Ivan Ustinovich Kharchenko ( uk, Іван Устинович Харченко; 23 September 1918 – 1 July 1989) was a

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

Military engineering Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics be ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

. During World War II, he was a platoon commander. Kharchenko was promoted to the rank of

Junior lieutenant Junior lieutenant is a junior officer rank in several countries, equivalent to Sub-lieutenant. Germany In the National People's Army, the rank of () was introduced in 1956. Eastern Europe In many Eastern European countries, the rank of junior l ...

in 1939,

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in 1943 and

senior lieutenant Senior lieutenant is a military grade between a lieutenant and a captain, often used by countries from the former Eastern Bloc. It is comparable to first lieutenant. Finland ( sv, premiärlöjtnant) is a Finnish military rank above ( sv, löjt ...

in 1944. He reportedly personally defused more than 50,000 explosives, including bombs, mines, and shells. For his actions in defusing explosives, Kharchenko was named a

and awarded the Gold Star and

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 b ...

on 2 November 1944. In the citation for the

award, it was stated that Kharchenko personally defused more than 1500 bombs weighing more than 500 kilograms each and 25,000 other explosive objects. After World War II, Kharchenko continued his military service until retirement in 1964. Until 1956 he was personally engaged in rendering innocuous explosive items left over from World War II. In March 1961, the battalion commanded by Kharchenko led a rescue operation after the Kurenivka mudslide in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

Early life

Ivan Kharchenko was born on 23 September 1918 in Komarovka village of Nizhyn Uyezd in the

Chernigov Governorate The Chernigov Governorate (russian: Черниговская губерния; translit.: ''Chernigovskaya guberniya''; ), also known as the Government of Chernigov, was a guberniya in the historical Left-bank Ukraine region of the Russian ...

to the family of a peasant. He graduated from seven classes and worked as a factory carpenter in

Khimki Khimki ( rus, Химки, p=ˈxʲimkʲɪ) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, 18.25 kilometres northwest of central Moscow, and immediately beyond the Moscow city boundary. History Origins and formation Khimki was initially a railway station tha ...

. In 1938, Kharchenko joined the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

World War II

In 1941 Kharchenko became underleitenant and a platoon commander in the 22 Detached Engineering and anti-gas battalion of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops. In 1942 he came back to the unit where he had served in non-commitioned positions -- to the 6th Engineering and anti-gas regiment of the NKVD antiaircraft defense troops. He helped to defuse more than 26,000 German shells, mines and bombs during the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

and the

Battle of Kiev (1943) The Second Battle of Kiev was a part of a much wider Soviet offensive in Ukraine known as the Battle of the Dnieper involving three strategic operations by the Soviet Red Army and one operational counterattack by the Wehrmacht, which took plac ...

. On 2 November 1944, he was awarded the title

and the

for his actions in defusing unexploded ordnance and mines.

Postwar

After the end of World War II, Kharchenko defused more than 16,000 unexploded bombs, as well as other explosive devices. In 1950, he graduated from the High Officers' Engineering School in Moscow. In 1964, Kharchenko left military service and worked in the Ministry of Assembly and Special Construction Works in Kyiv until his retirement in 1986. He died on 1 July 1989 and is buried in the Berkovetskaya Cemetery.

Military service

* 1938–1941 — 31 Detached Engineering and anti-gas battalion of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops, NKVD (

Zaporizhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zapor ...

), cadet, squad leader, company's petty officer * 1941 — Courses of Unterleutnants in Leningrad Command school of the Head Department of Military engineering, cadet * 1941–1942 — 22 Detached Engineering and anti-gas battalion of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops, NKVD ( Gorky), commander of a platoon * 1942–1943 — 31 Detached Engineering and anti-gas battalion of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops, NKVD (

Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...

), commander of a platoon * 1943–1945 — 6 Engineering and anti-gas regiment of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops, NKVD (

), commander of a platoon * 1945–1951 — 6 Engineering and anti-gas regiment of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops, Interior Ministry (

), commander of a company * 1951–1955 — 3 detachment of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops, Interior Ministry (

), commander of a pyrotechnical team * 1955–1956 — 6 Engineering and anti-gas regiment of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops, Interior Ministry (

), commander of a pyrotechnical service * 1956–1960 — 6 Engineering and anti-gas regiment of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops, Interior Ministry (

), commander of an engineering battalion * 1960–1962 — 120 Detached Engineering and anti-gas regiment of Local Anti-Aircraft Defence troops, Soviet Army, Kyiv Military District (

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

), commander of an engineering battalion * 1962–1964 — Headquarter of the Civil Defence of Ukrainian SSR (

), officer in charge of combat training organisation

Honors

(2 November 1944) *

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 th ...

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...

, First Class *

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

Medal for Battle Merit A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Сталинграда») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union. Medal history The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" was established on ...

Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (russian: Медаль «За победу над Германией в Великой Отечественной войне 1941—1945 гг.») was a military de ...

* Honoured Member of the Interior Ministry of the USSR

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kharchenko, Ivan Ustinovich 1918 births 1989 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner People from Chernigov Governorate Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine Soviet colonels