On the roundtable discussion «Varvara Vyrvich: Echo of a Partisan Fate» held by the State Archives of the Gomel Region as part of the national campaign «Archives for Schools»

On March 11, 2026, the State Archives of the Gomel Region held a roundtable discussion «Varvara Vyrvich: Echo of a Partisan Fate». The event included a meeting between archive staff and invited 8th-grade students from the Gomel Cadet College with Varvara Petrovna Vyrvich’s relative and nephew, Igor Leonidovich Kuzmenok. The roundtable discussion was opened by Archive Director Yuri Vasilyevich Shestopalov, who spoke about the importance of preserving historical memory and passing on documentary heritage to the younger generation.

The roundtable program included a presentation by senior researcher Maya Valentinovna Vashchenko, who recounted the heroic military career of the renowned partisan Varvara Vyrvich, nicknamed «Bandit Katya» by the Nazi invaders for her daring sabotage operations. She presented and discussed archival documents containing information about Varvara Vyrvich’s military career and awards. The event was followed by Igor Leonidovich Kuzmenok, who spoke to those present about Varvara Petrovna as he remembered her from childhood—a strong-willed person, yet also a gentle and warm-hearted woman. Igor Leonidovich donated copies of family photographs to the archive and recounted many interesting stories from Varvara Petrovna’s life.

«She was a very modest person. She didn’t like to talk about the war and rarely wore her military decorations». Many years later, I regret that I didn’t pay enough attention to her military career, didn’t ask her questions, didn’t record it. War heroes are becoming fewer and fewer; there are almost none left who can recount the events of the war years. Therefore, preserving the memory of these heroes is invaluable», Igor Leonidovich concluded.

The students were intrigued by photographs from the family archive, where Varvara Vyrvich worked as a kindergarten teacher and at the Marat Kazei Pioneer Camp. Articles from the newspapers Pravda, Izvestia, and the magazine Smena from 1943 about the «Elusive Avengers» of the Komsomol sabotage detachment, skillfully led by Varvara Petrovna Vyrvich, also sparked genuine interest.

At the conclusion of the event, guests were shown a video clip, «Living Memory», featuring photographs of partisan Varvara Petrovna Vyrvich, the elusive «Katya», made using artificial intelligence. This video was taken by staff of the regional archive.

1. Archive Director Yu.V.Shestopalov with I.L.Kuzmenok (left) and invited guests at the event.

2. Speech by M.V.Vashchenko.

3. I.L.Kuzmenok talks about partisan Varvara Vyrvich.

4. Photographic exhibition dedicated to the partisan detachment under the command of V.Vyrvich.

5-6. Students examine documents and photographs.

7. Event participants.