Melnychuk Kateryna, Khutorna Nadiia, Zditovetska Yevheniia, Nikolaiuk Dariia

Kateryna Melnychuk and her two children lived in the village of Obozivka in Vinnytsia region. The woman supported her family by herself; so on the eve of the war, she rented one room in her house to the Pikman family from Pohrebyshche. Veniamin Pikman worked as a blacksmith, had a good reputation and took on any job. Peasants paid mainly in food.

In August, Hitler's occupation began, and almost immediately – the persecution of Jews.

A few weeks later, someone reported on Kateryna that a Jewish family lived in her house. The Pikman family was arrested. On the night of the arrest, their daughter, nine-year-old Fania, was with her neighbor Nadiia Khutorna, so the girl was lucky. Kateryna decided to save the child and began to look for a reliable shelter for her. She told the little girl that her parents and brother are no longer there and that she must be very careful to survive.

The roundups became more frequent, and in mid-October 1941, the 5th German operational team in Pohrebyshche, where the nearest ghetto was located, shot almost the entire Jewish population – almost 1,360 people.

Kateryna turned for help to her niece Dariia Nikolaiuk, who lived in the neighboring village of Skomoroshki. For two months, Fania hid in Dariia's house, and then Kateryna took her to her home again. During raids, the child was taught to run away into the field or into the forest. Nadiia Khutorna, a neighbor girl, showed her all the hiding places, and sometimes accompanied her. Somehow, she took her to aunt Yevheniia, who lived on the edge of the village. The old house near the forest did not attract attention, so it was relatively safe to stay there. Fania helped Yevheniia take care of three children.

After the expulsion of the Nazis from the village in January 1944, Fania Pikman lived with Kateryna Melnychuk for a year until her aunt was found. Later, together with her relatives, she settled in the city of Kyiv.

Throughout her life, she maintained warm relations with all those who helped her survive in adversity.

In 1999, Yad Vashem recognized Kateryna Melnychuk, Nadiia Khutorna, Dariia Nikolaiuk, and Yevheniia Zditovetska as Righteous Among the Nations.