Patriot is a man with capital M

February 26, 2010 // “Narodna Armiya”
When watching famous spy films, e.g. Resident’s Mistake, Feat of an Intelligence Officer, Dead Season etc, any person unfamiliar with the details of “cloak-and-dagger trade” could think of its representatives as of some sort of glamorous tricksters who risk their lives on a regular basis just to make an impression. Though in real life agent’s main task is to dissolve in the crowd and play an ordinary person. True intelligence operatives, however, are different from other people.

Why? Legendary intelligence operative and a real prototype of a Soviet resident from “Major Vykhr” motion picture Eugene Bereznyak definitely knows the answer. Currently he is a Hero of Ukraine, and a retired Major General. Today Mr. Bereznyak celebrates his 96th anniversary.



He once was among those who rescued Krakow, the Polish capital at the time, from being completely destroyed by the fascists. He still remembers every detail about his missions, names of his contacts, radio operators, and other comrades-in-arms. He meets with some of them even now, although such meetings mainly occur on “home turf” due to his venerable age.

But back in 1944, as Bereznyak recalls, his group was airdropped onto the Polish soil, although somewhat unluckily since he ended up in a Gestapo cell. You are of course unlikely to find such episode in the film about the rescuing of Krakow because the “Major Vykhr” series was released in 1967, when every bit of truth about the war couldn’t have been told in principle.

The missing details of the film were most recently reconstructed by the makers of a newer documentary “Major Vykhr: The True Story”. Bereznyak says that he kept the real “plot” until better time, when the entire truth could be spoken about. Not everything went as smoothly as the Soviet film-makers presented.

Mr. Bereznyak remembers how a Gestapo officer entered his death cell after the arrest and asked him “Do you realize that there is only one way out from here?” Our operative withstood the first interrogation, and during the second one he realized that his mission would be worthless if he didn’t change his tactic. Anticipating his execution, Bereznyak began improvising...

- I faced a number of similar situations during the war, when I was only seconds away from death, Bereznyak says. – As banal as it may sound, but for some reason I have always believed that I would survive. Perhaps such a steadfast faith in the cause you are serving needs to be one of the basic rules for a modern intelligence officer, too.

The story that Capt. Bereznyak told about being a Soviet saboteur who had to join the rest of his group in one of Krakow markets finally satisfied the Gestapo officers. As for our operative, such story opened the doors for escaping. Recalling everything that his destiny tricked him with, Eugene sometimes wonders how could all that be real. Not only did he manage to escape from the fascist captivity, he acquired the maps of Krakow’s mined areas. It were those maps that helped saving the city from total devastation.

It really was a heroic deed, but a saying goes that nobody is born a hero. Eugene Bereznyak remembers how his father disciplined him with work from his earliest years. He believes that hard work is person’s stairs to mastership and moral dignity.

From our conversation it became clear that to this 96-year-old man who long since has grand- and great-grandchildren his father is still an example to follow.

Another rule which he encourages modern people to follow is parents’ responsibility for their children’s education. Bereznyak believes that none of the government-supported programmes concerning military and patriotic education of the youth could make a proper impression upon the young minds unless the feeling of love to one’s motherland is cultivated within the family.

This is hard to disagree with, especially because current world’s values have shifted to the material side, money.

- A lot of Ukrainians today are suffering from poverty, Bereznyak says.

– Poverty which pushes people to seek job abroad; they work there but our nation does not benefit from that. I can say openly, that I don’t really respect such people since I represent the generation which has been told to care for its country. Regardless to all troubles and disappointment that this country made me walk through.

Eugene Bereznyak hand plenty of both. One can hardly imagine the emotional condition of an intelligence operative who accomplished a brilliant mission on the rescuing of Krakow, as well as several other missions behind the enemy lines just to become a suspect in cooperation with the Germans. After reporting to his command about his Gestapo imprisonment at the very beginning of the operation, Bereznyak was immediately arrested. He was sent to filtration NKVD camp No174 in Podolsk, near Moscow. Held there were those who have been taken prisoner by the German troops or Gestapo.

- It was very hard for me to be in that camp, especially because of the humiliation, Bereznyak remembers. In fact, it was even worse than the Gestapo, where I knew that it was the enemy I was facing, whereas here I was concerned about one question only – Why?

His fellow intelligence operatives helped him get out of the camp. Although numerous inquiries proved his innocence, Bereznyak was completely rehabilitated only on 1965. He even received his first award from Poland, a country whose capital he saved.

Soviet Captain has been given Poland’s highest combat award, the Order of “Virtuti Militari” for the Krakow operation. His other Polish awards include: Golden Cross of Partisan Valour, medal for “Rescuing of Krakow” and for “Rescuing of Amenities of Culture and Arts”. As for the Soviet awards (Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st and 2nd grade, order of the October Revolution, order of the Labour Red Banner, Symbol of Honour) those came long time after. In addition, his dress-coat is currently decorated with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky (full chevalier), medals for Labour Merit (1st and 2nd grade), Medal for Merit, Medal for Allegiance to Intelligence Traditions 1st grade etc.

But it’s not the awards that matter, but the example of true sacrifice so difficult to find these days. One could certainly argue that we are living in a different time now, so the heroes are of a different type, too. But the point lies in the rules that a person follows in life. It’s hard to say now, what would’ve happened if Bereznyak did not report to his commander about his captivity. A number of different scenarios are possible... But his father has always been teaching him to tell the truth. And Bereznyak stood for that life principle even in an extremely critical situation. Eugene Bereznyak believes that a true intelligence operative must be a man with the capital M. He must be a man of poise, of patience, of professional skill, and intelligence. But above all, he must be a patriot and love his profession.

Could such things be taught to the modern young people? I believe they could. We have enough examples and enough heroes, but short on will...

The film unit of the First government channel of Warsaw television station was making a documentary entitled “Dum spiro spero” (while there's life there's hope), just as one of Bereznyak’s books. It was Eugene Bereznyak whom Polish director Galina approached in order to fulfil everything that was in the screenplay. The former intelligence operative was somewhat surprised by such offer, since he was always sure that Poland had enough its own heroes to make military and patriotic films.

It turned out from Galina’s words that the lack of sense of patriotism among Polish young people has been a problem for quite a long time now. Any efforts made by the government, NGO’s or youth organisations in order to battle the problem are of little use. So the film about the feat of soviet soldiers was intended to become some sort of a breakthrough on the path of military and patriotic education of Polish boys and girls.

It’s not so important whether the film has been a success (Eugene Bereznyak believes that it was quite a good film). What’s more important for us today is the state of military and patriotic education here in Ukraine. That’s what we have to worry about if not scream about. Because if the Poles grew concerned about the issue, what could be said about Ukraine? We are limping many years behind some of our neighbour countries.

Meanwhile, life goes on and so there are fewer and fewer true heroes left who earned such title by risking their lives and whose examples modern young people should’ve been following. Who will be tomorrow’s icon? The question remains open for now.

Anyway, education of the young generation and human relationship is something that Eugene Bereznyak can speak of for a very long time, regardless to his venerable age. His life experience is a whole layer of knowledge which he tries to pass on to descendants through his educational tracts, personal books etc.

- Destiny gifted me with many years of life, Bereznyak summarizes. So every day I tried to do something for my motherland and for the cause that I devoted my entire life to. Therefore I wish my all my fellow intelligence officers, and all the young people in general to appreciate life and to live it to their very best. In that case one can be called true patriot and true person, with the capital P.

Serhiy Basarab,
“Narodna Armiya”