The Russian Ministry of Defense published archives about the liberation of Kyiv from the Nazis in 1943 Posting in CHAT: RussiaMOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. The Russian Ministry of Defense has launched a new historical section “Kyiv was saved from the darkness of Nazism: we always remember, it is impossible to forget.” The archival documents, operational maps, combat logs, political reports and award materials presented in the project testify to the heroism and combat training of Soviet soldiers and talk about the crimes of the Nazis committed in Ukraine. November 6 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Kyiv from the Nazis. “The large-scale offensive operation to defeat the Wehrmacht group on the right bank of the Dnieper became a strategic success for the Red Army and significantly influenced the outcome of the Great Patriotic War. On May 8, 1965, for the mass heroism and courage of its residents in defending the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War, Kyiv was awarded the highest degree of distinction - the title “Hero City,” noted the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Kiev offensive operation was carried out from November 3 to 13, 1943 by the forces of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Army General Nikolai Vatutin. By the beginning of the operation, the front troops numbered 671 thousand people, 7 thousand guns and mortars, 675 tanks and self-propelled guns, 700 aircraft. They were opposed by up to 500 thousand Nazis, up to 6 thousand guns and mortars, about 400 tanks and assault guns, as well as over 660 aircraft. Nazi terror of the Nazis Kyiv was under fascist occupation for 778 days - from September 19, 1941 to November 6, 1943. Throughout the years of occupation, the invaders pursued a policy of mass terror in Kyiv. Already at the end of September 1941, mass executions of the Jewish population began on the outskirts of the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. Following the Jews, they began to shoot gypsies, communists and Soviet prisoners of war. In Babi Yar alone, the Nazis shot at least 150 thousand people. The newspaper “For the Honor of the Motherland” dated March 1, 1944 published a detailed report on the atrocities committed by the Nazi invaders in the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. “Along with the looting, destruction and systematic extermination of the population of Kyiv, a policy of Germanization of the Ukrainian people was carried out, Ukrainian culture was suppressed and destroyed in every possible way, the Soviet people were doomed to hunger and death. Signs appeared on the walls of numerous shops and restaurants: “Only for Germans,” says the archival document. In 1943, feeling the precariousness of their position in Kyiv, the occupiers, trying to hide traces of their crimes, dug up the graves of their victims and burned them. A direct witness to those events, Vladimir Davydov, described them in the newspaper “Artilleryman’s Banner” dated December 5, 1941. “A dozen rails were laid across the grave monuments, firewood was laid on the rails, a row of corpses was placed on the firewood, and more firewood was placed on the corpses. When the stack was high enough in the opinion of the German overseer, it was doused with gasoline and set on fire with a torch. Our group alone burned over 70 thousand corpses in a month and a half,” the newspaper quotes Davydov. During their stay in Kyiv, the occupiers destroyed 940 buildings of state and public institutions, including the most ancient cultural monument - the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, 1,742 communal houses, 3,600 private households. As a result of these actions, more than 200 thousand residents of Kyiv lost their homes. Beginning of the offensive operation The historical document on the progress of the Kiev-Fastov offensive operation notes that after the summer battles on the Oryol ledge [3-я гвардейская танковая] The army was in the reserve of Headquarters in the Kursk region for a month. “In the twentieth of September, our troops concentrated in the Romny area, placing themselves at the disposal of the commander of the Voronezh Front,” the document says about the start of the operation. On October 24, 1943, the Voronezh Front was renamed the 1st Ukrainian Front, and General Vatutin was given the task of liberating Kyiv. The Ministry of Defense noted that during the Great Patriotic War, the names of the fronts changed repeatedly due to the dynamics of events and the strategic position. “So, by order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of October 16, 1943, the Central Front became the Belorussian, the Voronezh Front - the 1st Ukrainian, the Steppe Front - the 2nd Ukrainian, the Southwestern Front - the 3rd Ukrainian, the Southern Front - the 4th Ukrainian . And this has nothing to do with the statements of Ukrainian politicians and pseudo-historians that the Ukrainian fronts that liberated Europe were represented exclusively by natives of the Square,” the department said. The plan for the operation of the right wing of the 1st Ukrainian Front to break through the enemy’s defensive line north of Kyiv dated October 23, 1943 stated that the direction of the main attack should remain the same. “According to all data, the enemy in this direction along the eastern bank of the Irpen River did not have time to create any significant engineering fortifications, and complete capture of the forest area up to Belgorodka makes it possible to covertly approach and concentrate infantry, tanks and artillery to complete the operation to encircle Kiev,” – noted in the archival document. Immediately before the battles for the liberation of Kiev, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front carried out thorough preparations for the assault, the troops were regrouped, communications were organized, reconnaissance of the enemy’s defense system was carried out, and the plan for the upcoming actions was thoroughly played out. Liberation of Kyiv On the morning of November 3, Soviet troops attacked the enemy defenses and, breaking through them, moved towards Kyiv. By the evening of November 5, fighting broke out on the outskirts of the capital of the Ukrainian SSR and continued throughout the night. The progress of the offensive was described in the combat log of the 38th Tank Army. “At 7:00 from the area northwest of the suburb of Priorka in a northwest direction, the enemy launched a counterattack with a force of up to an infantry regiment with 70 tanks and with artillery support. As a result of the battle, our units repulsed the counterattack, destroyed 7 tanks, and captured 15 prisoners. The enemy made desperate attempts to push back the units that had crossed the Dnieper, but were unsuccessful,” notes the historical document. The combat log of the 38th Tank Army notes that during November 4 and 5, the troops continued to develop the offensive and, overcoming strong resistance and repelling counterattacks by enemy infantry and tanks, slowly moved forward, eventually cutting the Kiev-Zhitomir highway in the Svyatoshino area. "Artillery [38-й] The army relentlessly followed the infantry, supporting it with fire and wheels, and together with it and tanks repelled the enemy’s fierce counterattacks,” the document states. By the morning of November 6, enemy resistance in Kyiv was broken. “The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, as a result of a swift operation with a bold flanking maneuver, today, November 6 at dawn, stormed the capital of Soviet Ukraine, the city of Kiev - the largest strategic hub of German defense on the right bank of the Dnieper,” noted the report to Stalin. “With the capture of Kyiv, our troops captured the most important and most advantageous bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper, which is important for expelling the Germans from the right bank of Ukraine,” the archival document says. Heroes of the operation During the liberation of Kyiv, Soviet soldiers acted courageously and decisively, showing heroism and military skill. Thousands of them were awarded military decorations, dozens were awarded the highest degree of distinction - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Award certificates for some of them are published in a new section of the Russian Ministry of Defense website. It is reported that the mechanic-driver of the T-34 tank of the Guard, senior sergeant Ivan Antonov, showed exceptional courage and heroism during the hostilities on November 5-6, 1943. “In the night, Comrade Antonov directed his tank at anti-tank guns, crushing enemy vehicles, carts and manpower. His tank was the first to reach the Kyiv-Zhitomir highway and burst into the village of Svyatoshino, Art. Zhulyany and Glevakha. During the battle, Antonov's tank was hit and the tanker was wounded. With a masterful maneuver, Antonov crushed two six-barreled mortars along with the crew, but then an enemy shell interrupted the hero’s life,” reports the Russian Defense Ministry portal. For his courage and heroism, Antonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). The portal also describes the actions of the commander of the reconnaissance platoon of the control company of the 22nd Guards Tank Brigade, Guard Sergeant Major Nikifor Sholudenko. “Comrade Sholudenko with a group of scouts was the first to break into the city center, where in an unequal battle he died a brave death. The platoon under his command was the first to hoist the banner in the city center. For his personal courage and heroism in Kyiv and his skillful organization and conduct of reconnaissance, Sholudenko deserves to be awarded the title…
