Mytrofanov Oleksandr and Vira

Oleksandr Mytrofanov with his wife Vira and son Boris lived in Zhytomyr. On July 9, 1941, the regional center was occupied by German troops. The headquarters of Einsatz Group C and its subordinate Sonderkommando 4a, responsible for the mass murders of the Jewish population of Zhytomyr, Kyiv and other populated areas of Ukraine, operated there. The first mass massacre took place on the tenth day after the beginning of the occupation. On July 19, 1941, 100 Jews were shot – apparently as a sign of revenge for the burning of buildings in the city. The announcement of the occupying power stated:

”...Your property has been destroyed! 100 Jews were shot for this. A warning to all. In the case of further arsons, we will act even more severely, and in addition, all residents of houses located a hundred meters from the place of the fire will be arrested as suspected of sabotage”.

In the following days, anti-Jewish violence gained momentum. On August 7, 1941, a demonstrative mass murder took place, during which two Jews, Moisei Kohan and Volf Kiper, accused of serving in the Soviet penal authorities, were publicly hanged on Sinnyi Square, and another 402 of their tribesmen were shot.

In August 1941, a ghetto was created in the area of Chudnivska, Ostrovska and Kafedralna streets. At the beginning of September, 4,820 people lived there. In addition, already on the 19th, more than 3,100 of its inhabitants were taken away and executed. In the fall and winter of 1941, the city was feverish with search and punitive actions. Residents of Zhytomyr were forbidden, under the threat of death, to help Jews condemned to extermination.

Sometime in the spring of 1942, a child knocked on the door of the Mytrofanovs' house and asked for food. Vira took pity on the boy dressed in rags, who had a sick appearance, and invited him to enter. The guest told the Mytrofanov couple that his name was Viktor Berezin, that in the fall of 1941 he had escaped from the occupied city of Kyiv and had been wandering around the area since then. He admitted that he was born into a family of a Russian and a Jewish woman and that his father left them with his mother when the boy was still very small. The Mitrofanov couple took pity on Viktor, gave him shelter in the house, and introduced him to their only son, Boris, who was approximately his age. Neighbors were told that it was Oleksandr's nephew who had come to visit relatives. Viktor stayed with the Mitrofanov family for half a year. During this time, they did everything in their power to help the boy regain his strength. However, during his wanderings, he became very weak and, despite all their love and care, in December 1942 he fell ill with tuberculosis.

The illness was serious, so Oleksandr Mytrofanov decided to take Viktor to his relative, a doctor, Borys Anyshchuk, who lived with his wife Yevheniia in the village of Rokytne, Rivne region. Borys treated and cared for the little one until he recovered. The boy was bedridden for several weeks and became bored. Sometime in April 1943, he went out to the Anyshchuks' yard to get some fresh air and was noticed by the neighbors. Therefore, in order not to endanger the ward and his family, Borys decided to move him to a friend's house, where three Jews were already hiding in the basement. Hearing about this plan, the boy ran away from the doctor's house. As he later explained, he was horrified by the thought of a tiny shelter, closed on all sides, where he would have to sit. Viktor wandered around the surrounding villages and lived on alms until to the expulsion of Wehrmacht units from the region in January 1944. In addition, after the front line was moved further west, he returned to the city of Kyiv, where he looked for his mother.

The friendship between Viktor Berezin and his saviors lasted for many years. He talked a lot about the story of his salvation and tried to thank them.

The families of Mytrofanov and Anyshchuk were awarded the titles of Righteous of Babyn Yar and Righteous of Ukraine. In 1999, Oleksandr and Vira Mytrofanov, as well as Borys and Yevheniia Anyshchuk, were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations.