Alexey Pidlisny

Single mother Iryna Vasylivna Pidlisna lived with her son Oleksiy in Kyiv on Voloska Street.  Iryna Vasylivna’s parents had ten other children besides her.

Some time after the Germans occupied Kyiv, the husband of her sister, Ivan Komashko, and his friend unexpectedly visited Ryna Vasylivna.  The boys managed to escape from German captivity, and since Ivan did not dare to go to his own house, because they could find him there, he stayed with his relatives for a while. But later he returned to his apartment, and his friend stayed with the Podlisny family.  Alexei does not remember his last name, he only mentions that this Jewish man was called “Uncle Borya”.

As it was very dangerous in Kyiv itself, Iryna took Borys to her parents who lived in Vyshhorod.  There, out of danger, he pretended to be Georgian.  After some time, Boris met a widow named Oksana and moved to live with her in the village of Stari Petrivtsi, where he worked as a master.

Around November 1942, Boris went to Kyiv to buy the necessary tools.Of course he could not help but visit the Podlisnikh. Irina was returning from the market when the Gestapo stopped her on the street and asked where the eighth apartment was.  It was her apartment number .  At first she wanted to answer that she was not a local, but she mentioned that her son Oleksiy remained in the apartment. The Nazis took away her and Borisov from the Gestapo, and little Alexei was left alone for another week until he went to live with his aunt.

Three months later, it became known that Oleksiy’s mother was in the Syretsky concentration camp.  Boris was hanged, she was more fortunate. The fact is that on the way to the concentration camp the car on which they were taken broke down, and they arrived only in the afternoon, and the shootings took place until 12 oclock in the afternoon.  Irina was sent to work in the kitchen.

Alexei remembers how in 1966 he and his mother were knocked on the apartment.  One of the survivors of the concentration camp came to visit.  She also escaped because Irina fed the prisoners at every opportunity.

On February 23, 1994, Ryna Pidlisna was awarded the honorary title of “Righteous of Babyn Yar”.