Bank of Portraits / Sosedenko Apollinarii and Ahrypyna

Sosedenko Apollinarii and Ahrypyna

Apollinarii and Ahrypyna Sosedenko with three children lived in the village of Piddubne in Donetsk region. After the occupation of the region by German troops in October 1941, the persecution of Jews began. The eldest daughter of the Sosedenko family – Liuba brought home her Jewish friend Raisa Nut. A young woman left her newborn son with her husband's parents in the city of Stalino (current Donetsk) and went to seek shelter in the villages. Having accidentally met a childhood friend, she asked for help. Sosedenko family told everyone that Raisa is their relative, her house burned down during the fighting, so she will temporarily live there.

Raisa helped the Ukrainian family with the household and felt in relative safety. All the time she thought about her son and reassured herself that the Ukrainian in-laws would protect the child.

After the expulsion of the Germans, Raisa Nut returned to her hometown and met the baby whom she had not seen for two years. After the war, she maintained friendly relations with her rescuers.

In 2000, Yad Vashem recognized Apollinarii and Ahrypyna Sosedenko as Righteous Among the Nations.

Svitlana Demchenko

Kyiv

National museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War

  • fingerprintArtefacts
  • theatersVideo
  • subjectLibrary