Petro TRONKO: “Before the war Kyiv had 950,000 inhabitants and after liberation about 100,000”
Kyiv was cleared of the Nazi Germans by Soviet forces on November 6, 1943. The Battle of the Dnipro started in September 1943, stretching along a 750 km front line from Loyiv to Zaporizhzhia. Pitched battles lasted for two months on 25 bridgeheads on the Right Bank. The one of Liutezh north of Kyiv played a major role in the liberation campaign, although, unlike the Bukryn bridgehead, it was a supplementary one. On the morning of November 6, 1943, an armored brigade of the 5th Guards Corps and regiments of the 167th Infantry Division burst into Kyiv through the suburbs of Podil, Sviatoshyn, and Solomyanka. Below is a story about the first hours and days in the liberated city, told by a man who fought during the war from the first day to the last: Petro TRONKO, public figure, politician, academician of the National Academy of Sciences, expert on local history.
P. T.: I was at the front from the very start and fought all the way from the Western border, during the defense of Kyiv, Rostov-on-the-Don, and Stalingrad, in the liberation of the Donbas. As the liberation of Left Bank Ukraine began it came time to restore the nation’s economy and raise the issue of cadres. I was major of the air force, deputy head of the political department at the headquarters of the 8th Air Army, when I found myself among those summoned to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. When we arrived in Kharkiv I was appointed first secretary of the city and regional Komsomol committees. The directive was signed by Nikita Khrushchev. After receiving my instructions I rode to Hoholiv, a village in Brovary district accommodating the cadre reserve, to secure the functioning of the city.
We knew who would be responsible for what. On the night of November 5-6, I led a task force to Kyiv from the vicinity of Dubechnia, Pyrnovo. On the way we were joined by a car with Zhukov, Dovzhenko, Bazhan, and Yanovsky. We entered Kyiv through Podil and rode up to Khreshchatyk past the Philharmonic Society. The city looked devastated but unbowed. Our first meeting with residents took place at the central department store which was still in one piece. Khrushchev wore a major general’s uniform and Zhukov a marshal’s; we all sported uniforms, even the writers Bazhan and Dovzhenko (who also held officers’ ranks). Khreshchatyk was a shambles so much so even two cars couldn’t find their way among the debris. The left side of the street (as viewed from the now Ukraine Hotel) had suffered the heaviest damage. I saw emaciated residents wearing scarcely any clothes. They all cried. Khrushchev also cried. I heard people thank Zhukov, Khrushchev, and the army [for liberating the city]. After a short meeting we rode to the statue of Taras Shevchenko. It was all dented by bullets. We paid homage to the Kobzar. The university, our temple of culture and science, was ablaze. The walls were painted red and red fire was raging inside. There were no firefighters and the library and laboratories died in the flames... I remember Khrushchev standing by the monument and saying that the Nazis would answer for all their atrocities, for the devastated towns and villages, for the death of our people. I had never seen him so angry (I had known him before the war). I had seen Zhukov twice previously. I was amazed to see him bow low to the Shevchenko statue, as did Khrushchev.
Khrushchev and Zhukov rode to the Khmelnytsky monument. The large building of the Writers Union was a short walk from it. It was also burning. The monument was miraculously intact. We were photographed there at around 11 a.m. on November 6. After that we all rode to the Bolshevik Factory, one of the city’s major enterprises. It was also devastated.
That same day I went to Babyn Yar. The ravine stank of burned flesh. The retreating Nazis had begun burning the bodies of their massacre victims.
After that I went to the Lavra Monastery (my grandmother had visited it twice as a pilgrim, all the way from Slobozhanshchyna). I never thought I would work on its restoration. The monastery looked undamaged except the Cathedral of the Dormition, demolished by 90%. Some of the stores were open, but there were practically no people in the streets. There was a distant sound of artillery guns.
We were all armed but didn’t risk staying in Kyiv, so we spent the night in the vicinity of Dymer. We returned to Kyiv on November 7. First we had to start the power plant, restore heating and water supplies, start the bakeries. All of the bridges were destroyed. Residents and minesweepers repaired the railroad bridge in 26 days, so trainloads of materiel could be sent to the front.
Orphans and wounded had to be tended. This task was coped with mainly by young men and women. We started collecting money for the restoration of the city. Ten thousand girls were enlisted to rebuild Khreshchatyk. Not only young people, but also writers, state and office employees worked shoulder to shoulder. Pavlo Tychyna wrote a song having this line, “My friend, my brother, let’s work on Khreshchatyk.” I was fortunate enough to work with him on the restoration of Khreshchatyk. I also saw Dovzhenko there, but he was soon summoned to Moscow. Dovzhenko lived there after the war; he was not allowed to return to Ukraine. We thought he would be appointed chairman of the Supreme Soviet, but after his motion picture Ukraine in Flames the Kremlin barred him entry to Ukraine. He stayed in Moscow to his dying day.
Yanovsky and Bazhan also worked on Khreshchatyk. Ukrainian writers played an important role at the time, especially Dovzhenko, Korniychuk, and Malyshko. Their writings inspired the people to fight the aggressor... Then construction work began. There were 10,000 girls to accommodate. I think they deserve a monument of gold. They worked from morning until 2-3 a.m., although food was scarce and many received killed-in-battle notices; they helped collect warm clothes and food for orphans, of which there were plenty. After a day of hard work girls would go to hospitals to take night shifts.
We sustained heavy losses. Before the war Kyiv had 950,000 residents and only around 100,000 after liberation. People walking today’s Khreshchatyk and marveling at Kyiv sights ought to remember those who rebuilt the capital, even though the city is losing its original unique features. I want the younger generation to respect the memory of all those who gave their all for the Victory.
