On September 22, 2011 Ukraine celebrates the 70th anniversary of the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. 9 years ago, at the initiative of the War veterans, the 22nd of September was proclaimed by the President of Ukraine as the Day of Partisan Glory, since that day in 1941 the first order concerning partisan formation led by S.Kovpak was signed.
History proves that the battles fought on the Ukrainian land were critical for the Victory over fascism, because on the Eastern Front 507 from 607 divisions were defeated that comprised 3 / 4 of man force and military equipment of the Hitler coalition.
The invaluable contribution to the Victory was made by the participants of clandestine and partisan movement that killed 465,000 enemy soldiers and officers, destroyed 411 enemy garrisons and police stations, 56 military headquarters, derailed 5,019 trains, blew up 1,566 tanks and armored vehicles, destroyed 13,500 vehicles, disabled 820 heavy guns and mortars, shot down or destroyed on the ground 211 aircrafts, sank 105 ships, barges and boats, blew up 607 railroad and 1589 highway bridges and about 2,600 industrial and manufacturing objects.
At the beginning of the War the resistance of the people had a "spontaneous" nature, but as the punitive actions of the occupants increased, the number of the members of underground organizations had been enlarged. During the occupation of 1941-1944, the Ukrainian land was covered by 280 concentration camps and 180 prisoners of war camps. About 2 million Ukrainians were enslaved. In general, war and terror of the invaders took the lives of 8 - 10 million people of Ukraine, its material losses gained up to 40% of the total losses of the USSR.
The partisan resistance to fascism on Ukrainian territory in the first place was the testimony of the devotion for freedom and centuries-old experience of the Ukrainian people's to fight off the invaders.
The organization of the partisan movement was connected with great difficulties and people casualties. At the same time, according to historical data, during the occupation of Ukraine no one partisan formation led by "professional partisans", who were trained in the special schools of the Ukrainian Military Command, had been lost.
At the second week of the War, on July 5, 1941, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine has adopted a decree on creation of partisan brigades and organizations of antifascist underground. The 4th Department of People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs was assigned for creating the underground and partisan network on occupied territory of Ukraine.
According to various estimates, the active resistance to invaders was performed by almost 2.2 million inhabitants of Ukraine, including 620,000 partisans and underground fighters, formed in 46 major partisan formations, 2000 partisan groups and about 3800 underground patriotic organizations. The most effective raids were carried by the well-known partisan commanders - S.Kovpak, O.Saburov, S.Grishin and A.Fedorov.