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Evgeniy ShepelevMember of the underground organization 'Young Guard'.
Date of Birth: 11.01.1924
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Evgeny Shepelev
Evgeny Shepelev was a member of the underground organization "Young Guard". He actively participated in the social life of the school - publishing wall newspapers and organizing cultural events for students. He was respected by his comrades and teachers. Evgeny possessed strong willpower and always came to the aid of his comrades in critical moments.
Early Life and Education
Evgeny Shepelev was born on January 11, 1924, in the village of Trukhino, Oblivskiy District, Rostov Oblast, in a working-class family. In 1926, the Shepelev family moved to the Krasnoluchskiy District of Voroshilovgradskaya Oblast. They lived in the settlement of Shtergres, where his father, Nikifor Alexeevich, worked as a turbine workshop foreman. Evgeny's parents and grandmother, Irina Nikolaevna, had a significant influence on his character development. From an early age, he was taught the value of hard work, discipline, and order. He was a curious boy who had already learned the alphabet before starting school. By the time he entered the first grade in 1932, he could read and write fluently. From the second grade, he independently read small books, particularly enjoying the fairy tales of A.S. Pushkin. In 1937, Evgeny and his parents moved to the settlement of Mines No. 7-8 in the Krasnoluchskiy District. Here, in 1939, he joined the ranks of the Leninist Komsomol. During his school years, he was interested in chemistry, physics, and Russian literature. He particularly loved A.M. Gorky's novel "Mother," which he reread several times. He also admired the works of L.N. Tolstoy, A.P. Chekhov, and F.M. Dostoevsky.
Role in the "Young Guard"
Evgeny Shepelev actively participated in the social life of the school - publishing wall newspapers and organizing cultural events for students. He was respected by his comrades and teachers. He possessed strong willpower and always came to the aid of his comrades in critical moments.
World War II and Death
In 1941, Evgeny Shepelev graduated from the 9th grade in the settlement of Khrustalny. In the autumn, he volunteered for the 383rd Miners' Rifle Division under the command of Hero of the Soviet Union General K.I. Provalov. In the summer of 1942, the division retreated towards Stavropol, where Shepelev was captured. After some time, he managed to escape and made his way to Krasnodon, where his mother and younger brother Gennady were living at that time.
In the city, Evgeny met Ivan Zemnukhov, Boris Glavan, Anatoly Popov, and became one of the active members of the "Young Guard", leading a combat group. He participated in the production and distribution of leaflets and carried out armed operations as part of combat groups. On January 4, 1943, at 2 o'clock in the morning, armed police burst into the Shepelevs' apartment. "The policeman asked my mother for something to tie Eugene's hands," recalls his brother Gennady Nikiforovich Shepelev. "Mother replied that she didn't have anything to tie her son's hands with, and Eugene smiled and said: 'Ah, you three armed men are afraid to escort one person, you should have brought chains with you.'"
After terrible torture and torment, Evgeny Shepelev was executed and thrown into a mine shaft at Mine No. 5 on January 15, 1943. "...They cut off Eugene's hands, tore open his abdomen, and smashed his head...." (RGASPI. F. M-1. Op. 53. D. 331)
He is buried in the central square in a mass grave of the heroes of the city of Krasnodon. Evgeny Nikiforovich Shepelev was posthumously awarded the "Partisan of the Patriotic War" Medal, 1st Degree.
