The 10 Lysenko Brothers, All Sent To War And All Returned Home To Their Mother
Andrey and Pavel were dispatched to labour camps in Germany but miraculously survived and eventually linked up with advancing units of the Red Army. Senior Lieutenant Vasiliy, despite sustaining three injuries, was honoured with the Order of the Red Star, a prestigious medal recognizing his bravery. In 1946, Peter, who served as a communications officer, also made his triumphant return to their homeland.
The Lysenko siblings undertook remarkable journeys during the course of the war. Aleksandr, who served as a signalman, even reached the capital of the Third Reich, Berlin. On the other hand, tank driver Stepan, who was wounded in Eastern Prussia, was deployed to Manchuria for combat against the Japanese, although the war had already concluded by the time he arrived. He was the last of the brothers to return home, in 1947.
Nikolai was the first one to come back, having miraculously survived an explosion that had killed seven of his comrades. In 1944, he was discharged from the hospital and sent home to his mother.
His brother Ivan braved all of Ukraine, ending up at the Treblinka concentration camp and managing to escape. He continued to fight and ended his service in Romania.
Two other brothers had an accidental meeting there, as well. In August 1944, on the outskirts of the city of Iasi, Mikhail saw Feodosiy: “I jumped into the trench where he was and hugged him,” he remembers. “It turned out that I was being sent off on a reconnaissance mission, while he had just returned from one. I had to go and we couldn’t get enough of talking with each other. We both cried…”
After the fighting in Hungary, the brothers came back with disabilities. Mikhail was heavily wounded in the chest, while Feodosiy was left without a leg.
Evdokia Danilovna endured years of fruitless waiting for updates from the battlefield, having tragically lost her husband in 1933. Despite facing these challenges alone, she courageously raised five daughters and even managed to survive the German occupation. Fate eventually smiled upon her when all of her sons returned home.
Her remarkable tale quickly gained recognition beyond the confines of her village. In 1946, she was honoured with the Hero Mother award in Kiev.
Evdokia Lysenko passed away in 1967, at the age of 73. In 1984, a decision was made to commemorate her legacy by erecting a bronze statue in Brovakha. All of her sons, with the exception of Vasiliy, gathered to witness the unveiling of the monument. Regrettably, he had already passed away and did not live to witness this significant occasion.