On 19 June, in the space of the “Memory. Interchange” exhibition, a meeting with Borys Rozhnatovsky, a World War II eyewitness, retired colonel, scholar, writer and volunteer, was held.
Borys Rozhnatovsky is a native of the Zhytomyr region, a witness of two wars: the Second World War and the current one. ‘Eyewitness accounts of the Second World War are very valuable to us, because by preserving the memory of the past, we preserve our identity’, Oleksandr Bilous, a Head of the World War II research department, said in his opening speech.
Borys Mykolaiovych shared his memories of his childhood, which took place during the largest armed conflict in Ukraine. The German-Soviet war took away his closest family members: his father and younger sister. His father died back in 1943 at the front, and his little sister’s heart could not withstand the constant shelling. The moderator of the event, Olha Vorobei, a senior researcher at the War Museum, drew parallels with the current russian-Ukrainian war: just like 80 years ago, Ukrainian children are dying from the hands of the occupiers once again.
One of the most horrific crimes of the Nazis that is forever etched in Borys Rozhnatovsky’s memory is the shooting of a convoy of villagers by the Nazis. According to him, representatives of the Soviet government also committed atrocities: after the expulsion of Wehrmacht units from Ukrainian territories, field military commissariats en masse conscripted peasants into the Red Army and immediately sent them into battle to face certain death.
In the post-war years, Borys Mykolaiovych chose the military profession. He graduated from the Kharkiv Guards Tank School, then studied at the Faculty of History at Uzhhorod State University, and was a postgraduate student at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. In 1978-1979, he served in Ethiopia, participated in the war. Since 1985, he has been working at universities. The scientist made a significant contribution to the development of military education in Ukraine: he devoted more than 60 years of his life to teaching.
He was awarded the Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Badge of Honour of the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, the Builder of Ukraine, the Medal for Sacrifice and Love for Ukraine, and the Gold Prize of the International Foundation ‘Ukrainian Language for the Ukrainian Army’.
Borys Rozhnatovsky has written a number of books, including the ‘Star Trek’ trilogy, which includes the prose works ‘Your Morning Star’, ‘Happy Choice’, and ‘The Long Road’, among others. He actively works as a volunteer: he organised a charity event ‘A modern drone for the Ukrainian army’. As a part of this campaign, he purchased and sent seven drones to the frontline for the money received from the sale of his books.
During the event, Borys Rozhnatovsky handed over artefacts from the German-Soviet war – household items and family relics – to the Museum’s collection: a family photo and chair damaged by shrapnel, and a handmade mill forged by his father. ‘It is a great honour for our institution to preserve the memory, artefacts and memories of eyewitnesses of the Second World War’, Dmytro Hainetdinov, a Deputy Director General of the Museum, said.
The War Museum is sincerely grateful to Borys Mykolaiovych for the warm welcome and the artefacts, and to the cadets of the Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv for participating in the event.
