Stromylo Stepan

15-year-old Stepan Stromylo lived with his mother in the village of Tyshkivka (current – Novoukrainka district) of the Kirovohrad region. The mother worked in the local collective farm, and the boy studied at school. People of various nationalities lived in the village, including about 30 Jewish families. Among them was the Liubarskyi family, which consisted of five people. Leonid Liubarskyi was a classmate of Stepanov. The boys were friends.

In August 1941, after the entry of German troops into the village, persecution of Jews began. They were forced to register, mark their presence in their community every day, and wear a Star of David armband. At the beginning of January 1942, an order was issued to all the Jews of the village of Tyshkivka to gather at the police station. German soldiers arrived in the village and, accompanied by local policemen, began to evict them from their homes. Leonid Liubarskyi's older sister, 19-year-old Yevheniia, hid in her cellar. And her brother was lucky to run away from home. Leonid turned to his school friend Stepan Stromylo for help. The guys hastily set up a hiding place - also in the cellar. Meanwhile, the occupiers took other Jews into the forest and killed them. That day in the village 65 people lost their lives in and around Tyshkivka.

Immediately after the mass execution, the local police began a thorough search of the area, looking for fugitives. In the name list, Leonid and Yevheniia Liubarskyi were listed as missing, so an ambush was set up near their house. It became clear that it was impossible for the boy to return home and that it was dangerous to stay in his native village for a long time. After consulting, the two friends decided that it would be safer for Leonid to live in a nearby village where no one knows him. They thought up a legend according to which he was a refugee – he tried to escape the war with his parents, but were bombed. Relatives, they say, died, and all his belongings and documents were burned.

Under the cover of darkness, the fugitive went to the village of Skopiivka (current – Novoukrainka district) of the Kirovohrad region. He turned to the local elder, told "the story of his wanderings" and asked for asylum. He agreed and sent him to work – herding collective farm cattle. In July 1942, Leonid fell under the roundup that the occupiers arranged for young people to be taken to forced labor in Germany.

After the end of the Second World War, Leonid Liubarskyi returned to Ukraine, looked for his sister Yevheniia, who survived the war thanks to Vira Dudnyk. He also found the savior's family. The rescued person was friends with him throughout his life. In 1997, Stepan Stromylo was recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations.

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