Vlasenko Yakiv and Tetiana

Yakiv and Tetiana Vlasenko lived in the village of Bratslav in the Vinnytsia region. The couple raised two daughters. Yakiv worked as an instructor at a driving school. On the eve of the German-Soviet war, Mykhailo Kupershmidt also got a job there. The men became friends, and later their families became friends.

The war began. German troops occupied the region on July 22, 1941, but did not stay there for long. On July 30, the settlement was transferred to the Romanian occupation administration. It began to mobilize the Jewish population for street cleaning, construction work, etc.

In September, the Jews were moved to the ghetto. The Kupershmidt family also ended up in it. The Vlasenko family supported their friends in every way, providing food, water, and everything they needed. But then it got even worse. In December, the local Jews were transferred to a concentration camp in the village of Pechera, 10 km from the village of Bratslav. The conditions there were terrible, prisoners died every day from hunger and disease.

Yakiv dared to save his friend's family. He established contact with one of the camp guards, and for a bribe, he released Mykhailo, his wife Rakhel, and son Roman at night. The escape was successful, so the Jews hid with the Vlasenko family until the end of the occupation.

In 2003, Yad Vashem recognized Yakiv and Tetiana Vlasenko as Righteous Among the Nations.

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