Sidor Kovpak Soviet statesman, commander of the Sumy partisan association, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Conducted 5 raids on German rear areas. Since 1947 - deputy. Chairman of the Presidium of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Date of Birth: 07.06.1887 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Sidor Kovpak

Sidor Artemyevich Kovpak (1887, Kotelva, Sloboda-Ukrainian Governorate - 1967, Kyiv) was a Soviet military leader, statesman, and public figure, best known for his role as the leader of the partisan movement. He was born into a poor peasant family and completed his education at a church parish school in 1898. At a young age, he was apprenticed to a shop. From 1908 to 1912, Kovpak served in the army and later worked as a laborer in Saratov. In 1914, he was mobilized into the army and participated in the Brusilov Offensive in 1916, where he was awarded two George Crosses and two medals.

In the summer of 1917, Kovpak was elected as a member of the regimental committee. In 1918, he voluntarily joined the Red Army and the following year, he became a member of the party. During the Russian Civil War, he led a partisan detachment and fought against the Petlyura forces and German occupiers. He also fought on the Eastern Front as part of the 25th Chapayev Division. Until 1926, Kovpak served as a military commissar and then transitioned to agricultural and Soviet work.

From 1937 to 1941, he served as the chairman of the Putivl city executive committee. In 1941, Kovpak became the commander of the Sumy partisan detachment and conducted five raids behind enemy lines, covering over 10,000 kilometers and defeating fascist garrisons in 39 settlements. His successful raids played a significant role in organizing the partisan movement. General Major Kovpak was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1942 and 1944.

After the war, he served as a member of the Supreme Court of the Ukrainian SSR, Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR, and a member of the Presidium. Kovpak authored memoirs titled "From Putivl to the Carpathians" (Moscow, 1945) and "From the Diary of Partisan Campaigns" (Moscow, 1964).