Oleg Vasilyevich Koshevoy ( uk, Олег Васильoвич Кошoвий, translit. ''Oleh Vasyl'ovych Koshovyi''; russian: Олег Васильевич Кошевой) (June 8, 1926 – February 9, 1943) was a

Soviet partisan Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ...

and one of the founders of the clandestine organization Young Guard, which fought the Nazi forces in

Krasnodon Krasnodon (Ukrainian, Russian: Краснодон) is a city in Luhansk Oblast (region) of eastern Ukraine. It is incorporated as a city of oblast significance and serves as the administrative center of Krasnodon Raion (district), though it d ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

between 1941 and 1945. Born in

Pryluky Pryluky ( uk, Прилу́ки ) is a city and municipality located on the Udai River in Chernihiv Oblast, north-central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Pryluky Raion (district). Located nearby is the Pryluky air base, a ma ...

, a city in the Chernihiv Oblast (

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

) of present-day north-central

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

(at the time a part of the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

), Oleg Koshevoy's family moved south to Rzhyshchiv and Poltava before settling in

(at the eastern border of Ukraine) in 1940, where he attended secondary school. In July 1942, Krasnodon was occupied by the German Army. Under the leadership of the party underground, Koshevoy organized an

anti-nazi Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

Komsomol (Communist Youth) organization called the ''Young Guard'' (russian: Молодая гвардия, translit. ''Molodaya gvardiya''), becoming its commissar. In January 1943, the Germans exposed the organization. Oleg Koshevoy tried to cross the front line, but was soon apprehended. He was tortured and then executed on February 9, 1943. On September 13, 1943, Oleg Koshevoy was posthumously awarded the title of the

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 ...

, 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 ...

, and later, the Medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st class. Many mines, ''sovkhozes'', schools, and

Young Pioneer A pioneer movement is an organization for children operated by a communist party. Typically children enter into the organization in elementary school and continue until adolescence. The adolescents then typically join the Young Communist League ...

groups in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

were later named after him.

References

* Fadeyev, Alexander, David Sevirsky and Volet Dutt (2000). ''The Young Guard'', University Press of the Pacific.

External links

Олег Васильевич Кошевой
a
www.peoples.ruA detailed summary
of ''Young Guard'' by Aleksandr Fadeyev 1926 births 1943 deaths People from Pryluky Komsomol Ukrainian people of World War II Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany Soviet partisans in Ukraine Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Ukrainian people executed by Nazi Germany Executed Soviet people from Ukraine Executed children Child soldiers in World War II Ukrainian anti-fascists {{Soviet-bio-stub