Scout of the partisan detachment under the command of Medvedev. Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev - Hero of the Soviet Union

Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev.
Photo courtesy of the Foreign Intelligence History Cabinet

Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev lived and worked during the most turbulent period modern history our country, which contains the greatest social revolution, which entailed socio-political and economic experiments unprecedented in depth and scale, the birth of a new mass ideology comparable to religion, the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars...

Such a time could not help but form the image of “your hero” - only an active person, a fighter could become one. It is no coincidence that Chapaev’s cart rumbled throughout the world; the uncompromising maximalist Pavka Korchagin excited the hearts of millions of people... We unmistakably recognize his features in Dmitry Medvedev.

SOLDIER OF THE REVOLUTION

Dmitry Medvedev was born on August 22, 1898 in Bezhitsa, a small town in Bryansk district Oryol province, in the family of a skilled steel worker. My father worked at a local rail rolling plant. Mitya studied at the gymnasium, gave private lessons in the evenings, and summer holidays worked part-time at the same factory. The Medvedevs had 13 children, and Dmitry’s extra income was significant for the family budget.

According to the brothers, with early years Dmitry showed a heightened sense of justice. Therefore, the word “revolution” entered his consciousness by itself, with the flow of life, with the conversations of adults. Already in 1914, he helped his older brother Alexander, a member of the Bryansk district committee of the RSDLP: he posted leaflets, hid weapons. At the end of December 1917, Alexander became chairman of the Bryansk gubchek. And Dmitry, who has already graduated from high school, again helps his brother in difficult and dangerous work. At the same time, he is the secretary of the Bryansk district council of workers, soldiers and peasants' deputies.

In mid-1918, Dmitry voluntarily joined the ranks of the Red Army (in the 3rd brigade of the 4th Orlovskaya that was being formed in Bryansk rifle division) and took part in battles on the Eastern Front and near Petrograd. Returning to Bryansk in May 1920, he went to work for the Cheka.

December 1920. Medvedev, together with other volunteer security officers, went to Donbass. Recovery coal industry was at that time one of the primary national economic tasks for the young Soviet state. Felix Dzerzhinsky appealed to the security officers with a call to clear the Donbass of gangs and thereby create normal working conditions for the miners. The head of the special department of the Bryansk gubchek, Medvedev, also joined the ranks of volunteers. He worked in Donbass for two years. He participated in the liquidation of the gangs of Kamenyuki, Belokobylsky, “Balaba”, “Flea”, and was the chairman of the Cheka of Starobelsk.

In August 1922, Medvedev was transferred to Odessa to the post of head of the secret department of the local GPU.

The meaning of Odessa for Soviet republic was then determined by two main factors: the center of the border region and the international seaport. From the first days of his work, Medvedev had to engage in an intense struggle against counter-revolution. The Siguranza, the intelligence service of bourgeois Romania, was especially active in the region at that time. And the 25-year-old (but already experienced) security officer again found himself in the thick of things.

Together with his comrades, Medvedev successfully carried out a complex operation to destroy an entire network of underground headquarters of the so-called Ukrainian Insurgent Army, and eliminated the gang of Ataman Zabolotny, which was once known in Odessa. He managed to organize and carry out the search for Makhno’s personal treasure.

After Odessa, Medvedev worked in Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Kherson, and Kyiv. Following the KGB tradition accepted at that time - to provide assistance to street children - he helped create a children's commune in Novograd-Volynsky, where he headed the local department of the OGPU.

For successful work, Dmitry Medvedev was awarded a gold watch in 1921, in 1927 and 1929 - with personal registered combat weapons - Mauser pistols with the inscription "For the merciless fight against counter-revolution", and in 1932 - with the badge "Honorary Worker of the Cheka" -OGPU."

In the summer of 1935, Medvedev went to study in Moscow - to the NKVD Senior Command Course.

BROTHER FOR BROTHER IS RESPONSIBLE

However, the events that soon followed made certain adjustments to the career of the experienced security officer. In December 1935, Dmitry Medvedev's older brother Alexander, who worked as the manager of the All-Union Autogenous Trust, was expelled from the party for “concealing his past participation in the opposition” and for “an anti-party statement on the day of the anniversary of Kirov’s assassination.”

The Dzerzhinsky district committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks reprimanded Dmitry Medvedev “for communicating with his brother,” after which he was seconded to the NKVD of the Ukrainian SSR and appointed to the position of inspector in the Kharkov regional department.

In April 1937, Alexander Medvedev was arrested in Moscow by the NKVD. This circumstance served as the basis for the release of Dmitry Medvedev from operational work in July 1937 and his transfer to the reserve.

Having retired, Medvedev began to actively seek reinstatement in operational work, submitting statements and reports to the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, to the editorial office of the newspaper Pravda and to the leadership of the NKVD of the USSR.

In the end, it was decided “to consider it possible to use D.N. Medvedev in the NKVD, but outside the central apparatus.” In April 1938, he was appointed deputy head of the 3rd department of the NKVD of the White Sea-Baltic plant, and a year later - head of the 3rd department of the NKVD of the Norilsk construction plant in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

On November 3, 1939, Medvedev was again dismissed from the authorities. As noted in official documents, the reason for this was that he allowed “massive unjustified termination of investigative cases.”

Arriving in Moscow, Dmitry Nikolaevich again began to fight for a return to the ranks of the “soldiers of the invisible front.” He was sure that he had not yet put the last stop in his military Chekist biography. And he turned out to be right.

"MITI" SQUAD

The extraordinary personal qualities of the security officer Medvedev manifested themselves especially on a large scale during the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. On June 22, 1941, he submitted a report to the NKGB of the USSR, in which he expressed his firm desire to return to duty:

"To the People's Commissar
state security of the USSR
Comrade Beria L.P.
from an honorary worker of the Cheka,
former state security captain
D.N. Medvedev

In November 1939, after twenty years of operational work in the Cheka-OGPU-NKVD, I was fired from the authorities.

In the very first days of the war, both with the Polish lords and with the Finnish White Guards, I turned to you, full of readiness for any work, for any feat.

Now, deeply aware of my duty to the Motherland, I am again disturbing you, Comrade People's Commissar, with my irresistible desire to devote all my strength, all of myself to the fight against fascism.

Tomilino station of the Lenin railway, former Egorova village, Central street, house No. 8, Medvedev D.N.”

Simultaneously with the report, Medvedev writes a letter addressed to Stalin and the People's Commissar of State Security, in which he outlines his proposals for the deployment of active reconnaissance and sabotage work behind enemy lines.

Stalin liked the letter from the experienced security officer. The proposal to send small reconnaissance and sabotage groups behind enemy lines was accepted, and already in August 34 NKVD officers, led by state security captain Medvedev, began combat work. From August 1941 to the end of January 1942, Medvedev led the special operational detachment "Mitya", operating in the territory of Smolensk, Oryol and Bryansk regions.

The Mitya detachment (and for the few initiates, reconnaissance and sabotage residency No. 4/70 of the Special Group under the People's Commissar of the NKVD of the USSR) conducted active combat, sabotage and reconnaissance activities. Its fighters almost daily attacked enemy garrisons and convoys, burned and blew up bridges, warehouses, communications centers, and destroyed enemy personnel.

The raid by the Mitya special squad was successful. The soldiers who returned to the mainland told their colleagues about reconnaissance, night attacks on the enemy, derailed trains as if it were something ordinary, and they spoke about their commander with delight bordering on adoration: “Brave and fantastically resourceful!”

This was evident already when crossing the front line. Several attempts to penetrate enemy lines ended unsuccessfully: they chose the deadest time of the night, advanced, one might say, without breathing, but had barely gone 20-30 steps into the enemy’s position when the Germans launched flares and opened barrage fire. Then Medvedev decided to lead the detachment at 12 noon. And he did it without firing a single shot! The commander’s calculation was based on the fact that the pedantic Germans had lunch exactly at noon and removed some of their posts at this time, confident that on a clear day no one would come within a cannon shot of their positions.

From the message of the NKVD of the USSR No. 2/B dated January 1, 1942 in State Committee Defense (GKO) about the combat activities of the partisan detachment under the command of Dmitry Medvedev in the Roslavl-Sukhinichi area:

“The commander of the partisan detachment of the NKVD of the USSR, State Security Captain Medvedev reports:

On December 25, 1941, four mines blew up a military train on the Roslavl-Sukhinichi railway, heading towards the front. A locomotive and 15 carriages were destroyed, up to 300 soldiers were killed, and many were wounded. Traffic was stopped for many days. Traffic jams have been created at the Kirov and Fayansovaya stations towards Roslavl.

On the same date, during a raid on the village of Zhizdra, the German police commandant’s office was liquidated and defeated truck, 500 thousand rubles were captured, Lvov-Korzukhin, the son of Prince Lvov (Chief Prosecutor of the Synod in the bourgeois Provisional Government), was taken alive and transferred to the Germans.

People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR Beria."

This message was extremely important, since in the Roslavl-Sukhinichi area the enemy concentrated powerful tank groups that were supposed to break through the defenses of the Red Army and, in cooperation with German infantry formations, encircle and destroy the main forces in the areas of Vyazma and Bryansk Soviet troops, covering Moscow from the west.

Messages from the NKVD of the USSR to the GKO and the General Staff of the Red Army No. 9/B dated January 3 and No. 47/B dated January 11, 1942 outlined the contents of two more radiograms received from Medvedev. The first reported that in the center of Zhizdra there was a noticeable large concentration of German vehicles, to destroy which aircraft should be sent, and that as a result of a raid by our aviation on the Zikeevo station on December 25, 1941, more than 70 fascists were killed. In the second radiogram, Medvedev announced that on January 9, a detachment shot down an enemy plane, that fascist troops were retreating along the Zhizdra-Lyudinovo highway, the Kaluga and Ekaterininsky highways to Bryansk, and that five partisan detachments from local residents were organized near these retreat routes.

On our own behalf, we note that on the basis of these detachments, the Bryansk partisan region was deployed in February–March 1942.

Let us mention one more episode of the activity of the Mitya detachment. In the area of ​​​​the settlement of Kletnya, he was surrounded. In a battle with the punitive forces, Medvedev was wounded. The outstanding Soviet boxer of the pre-war era, Nikolai Korolev, who was Medvedev’s adjutant, began to carry the commander out of the fire, but unexpectedly ran into the Germans. The partisans faced inevitable death. However, Nikolai used a trick: he lowered the commander to the ground and raised his hands up. Soldiers, under guard, escorted Korolev to the dugout where their officers were located. With unexpected blows, Nikolai knocked out three guards and threw a grenade into the dugout. Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, the squad's fighters broke out of the ring. Korolev carried Medvedev on his back for many kilometers.

In addition to carrying out reconnaissance and sabotage tasks, the security officers of Medvedev’s detachment were directly involved in identifying enemy agents embedded in local partisan formations, as well as in the liquidation of false partisan detachments that were created by German special services to fight Soviet partisans.

After completing the assigned task, Medvedev, by order of the NKVD of the USSR, at the end of January 1942, crossed the front line with a detachment and arrived in Moscow. His successful actions behind enemy lines were awarded the Order of Lenin. In his presentation for the award, the head of the 4th Directorate of the NKVD, Pavel Sudoplatov, emphasized: “...During the battle with the 576th Engineer Battalion, the battalion headquarters was destroyed and the banner was captured. The largest operations of comrade. Medvedev headed it personally. In battles with the Nazis he was wounded twice...”

"WINNERS"

After a report on the situation in the territory occupied by the Nazis, Medvedev outlined in writing his thoughts on the paths of development partisan movement behind enemy lines.

The most important thing that Medvedev learned from the raid of the Mitya detachment was the experience and the conclusion made on its basis: in the conditions of the most brutal, thought-out to the smallest detail occupation regime of the Nazis, the actions of small reconnaissance groups, and especially individual reconnaissance officers, are extremely difficult and successful, systematic, deep and reliable reconnaissance activities are possible only if there is a solid base, which should be strong, sufficiently large partisan detachments.

The operational reconnaissance detachment “Winners,” which Medvedev commanded from June 1942 to April 1944, was precisely such a base.

Upon returning from his first combat mission, Medvedev was appointed head of the 3rd department of the 4th directorate of the NKVD of the USSR. Dmitry Nikolaevich uses his work at the Center primarily for comprehensive preparation for going behind enemy lines for the next, more complex mission.

The only quick and relatively convenient way for operational reconnaissance groups to penetrate deep into enemy lines was by air - drop from aircraft. Medvedev decides to immediately begin parachute training for all personnel of his detachment. The first to make training jumps are the officers, led by the commander. The example of Medvedev and his assistants had a great moral and educational impact on ordinary soldiers.

The complexity of the situation in the spring of 1942, the lack of sufficient intelligence information from deep in the rear, required the urgent release of Medvedev’s detachment to the regions Western Ukraine. The composition of the detachment is significant, about 100 people, and the simultaneous release of such a group, which would require 15–20 aircraft, was excluded. We need to act step by step, throw out the squad in sections, but time is running out. Medvedev sought to fly out with the first link, and it took a lot of effort to keep him from this step.

The first to fly was the flight of Captain Tvorogov, the deputy head of the operational detachment for reconnaissance, a participant in Medvedev’s first raid. Due to an error by the aircraft navigator, the landing occurred with a deviation of 100 km from the intended area. And yet the unit gets in touch with the Center by radio, but three days later in an unequal battle with the Nazis it almost completely dies.

The second to fly out was the flight of Major Pashun, who before the war was the head of one of the regional departments of the NKVD in Belarus. Pashun did not get in touch. The reason is unknown.

Medvedev resolutely insists on continuing the ejection of the detachment’s fighters, and is ready to fly himself. But the NKVD leadership understands that even more serious consequences are possible. The search for an optimal solution is underway.

Around the same time, the “Mechanics” task force, led by senior state security lieutenant Viktor Kochetkov, was dispatched to operate in the Kyiv-Fastov area. She landed safely, established contact with the Center and began to move to the designated area. In the Chernigov forests, the group’s advance was suspended by instructions from the Center: “Report the situation in the area of ​​travel and the possibility of receiving another operational group at your base.” Kochetkov said that the situation is favorable for receiving even several combat reconnaissance groups.

At Lubyanka, a decision is made to continue the release of the “Winners” to the “Mechanika” base.

The next link is headed by the deputy chief of the operational detachment for political affairs, Major Stekhov. Then Medvedev flies himself. The center receives a message about the safe landing of Medvedev’s flight and the entry of Stekhov’s flight to the Mechanika base. Medvedev asks for permission from the Center to include in his detachment the task force “Mechanics”, whose commander Kochetkov he knows from joint security work in Ukraine since the 20s. Viktor Kochetkov, along with Sergei Stekhov, Alexander Lukin, Vladimir Frolov, becomes one of Medvedev’s closest military associates.

Moscow continued to send link after link to the base. By September 1942, the reconnaissance and sabotage detachment “Winners” was completely thrown out.

Its international composition is noteworthy. Along with Soviet citizens - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Jews, Armenians, Georgians, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, internationalist and anti-fascist fighters were widely represented in the detachment: Poles, Slovaks, Czechs, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Spaniards.

One of the fighters of the detachment was the Spanish anti-fascist Africa de Las Heras, the future remarkable Soviet intelligence officer and illegal immigrant “Patria”. After the defeat of the Popular Front government in Spain, Africa came to the Soviet Union. From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, she began to strive to be sent to the front. But Africa was sent to a radio operator course, which she graduated with excellent marks in May 1942, and then was accepted into Medvedev’s detachment.

THE THREAT OF OCCUPIERS AND NATIONALISTS

After the “Winners” had gathered at the “Mechanika” base, a 600-kilometer foot raid into the Sarny forests near Rovno began. The transition turned out to be difficult, difficult and was a serious test of the combat effectiveness of the operational security group deep behind enemy lines, operating many hundreds of kilometers from the Center and the front line. The Medvedevites passed this test with honor.

The "Winners" squad led fighting in Rivne and Lviv regions. Its main base was located near the city of Rivne, chosen by the Nazis as the capital of occupied Ukraine - the “Reichskommissariat of Ukraine”. Almost two and a half hundred German institutions and headquarters of central subordination were located in Rivne. At the same time, this small city was an important communications center.

Landed in small groups starting in the spring of 1942, Medvedev’s operational detachment of 75 people by February 1944 had turned into a whole formation numbering over 7,000 fighters.

The “winners” fought 92 battles, during which they destroyed more than 2,000 enemy officers and soldiers, over 6,000 Ukrainian nationalists and policemen who served with the Nazis.

As a result of acts of retaliation, 11 generals and senior government officials were eliminated fascist Germany, among whom General Paul Dargel is the first deputy of the Reich Commissioner of Ukraine Erich Koch for political affairs; General von Ilgen - commander of the punitive troops in Ukraine; SS Oberführer Alfred Funk – Chairman supreme court in occupied Ukraine; Otto Bauer - Vice-Governor of Galicia.

The Medvedev bombers derailed 81 trains of enemy personnel and military equipment, blew up 10 bridges, and carried out dozens of other military operations, each of which is worthy of admiration for its courage and audacity.

Future Heroes fought in the “Winners” squad Soviet Union the famous intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov and his contact Nikolai Prikhodko, whose actions were directed and supported by Medvedev.

Using connections in the institutions and organizations of the occupiers, the operational staff of the detachment received extensive intelligence and counterintelligence information, which was promptly transmitted to the Center: about the military-political situation in the occupied territory, about the activities of the fascist occupation authorities, about the transfer of troops and military equipment by rail and highways , detailed data on military garrisons.

Among the most valuable intelligence information, it is enough to name the messages transmitted by Medvedev to Moscow about the Nazis preparing an assassination attempt on the participants in the historical meeting in Tehran - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill, about the placement of Hitler’s field headquarters near Vinnitsa, about the preparation by the German command of a major offensive near Kursk.

At the same time, Medvedev directed great efforts towards organizing the partisan movement in the western regions of Ukraine. 14 partisan detachments were created in these areas. Medvedev initiated meetings and operational meetings of commanders of partisan formations, brigades and detachments.

While he was behind enemy lines, Dmitry Nikolaevich was wounded twice and received a concussion.

In April 1944, the “Winners” operational detachment left enemy lines for reorganization. Seriously ill, Medvedev was recovering for a long time. Then he worked on a report on the detachment’s activities over an almost two-year period.

For the exemplary performance of command tasks behind enemy lines and the courage and heroism displayed, Dmitry Medvedev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 5, 1944. He was awarded four Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner and many medals.

ON THE LITERARY FRONT

In October 1946, Dmitry Nikolaevich, with the rank of colonel, retired for health reasons and took up social and literary activities. At first these were oral presentations before various audiences, which were very successful. In particular, once in a narrow circle of writers he shared his memories of the exploits of Nikolai Kuznetsov, and soon the film “The Exploit of a Scout”, which gained enormous popularity, appeared on the screens of the country. Medvedev’s speeches were also responded to by numerous letters from listeners calling on him to write a book about the actions of partisans during the war.

Writing is also a feat. Literary work was new and unusual for Dmitry Nikolaevich. Having overcome considerable difficulties facing the aspiring writer, he wrote patriotic, truthful books, main topic whose courage, moral fortitude, unforgettable heroic deeds Soviet people behind enemy lines. He is the author of the widely known works “It Was Near Rovno”, “ Strong-willed", "On the banks of the Southern Bug", dedicated to the military actions of the "Winners" detachment and the selfless struggle of the heroic underground.

What was Dmitry Nikolaevich like in everyday life, being with his family, what was his interest and hobby? Let us answer this question in the words of his wife Tatyana Ilyinichna, whose memories are stored in the Cabinet of Foreign Intelligence History:

“Speaking about him as a person, it must be said that he did not belong to himself, he loved his work and completely devoted himself to it. He understood people very well, always looked for the good in them, believed them and highly valued brave people. He was always drawn to young people and loved children very much. When small children appeared in the detachment and food was poor, he sent a telegram to the Center: “Send semolina porridge.” You see, not cereal, but porridge... What was Dmitry Nikolaevich interested in? He loved very much historical literature, classics, books I read in one gulp. Once upon a time he wrote poetry himself and acted in the theater. He was a passionate Dynamo fan.

The life of Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev was cut short at the height of his creative powers - at the age of 56. He died on December 14, 1954. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.

On the day of his funeral, newspapers wrote: “All his adult life D.N. Medvedev participated in the struggle of his class - as a teenager, a young man, a mature man - until the last beat of his heart. He never had a break in his life.”

EDUARD SHARAPOV

Books of the Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev“It Was Near Rovno” and “Strong in Spirit” were included in the golden fund of literature about the Great Patriotic War. Meanwhile, the true biography of their author, as well as real story partisan detachment "Winners" were hidden for a long time behind the strictest veil of secrecy.

When rumors spread around Rivne in the summer of 1942 that Soviet tanks had appeared in the vicinity of Zhitomir, panic began in the city. Not only traitors who had stained themselves by collaborating with the occupiers, but also German officials who had managed to bring their wives here from Germany were in a hurry to evacuate. To get a car, they were ready to pay any money. But there weren't enough cars, and Train Station was so crowded that it was cordoned off by the Feldgendarmerie, and no one was allowed in except German officers.

A horse harnessed to a carriage trudged along the street leading to the station, in which sat two guys in civilian clothes. The carriage caught up with the officer, who was dragging two huge suitcases.

“Mr. Chief Lieutenant,” one of the drivers politely addressed him, “allow me to take you to the station.”

- Danke shen, danke shen! - the German was delighted.

The luggage was immediately stowed in the carriage, and the carriage continued on its way. At the station, without giving the officer time to come to his senses, the helpful guys grabbed his suitcases, and at the same time their own, large and heavy, and carried them into the building.

The gendarme standing at the door tried to stop them, but the chief lieutenant ordered them to let them through. All the suitcases were brought into the hall, crowded with passengers taking away the loot to Germany... And a few hours later there was a strong explosion, one wall of the hall collapsed, the ceiling collapsed. About a hundred German officers and soldiers were killed.

This is one of the episodes of the activities of the “Winners” partisan detachment, commanded by Dmitry Medvedev...

From the archives of the Foreign Intelligence Service:

“Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev was born on August 22, 1898 in Bezhitsy near Bryansk. Enlisted in the state security agencies in May 1920, he worked in territorial divisions.

In 1936, after completing senior management courses, he was sent to work in foreign intelligence. For two years he was on intelligence work abroad.

During the Great Patriotic War D.N. Medvedev was twice withdrawn to the rear of the Nazi troops. In 1941-1942. led a partisan detachment that carried out operations in the Smolensk, Bryansk and Mogilev regions. From June 1942 to September 1944 he commanded the “Winners” partisan detachment operating in the Rivne and Lvov regions. The detachment fought 120 major battles, in which up to 2,000 were eliminated German soldiers and officers, including 11 generals and senior government officials of Nazi Germany. 81 trains with manpower and equipment were blown up.

For exemplary performance of command assignments behind enemy lines, Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated November 5, 1944, with the Order of Lenin and medal " Golden Star"In addition, D.N. Medvedev was awarded three Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner and many medals."

In the 20s, the young security officer Medvedev fought against White Guard and nationalist gangs in Bakhmach and Starobelsk, and against sabotage and sabotage in mines in the Rostov region. In mid-1922, he was sent to work in Odessa, where opponents of Soviet power were active at that time.

While still chairman of the Cheka in Starobelsk, Medvedev met the Makhnovist Leva Zadov, whose name struck fear into the residents of the surrounding villages. This acquaintance was useful to Medvedev during one operation, when he was already working in Odessa.

The security officers learned that Nestor Makhno, who had fled abroad, intended to regain the treasure that he had hidden on Soviet territory. On a dark night A boat with Makhnovist emissaries set sail from the Romanian coast. At the right place they were met by security officers, given a special password and taken to the farm. Among the four Makhnovists, the leader stood out with his enormous height and powerful figure. There were only two security officers, and in the event of a fight it was difficult to guarantee its outcome.

When the group entered the large barn, Dmitry called Zadov aside and stated that he had been following him for a long time, knew that he did not share Makhno’s views in everything and that the time had come to put an end to the past. The security officer put his hand on his shoulder and quietly said that he needed to hand over his weapons.

Zadov made up his mind. He commanded the bandits to obey, and he himself was the first to throw down the pistol. Later, he helped find Makhno's treasure, and the wealth was handed over to the authorities. A former blast furnace operator and former bandit, Zadov changed his last name and started a new life.

Medvedev miraculously survived the whirlwind of Yezhovism. In 1938, he was summoned to the NKVD in Kyiv, where they announced his dismissal from the state security agencies. However, his colleagues who knew him well took the side of the security officer, and Medvedev continued his work.

The intense work, which constantly required the mobilization of all physical and spiritual strength, weakened my health. The back bruise I had once received began to take its toll, which turned into a serious spinal disease. At the end of 1939, Dmitry Nikolaevich retired for health reasons and settled in the Moscow region. He was then only 41 years old.

The war interrupted treatment, and Medvedev offered his knowledge and experience to the People's Commissariat of State Security, where they were already creating combat groups and security forces for operations behind enemy lines. Among the first was Medvedev’s reconnaissance and sabotage group, called the detachment "Mitya". Before being sent to the rear, Medvedev’s detachment helped create 18 operational reconnaissance and sabotage detachments and groups in Moscow.

Medvedev's group - 34 soldiers and radio operators - was sent behind enemy lines twice. The first time, from August 1941 to January 1942, it operated in the Bryansk and Smolensk regions.

In one of the reports, Medvedev reported to the Center: “All villages and even small farms and forestries of the Kletnyansky district Smolensk region saturated with German units. The population is disoriented and scared. There were no rumors about the presence, much less about any actions of partisan groups and detachments. It seemed that the occupiers had become complete masters of the occupied territory and the local population had completely accepted this.

It was necessary to “make some noise” in order to provoke an appropriate response.

On September 15, we carried out a raid near the village of Salnikovo and completely destroyed a small enemy column. One general was among those killed.

The next day, the German command gave the order to shoot all partisan accomplices. For all nearby settlements searches, arrests and other repressions began. Activists began to flee from the villages into the forests - party members, Komsomol members, as well as soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, who settled in the villages after their formations and units disintegrated, finding themselves surrounded by the Germans. Due to this, the operational group tripled in size within 10-15 days.

Continuing to carry out new operations on highways and dirt roads, we ensured that word of the activity of our task force spread hundreds of kilometers, and representatives of various local partisan groups began to contact us.

During their stay behind enemy lines from September 1941 to January 1942, the group D.N. Medvedev managed to organize, strengthen and intensify the work of armed groups in a number of areas of the Oryol and Bryansk regions and the Mogilev region of Belarus, and create partisan detachments here.

In the Bryansk forests the foundation was laid for the development of the so-called partisan region with centers in the cities of Zhizdra and Dyatkovo. Of the 27 partisan detachments operating in this region, 7 were created with the active help of the Medvedevites.

In the second half of December, the detachment received information that the enemy was preparing a new attack on Moscow. Trains with manpower and equipment followed east every 15-20 minutes.

After sabotage on railways"traffic jams" arose, through which Soviet aviation, starting on December 27, bombed for several days in a row. Dozens of trains turned into piles of metal cluttering the tracks...

During the second raid, from mid-May 1942 to March 1944, the operational reconnaissance and sabotage group D.N. Medvedeva was staffed to 100 people. 85 of them were fighters of OMSBON - Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade special purpose. The group, which became known as the “Winners” detachment, was tasked with settling in the Rivne region, conducting reconnaissance in the city and its environs, and liquidating the leaders of the German administration.

The soldiers parachuted into the territory occupied by the Germans. But the first group was mistakenly dropped south of Zhitomir, almost 300 kilometers from the target. The area turned out to be treeless, it was difficult to hide there, and almost everyone died... The second group was dropped 200 kilometers north of the intended location, but managed to move to the concentration area. Unfortunately, two more groups were also dropped off in places other than those intended for collection...

Finally Medvedev decided to fly himself. On July 20, 1942, he jumped with a parachute along with a group of fighters, which included the head of Patria intelligence, Maria de las Heras Africa. This brave Spaniard went through a glorious journey with the “Victors” detachment from June 1942 to February 1944. The landing was successful, but the detachment commander himself bruised his sore spine.

The night landings of paratroopers did not go unnoticed - punitive forces began to look for the detachment. We had to fight and change the location of the camp. We moved to the forests near Sarny.

Gradually, a pattern of the detachment’s reconnaissance activities took shape. It was possible to establish contact with the local underground, and the underground members became involved in solving intelligence tasks. Information was transmitted daily to Moscow by radio for the command of the Red Army.

Residencies were organized in Rivne, Zdolbunov, Sarny and Lutsk.

The residency in Rivne was the largest, numbering several dozen intelligence officers and local residents. A lot of work was done by the underground organization, which was headed by Terenty Fedorovich Novak (in 1965 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union). Other residencies were smaller in number, but were also active.

Particular attention was paid to Rivne, which the Nazis turned into the “capital of occupied Ukraine.” The residence of the Governor of Ukraine, Gauleiter Erich Koch, large military headquarters, and the All-Ukrainian Gestapo were located here.

Scouts Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov, N.A. were selected to work in Rivne. Gnedyuk, M.M. Shevchuk, N.T. Prikhodko, Jan Kaminsky, M. Stefansky and others.

But the Germans also intensified their search for our scouts and increasingly sent punitive detachments against the partisans. They were looking for ways to send their agents into the detachment.

Therefore everyone new person was subjected to careful scrutiny. In addition, over 100 agents operated in the German intelligence services and various institutions of the occupation forces. However, in 1944, a provocateur nevertheless penetrated into the detachment under the guise of an encirclement. A few days later he disappeared.

He undoubtedly caused some damage to the detachment. An underground worker was arrested, who, on a farm, on the outskirts of Rivne, was recruiting groups and transporting them to a detachment, several more people. But the German agent failed to identify other intelligence officers and open the communication system with them.

The volume of intelligence information was so significant that the detachment’s radios carried out 3-4 communication sessions with the Center every day. The political and economic situation in Western Ukraine was regularly covered; the mood in the officer circles of the German army was studied in detail; Based on assessments made by prominent officials of the occupation institutions in Rivne, the situation in Germany was highlighted.

When Soviet army began to liberate Ukraine, D.N. Medvedev decided to go in the direction of Lvov and provide assistance to the advancing troops. And at the beginning of February, he received an order to withdraw the detachment to the rear of the Red Army and crossed the front line on the 5th. Thus ended the path of the “Winners” reconnaissance and sabotage detachment.

The old injury made itself felt, and Medvedev made his way to his friends already lying in the cart. Upon his return, Dmitry Nikolaevich reported:

“The Operational Group “Winners” carried out enormous reconnaissance work on a daily basis; all the data it obtained was reported to the command by radio.

By May 1943, reconnaissance work covered Rovno, Zdolbunov, Lutsk, Kovel, Sarny, Rakitnoye, Kostopol, Lyudvipol, Bereznoye and many others. From October 1943, the reconnaissance of the task force also covered Vinnitsa, and in January 1944, Lvov.”

Much has been written about the affairs of Dmitry Nikolaevich Medvedev’s detachment, including in the wonderful books of its commander. But much about the work of security intelligence officers is becoming known only now.

Medvedev’s squad that fought in Ukraine enjoyed great fame and elusiveness. D. N. Medvedev was born in August 1898 in the town of Bezhitsa, Bryansk district, Oryol province. Dmitry's father was a qualified steel worker. In December 1917, after graduating from high school, Dmitry Nikolaevich worked as secretary of one of the departments of the Bryansk district Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. In 1918-1920 he fought on various fronts civil war. In 1920, D.N. Medvedev joined the party, and the party sent him to work in the Cheka. Dmitry Nikolaevich worked in the bodies of the Cheka - OGPU - NKVD until October 1939 and, for health reasons, retired.

From the very beginning of the war, he volunteered to fight against the fascist occupiers... In the summer camp of the Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the NKVD, formed from volunteers by the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs and the Central Committee of the Komsomol, Medvedev selected three dozen reliable guys into his squad. On August 22, 1941, a group of 33 volunteer partisans under the leadership of Medvedev crossed the front line and found themselves in occupied territory. Medvedev’s detachment operated on Bryansk land for about five months and carried out over 50 military operations.

Reconnaissance partisans planted explosives under the rails and tore up enemy trains, fired from ambushes at convoys on the highway, went on air day and night and reported to Moscow more and more information about the movements of German troops. military units... Medvedev’s detachment served as the nucleus for the creation of an entire partisan region in the Bryansk region. Over time, new special tasks were assigned to it, and it was already included in the plans of the Supreme High Command as an important bridgehead behind enemy lines.

At the beginning of 1942, D. N. Medvedev was recalled to Moscow and here he worked on the formation and training of volunteer sabotage groups transferred to enemy lines. Together with one of these groups in June 1942, he again found himself behind the front line.

In the summer of 1942, Medvedev’s detachment became the center of resistance in a vast region of the occupied territory of Ukraine. The party underground in Rovno, Lutsk, Zdolbunov, Vinnitsa, hundreds and hundreds of patriots act in concert with partisan intelligence officers. He became famous in Medvedev's squad legendary scout Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov, who acted for a long time in Rivne under the guise of Hitler’s officer Paul Siebert...

Over the course of 22 months, the detachment carried out dozens of important reconnaissance operations. Suffice it to mention the messages transmitted by Medvedev to Moscow about the Nazis preparing an assassination attempt on the participants of the historical meeting in Tehran - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill, about the placement of Hitler’s headquarters near Vinnitsa, about the preparation of the German offensive on Kursk Bulge, the most important information about military garrisons, received from the commander of these garrisons, General Ilgen.

The unit carried out 83 military operations, in which many hundreds of Nazi soldiers and officers, and many senior military and Nazi leaders were killed. Much military equipment was destroyed by partisan mines. Dmitry Nikolaevich was wounded and shell-shocked twice while behind enemy lines. He was awarded three Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, and military medals. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 5, 1944, State Security Colonel Medvedev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1946, Medvedev resigned and until last days throughout his life he was engaged in literary work.

D. N. Medvedev dedicated his books “It Was Near Rovno”, “Strong in Spirit”, “On the Banks of the Southern Bug” to the military affairs of Soviet patriots during the war years deep behind enemy lines. During the activity of the detachment, a lot of valuable information was transmitted to the command about the work of railway roads, about the movements of enemy headquarters, about the transfer of troops and equipment, about the activities of the occupation authorities, about the situation in the temporarily occupied territory. In battles and skirmishes, up to 12 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed. The detachment's losses were 110 killed and 230 wounded.

This publication is a response to a request from newspaper readers. And then, it would be unfair, having talked about Nikolai Kuznetsov, to remain silent about his senior comrade in arms - detachment commander Dmitry Medvedev.

The beginning of the battle path

Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel of State Security Dmitry Medvedev was born in 1899 in the village of Bezhitsa, on the outskirts of Bryansk, into a large family of a steel shop foreman at the Bryansk Rail Rolling Plant. His father managed to give him a gymnasium education. The son dreamed of entering the Petrograd Forestry Institute.

But 1917 dramatically changes plans. Dmitry Nikolaevich actively participates in October revolution, voluntarily joins the Red Army, fights near Petrograd and on the Eastern Front. In 1920 he returned to Bryansk and became an employee of the Cheka.

In 1921, a young security officer, Medvedev, was sent to the Donbass to fight local armed gangs. He did not choose his place of service; he worked where it was most difficult. Devotion to his chosen difficult but honorable profession, courage, courage and dedication distinguished the talented state security officer.

And the rewards themselves found the hero. On December 17, 1921, he received a personalized gold watch, then was twice awarded a personalized military weapon, and in 1932 he was awarded the most prestigious title - an honorary employee of the Cheka.

Period of repression

However, in 1934–39, a tragic period began for the state security agencies of the USSR. The country's leadership, headed by Joseph Stalin, turned the NKVD into a machine of mass repression. The first victims were the security officers themselves, who had gone through the school of revolution and civil war and carried out difficult tasks abroad.

Dmitry Medvedev was also fired without explanation. This was the first hard blow. But he did not break the courageous fighter, and Medvedev decides to fight to the end. With difficulty, but he manages to reinstate himself in the NKVD.

He tries to stay in his positions. But the flywheel of repression launched from above is gaining momentum. One by one, honest and experienced colleagues are disappearing, and they are trying to expel Medvedev himself from the party and demote him. This usually preceded an arrest.
And Dmitry Nikolaevich decides to take proactive steps that were daring for those times and desperate in courage.

On March 14, 1938, People's Commissar of Internal Affairs Nikolai Yezhov was delivered a copy of Medvedev's letter to Stalin, Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. Medvedev informed that his repeated appeals to Yezhov remained unanswered, so he was going on a hunger strike and would conduct it in the hall of the Kursk station near the bust of Comrade Stalin. Signed: state security captain, honorary security officer Medvedev.

The next day, Dmitry Nikolaevich was taken from the station to the People's Commissariat, he was not fired, but was transferred from the Main Directorate first to Medvezhyegorsk, and then to Norilsk. Soon Medvedev “distinguished himself” here too. He was outraged that the camp authorities, for far-fetched reasons, re-arrested prisoners who had served their sentences. Captain Medvedev, citing violations of the norms of socialist legality, released from custody with his authority large group re-arrested. The management was outraged. The next trial ended with the fact that in November 1939, Beria signed an order to dismiss Medvedev “for allowing a massive unjustified termination of investigative cases.” So Dmitry Nikolaevich, at the age of 41, again found himself out of service, without work. And this was the second blow to the heart of the security officer.

War. Partisans. Intelligence service

The year 1941 came - the Great Patriotic War. There is no time for insults or personal ambitions here. Dmitry Medvedev promptly prepared a memorandum in which he substantiated the idea and principles of deploying partisan detachments behind enemy lines with the participation of professional security officers for active reconnaissance work. He took the report to Moscow himself and personally handed it over to his colleague Pyotr Timofeev. The latter handed it over to Pavel Sudoplatov, who headed the Special Group. He instantly appreciated Medvedev's proposal, which coincided with his own. Dmitry Nikolaevich was reinstated as a member of the People's Commissariat, returned to duty and immediately began work.

Already on September 7, 1941, the first reconnaissance and sabotage detachment “Mitya” (33 soldiers under the leadership of Medvedev) went behind the front line. The detachment operated in the strategically important Bryansk direction. Through active reconnaissance and combat work, he made a significant contribution to the disruption of the German offensive on Moscow and their subsequent defeat. On January 12, 1942, by order of the Center, the special detachment returned to Moscow. On February 17, Dmitry Nikolaevich was awarded the order Lenin.

But there was no rest, the war was not waiting. We got ready and went to the rear German troops new groups and squads. Medvedev personally participates in their preparation and at the same time submits a report to the People's Commissar of the NKVD about the creation of a detachment and work behind enemy lines. In April 1942, he was appointed commander of the Chekist special detachment “Winners,” which was tasked with organizing intelligence work in the area of ​​the city of Rivne, the capital of the Nazis in occupied Ukraine. Unlike Kyiv, in Rivne the NKVD had practically no operational positions; Medvedev had to start all over from scratch. He was allowed to select the most trained operatives for the detachment.

About a hundred soldiers and commanders began intensive training. No one, of course, knew that a professional intelligence officer had already been enlisted in the detachment, who would operate in Rivne under the guise of a German officer. The detachment's deployment area was chosen approximately three hundred kilometers from Rivne. In June 1942, the first groups began landing. On August 25, Medvedev accepted the last one, which included Nikolai Grachev, aka Paul Siebert.

“Reconnaissance and more reconnaissance,” Medvedev told his comrades and made sure that they understood the importance of intelligence work for the High Command.

It was a success. The center began to receive complete data on all military and occupation organizations of the fascists in Rivne and the region. During Battle of Stalingrad The detachment daily transmitted to Moscow information about the redeployment of German divisions rushing to the aid of Paulus. The intelligence officers were able to calculate and document the location of Hitler's headquarters near Vinnitsa. The center promptly received proactive information about the preparation of the German offensive near Kursk, about a conspiracy against the heads of state of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain in Tehran.

After the victory at Kursk, by the fall of 1943, a massive offensive of the Red Army began on all fronts. Scouts identified signs of preparations for the evacuation of Germans from Rivne. The center allows the detachment to carry out acts of retaliation against Nazi leaders. Dmitry Medvedev and his headquarters are developing operations to eliminate them, and Nikolai Kuznetsov with his military assistants becomes the main executor of acts of retaliation.

With the onset of 1944, the front approached Rivne, Medvedev and his detachment, by order of the Center, moved towards Lvov. However, the progress was slow, with battles. The Red Army advanced faster, and on February 5 the detachment found itself in liberated territory.

To summarize, we note that the “Winners” spent 20 months behind enemy lines. They destroyed several thousand German soldiers and officers, including nine generals. Moscow regularly received valuable intelligence information of a military-strategic and political nature. On November 5, 1944, for skillful command of the detachment, personal courage and heroism, Colonel Medvedev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Fight after the war

Dmitry Medvedev continued to work in state security agencies. But the main leader of the NKVD, Lavrentiy Beria, did not need front-line security officers who knew how to stand up for the truth. At the end of 1946, Medvedev was fired from the authorities for the third time.

Dmitry Nikolaevich was very upset by the undeserved punishment, but did not give up. I began to write about the war, about reconnaissance behind enemy lines, in order to pass on invaluable front-line experience and the experience of my fighting friends to young people. In 1948, the documentary story “It Was Near Rovno” was published, and in 1952, Dmitry Medvedev’s main book “Strong in Spirit” was published. The books were instantly distributed throughout the country, both young people and the older generation read them. The author was invited to meetings by schoolchildren, students, and workers.

In 1953, the Sverdlovsk Drama Theater staged the play “Strong in Spirit,” which was a huge success with the audience. Dmitry Medvedev's latest publication was the story “On the Banks of the Southern Bug.” In response, a nationalist article “On Dmitry Medvedev’s fake story” appears in Vinnitskaya Pravda. The Berievites were still working, and therefore, for unknown reasons, this libel was picked up by Literaturnaya Gazeta, which accused the author of underestimating the role of the party in the partisan movement. The publishers of the book immediately terminated the contract with him.

During these difficult days for Medvedev, Valentina Dovger came to Moscow and tried to support her commander.

On December 14, 1954, they decided to call Literaturka to find out when the newspaper would publish the promised refutation. Dmitry Nikolaevich spoke. The answer was such that the officer, who had looked death in the face more than once, turned pale and dropped the phone. This was the last blow to his heart. Arriving doctors diagnosed a massive heart attack. And Dmitry Medvedev was only 55 years old.

After the death of the commander, Valentina Konstantinovna continued his work: until the end of her life, at numerous meetings she talked about the war, about heroic deeds"Winners" squad.

Nikolai ZENZIN, retired FSB colonel

Partisan detachment of D. Medvedev

Parameter name	Meaning
Article topic:	Partisan detachment of D. Medvedev
Rubric (thematic category)	Warfare

Medvedev's detachment, which fought in Ukraine, enjoyed great fame and elusiveness. D. N. Medvedev was born in August 1898. in the town of Bezhitsa, Bryansk district, Oryol province. Dmitry's father was a qualified steel worker. In December 1917 ᴦ. After graduating from high school, Dmitry Nikolaevich worked as secretary of one of the departments of the Bryansk district Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. In 1918-1920. he fought on various fronts of the civil war. In 1920 ᴦ. D.N. Medvedev joins the party, and the party sends him to work in the Cheka. Dmitry Nikolaevich worked in the bodies of the Cheka - OGPU - NKVD until October 1939. and due to health reasons he retired.

From the very beginning of the war, he volunteered to fight against the fascist occupiers. ...In the summer camp of the Separate Special Purpose Motorized Rifle Brigade of the NKVD, formed from volunteers by the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs and the Komsomol Central Committee, Medvedev selected three dozen reliable guys into his squad. August 22, 1941 ᴦ. a group of 33 volunteer partisans under the leadership of Medvedev crossed the front line and ended up in occupied territory. Medvedev’s detachment operated on Bryansk land for about five months and carried out over 50 military operations.

Reconnaissance partisans planted explosives under the rails and tore up enemy trains, fired from ambushes at convoys on the highway, went on the air day and night and reported to Moscow more and more information about the movement of German military units... Medvedev’s detachment served as the nucleus for the creation in the Bryansk region there is an entire partisan region. Over time, new special tasks were assigned to it, and it was already included in the plans of the Supreme High Command as an important bridgehead behind enemy lines.

At the beginning of 1942 ᴦ. D. N. Medvedev was recalled to Moscow and here he worked on the formation and training of volunteer sabotage groups deployed behind enemy lines. Together with one of these groups in June 1942. he found himself behind the front line again.

Summer 1942 ᴦ. Medvedev's detachment becomes the center of resistance in a vast area of ​​occupied territory of Ukraine. The party underground in Rovno, Lutsk, Zdolbunov, Vinnitsa, hundreds and hundreds of patriots act in concert with partisan intelligence officers. In Medvedev's detachment, the legendary intelligence officer Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov became famous, who for a long time operated in Rivne under the guise of Hitler's officer Paul Siebert...

Over the course of 22 months, the detachment carried out dozens of important reconnaissance operations. Suffice it to mention the messages transmitted by Medvedev to Moscow about the preparation by the Nazis of an assassination attempt on the participants of the historical meeting in Tehran - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill, about the placement of Hitler's headquarters near Vinnitsa, about the preparation of the German offensive on the Kursk Bulge, the most important data about military garrisons received from the commander of these garrisons of General Ilgen.

The unit carried out 83 military operations, in which many hundreds of Nazi soldiers and officers, and many senior military and Nazi leaders were killed. Much military equipment was destroyed by partisan mines. Dmitry Nikolaevich was wounded and shell-shocked twice while behind enemy lines. He was awarded three Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, and military medals. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 5, 1944. Colonel of State Security Medvedev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1946 ᴦ. Medvedev resigned and until the last days of his life he was engaged in literary work.

D. N. Medvedev dedicated his books “It Was Near Rovno”, “Strong in Spirit”, “On the Banks of the Southern Bug” to the military affairs of Soviet patriots during the war deep behind enemy lines. During the activity of the detachment, a lot of valuable information was transmitted to the command about the work of railway roads, about the movements of enemy headquarters, about the transfer of troops and equipment, about the activities of the occupation authorities, about the situation in the temporarily occupied territory. In battles and skirmishes, up to 12 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed. The detachment's losses were 110 killed and 230 wounded

D. Medvedev's partisan detachment - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Partisan detachment of D. Medvedev" 2017, 2018.