-mil-bio-stub

Biography

Discovery and reburial

See also

Sources

Books