00:00:08:PartyzanFilm|przedstawia 00:01:04:BIAORUSKI RUCH OPORU 00:01:10:Niemal wszyscy dowdcy ruchu oporu Biaorusi|zostali zabici lub zginli, ich wspomnie nie spisano. 00:01:16:Wikszo dokumentw o ruchu oporu trafia|do tajnych archiww obcych wywiadw. 00:01:22:Dlatego ten film opiera si na nielicznych tekstach,|jak rwnie na osobistyc h wspomnieniach 00:01:28:oraz na archiwach pozostaych|przy yciu uczestnikw zdarze. 00:01:31:Jednak z rnych powodw wielu z nich|wci nie chce ujawnia nazwisk. 00:01:40:BIAORU PO KOCU WOJNY|OPR PRZECIW SOWIETOM|1944 - 1957 00:01:57:Na podstawie ksiki Biaoruski ruch oporu"|autorzy: Siarhiej Jorsz & Siaruk Ho rbik. 00:02:08:Dedykowane wszystkim walczcym|za niepodlego Biaorusi 00:02:19:BIAORUSKI RUCH OPORU 00:02:21:Biaoruski Ruch Wyzwoleczy|toczy walk w czasie II wojny i ju po niej 00:02:26:walk bdc kontynuacj zbrojnych zmaga|o niepodlego w latach 1918-25. 00:02:34:W tamtym okresie wojna polsko-bolszewicka staa si impulsem|do masowych dz iaa zbrojnych Biaorusinw. 00:02:39:W efekcie powstaa Biaoruska Republika Demokratyczna (BRD) 00:02:42:okupowana przez|silniejszych ssiadw. 00:02:46:Gdy wschd Biaorusi zaja|Rosja Sowiecka, a zachd Polacy 00:02:50:wielu Biaorusinw wci marzyo o|odzyskaniu suwerenno ci. 00:02:53:Cho formy dziaania byy rne, cel pozostawa|ten sam wolna i niepodlega Biaor 00:03:00:Represje ze strony okupantw|nie zdusiy ruchu niepodlego ciowego. 00:03:03:W miejsce polegych stawali|modzi patrioci. 00:03:07:Biaoruscy patrioci (zarwno nacjonali ci, jak| socjali ci) signeli po bro we wrz e niu 1939 r. 00:03:14:Wywoali powstanie w rejonie|Polesia, bdce prb stworzenia 00:03:17:Republiki Zachodniej Biaorusi|z Piskiem w roli stolicy. 00:03:21:Natarcie Armii Czerwonej na|zachodni Biaoru pooyo jednak kres tym planom. 00:03:25:W ten sposb rozpocza si|walka partyzancka z Sowietami. 00:03:28:Ponad tysic biaoruskich partyzantw|dziaao aktywnie na zachodniej Biaorusi 00:03:32:a do wybuchu wojny|midzy Niemcami a ZSRS. 00:03:34:Najsynniejszym z nich by|ataman Jakub Chareuski. 00:03:37:Nacjonalistyczny biaoruski ruch|partyzancki i podziemny 00:03:40:istnia rwnie podczas niemieckiej|okupacji lat 1941-44. 00:03:45:Partyzanci szykowali si do|zbrojnego ataku na okupanta 00:03:49:chcc odtworzy|niepodleg Biaoru . 00:03:53:Czonkowie biaoruskiego ruchu oporu|ginli z rk 00:03:55:Niemcw, Sowietw|oraz Armii Krajowej (AK). 00:03:57:We wrze niu 1942 r. gestapo zamordowao|ojca Wincenta Hadleuskiego 00:04:02:twrcy ideologii ruchu oporu. 00:04:09:W tym czasie doszo do zmiany sytuacji|na froncie wschodnim w 1943 r. 00:04:13:Niemcy ponosiy klsk po klsce,|przez co bolszewicy znw powrcili. 00:04:18:W tej sytuacji biaoruscy przywdcy|ruchu narodowego podjli trudn decyzj. 00:04:23:Biaoruskiemu ruchowi oporu|brakowao si do walki 00:04:27:o wolno na dwch frontach, a prby|nawizania kontaktu z Aliantami spezy na nicz m. 00:04:32:Brakowao broni oraz|do wiadczonych oficerw. 00:04:35:Dlatego, gdy Niemcy zachcili biaorusk|Rad Centraln oraz oraz dowdcw partyzanc ich 00:04:41:do wsptworzenia utajnionej antysowieckiej|sieci na wiosn 1944 r., wyraono z god. 00:04:48:Niemiecki wywiad planowa|przygotowanie i otwarcie rozlegego 00:04:52: frontu dywersji i sabotau za liniami|bolszewikw, od Batyku a po Morze Czarne. 00:04:55:Opracowano tajny plan, o kryptonimie| Liebes Ktzchen ( Miy Kotek ). 00:05:00:Ochotnikom zapewniono wszelkie|niezbdne wyszkolenie i sprzt. 00:05:03:Na otwie tajna sie nosia|nazw "Le ne Koty 00:05:07:na Ukrainie "Stepowe Koty", za Rysie w|rejonie Smoleska i Briaska 00:05:11:ale na Biaorusi|byli znani jako "Czarne Koty".

00:05:13:Jako dowdc, przywdcy biaoruskich narodowcw|zaproponowali Niemcom 00:05:17:zdolnego oficera,|majora Michaa Wituszk. 00:05:19:MICHA WITUSZKA.|Syn Apanasa. Urodzony w 1907 r. 00:05:25:Ucze biaoruskiej szkoy| redniej w Wilnie. Wyksztacenie inynierskie. 00:05:30:W sierpniu 1941 r. wraz z atamanem|Khareuskim i Usievalad Rodzka 00:05:35:dowodzi biaoruskimi|oddziaami na Polesiu. 00:05:38:Przyczyni si do wyparcia|Armii Czerwonej i NKWD ze wschodniego Polesia 00:05:41:czc siy z ukraiskim|atamanem Tarasem Bulb. 00:05:45:Created collaborationist and military groups|in the Bryansk, Smolensk a nd Mahilou areas. 00:05:49:Participated in the|Second Belarusian Congress. 00:05:53:After the Minsk Congress, Vitushka|met the general secretary 00:05:58:of the BNR Council |the poetess Larysa Hienijush. 00:06:02:In her memoirs, she quoted Mikhal Vitushka:| I hate the Germans 00:06:07: I am Belarusian through and through, but|we must get our land back for t he people 00:06:12: and for that we must use|every possible means. 00:06:20:The anti-Soviet resistance in Belarus|was divided into 3 zones: 00:06:25:Northern, Central and Southern Belarus,|each with its own leader. 00:06:30:In turn, these were commanded by Belarusian|Partisan Movement Headquart ers 00:06:35:which was located in|a bunker in Warsaw. 00:06:37:Mikhal Vitushka was in charge of the HQ during|all the years of partisa n and guerilla warfare. 00:06:46:The Germans trained around|3000 partisans and agents. 00:06:51:Many of them stayed in Belarus in summer 1944,|awaiting orders from Mik hal Vitushka. 00:06:57:Several detachments were trained in Germany,|and only came to Belarus a nd Poland later. 00:07:02:In spring and summer 1944, 15 bunkers were|built for guerilla warfare i n Belarus. 00:07:09:A man involved in building the bunker|network in Western Belarus recall ed: 00:07:14: The bunkers were built by prisoners-of-war,|supervised by German enginee rs. 00:07:18: They were made of concrete, and|placed 2 - 2.5 metres underground. 00:07:24: Ventilation shafts extended 20-25|metres away from the bunker. 00:07:29: There were usually several rooms inside,|plus storerooms for weapons and food. 00:07:34:According to the Lieben Katzchen plan, all|detachments left in Belarus we re equipped with 00:07:38:radio communications, numerous hideouts,|weapons, ammunition 00:07:42:documents (headed notepaper and seals of|Soviet military and civil inst itutions) 00:07:46:money, and medical supplies. The supplies were|intended to last for 5-1 0 years of activity. 00:07:52:According to one Resistance member,|they lasted right up until 1951. 00:07:59:Thanks to these bunkers, a lot of|partisans managed to survive 00:08:03:the toughest period up until|summer 1945 with minimal losses. 00:08:08:That was when the state security bodies broke up|the Polish underground and partisan movements. 00:08:14:According to KGB archives, only 7 of these|bunkers were discovered betw een 1944 and 1955. 00:08:26:Another organiser of the|Belarusian Resistance was 00:08:30:the Belarusian Independence Party (BIP),|led by Usievalad Rodzka. 00:08:33:Some of the BIP s secret groups and partisan|detachments were left in Bel arus in summer 1944 00:08:39:and the rest were sent to an intelligence and|sabotage school run by th e German Abwehr. 00:08:44:But Rodzka wanted to|play his own game.

00:08:46:After getting assistance from the Germans|and training for his men, he planned 00:08:51:to move them from Germany to Belarus, and then|organise resistance inde pendently of Black Cat . 00:08:59:The Dallwitz sabotage battalion was created|in Eastern Prussia in summer 1944 00:09:05:comprising soldiers and officers from Belarusian|military and collabora tionist groups 00:09:10:that were members of the|Belarusian Youth Union (BYU). 00:09:12:Many of them were also members of the|secret Belarusian Independence Pa rty. 00:09:16:The Dallwitz intelligence-sabotage school was|under the overall command of major Gerulis. 00:09:20:His deputy and political leader was captain Rodzka,|and in charge of st udies was captain Barys Rahula. 00:09:28:On the Belarusian side, the commander of the|Dallwitz battalion was cap tain Jan Hielda 00:09:32:an ex-officer from the army of|general Stanislaw Bulak-Balachowicz. 00:09:35:Each group was to receive 4 months training|in Dallwitz, 20km from Ister nburg, East Prussia. 00:09:43:The course consisted of guerilla warfare tactics,|sabotage, topography, and drill training. 00:09:49:Trainees were also given lectures|on culture and Belarusian history. 00:09:55:Radio operators were trained|at a special school near Danzig. 00:09:59:After the course, the groups were given|ammunition, documents, radios, and codes 00:10:04:then sent off (usually by air)|into selected areas of Belarus. 00:10:08:In September 1944, BIP member Andrej Vajtovich s group|was parachuted in near Dziatlava, Smarhon and Vilna. 00:10:16:In November, a detachment led by a former|Red Army officer named Mikala j Vitushka 00:10:19:was dropped from a German aircraft|between Naliboki and Rudnik forests. 00:10:24:He was killed in January 1945, but the Soviets|thought that major MIKHA L Vitushka was dead. 00:10:29:Small Dallwitz groups and individual paratroops|continued to be dropped into Belarus 00:10:34:under German orders to sabotage|communications and gather intelligence. 00:10:39:The Belarusian leadership (Rodzka and Hielda)|ordered them to disobey t heir German instructions 00:10:43:and to organise an underground|partisan movement instead 00:10:47:as part of the|Belarusian Military Organisation. 00:10:49:It was planned that a special Dallwitz|battalion would include 800-1000 men 00:10:55:and training went on right up until|the time Germany capitulated. 00:10:59:Once the battalion had been disarmed by|Czech partisans, it ceased to e xist 00:11:03:and its soldiers either tried to escape|to the West, or to Belarus and Poland. 00:11:08:Some of them were still fighting|in the early 1950s. 00:11:11:Others, like Rodzka, were arrested|by the Soviet secret services. 00:11:15:The plan to organise an independent|Belarusian Resistance 00:11:18:failed due to Rodzka s|arrest in June 1945. 00:11:22:The most efficient BIP units either joined| Black Cat (e.g. Anton Bandyk s d etachment) 00:11:28:or were killed in battles|with NKVD troops. 00:11:31:Civilian partisan detachments continued|to be active in Belarusian Pale ssie. 00:11:35:They were independent from|the BIP and Black Cat . 00:11:38:One of the better-known Belarusian Resistance|Figures, who fought the G ermans and Bolsheviks

00:11:44:to regain Belarusian independence,|was ataman Jakub Khareuski. 00:11:48:JAKUB KHAREUSKI. Commander of an anti-Polish|Belarusian partisan detach ment in 1921-25. 00:11:55:Born in 1900 in Kharova village near|Pruzhany. Of noble descent. 00:12:00:One of the leaders of the anti-Polish|uprising in Palessie in September 1939. 00:12:06:Active in setting up the Belarusian Partisan|Movement HQ in Northern Be larus in 1942. 00:12:18:After 1943, Jakub Khareuski and|Ivan Pierahud s detachments 00:12:22:were active in Valyn near|Ratna and Lubiashou. 00:12:26:After the Germans retreated, they seized|large weapons reserves from th ose towns 00:12:28:submachine and machine guns,|mortars, grenades, and ammunition. 00:12:33:Once the Soviets had returned, Khareuski s|detachment launched a partisan campaign 00:12:37:killing Cheka members,|militiamen and communists. 00:12:40:Ataman Khareuski only came into contact|with Vitushka s organisation in F ebruary 1946. 00:12:45:However, the detachment continued|to act independently 00:12:48:and Khareuski took his partisans|out of Belarus into Poland. 00:12:51:Ivan Pierahud and Jakub Khareuski s|detachments continued 00:12:53:to operate autonomously in the|Bialystok and Podlasie regions. 00:12:56:They aimed to protect the local Belarusian population|from gangs of Pol ish nationalist criminals 00:13:01:and from detachments formed to| resettle them into the USSR. 00:13:05:Armed skirmishes with Poles and Soviet soldiers on| resettlement missions occurred in these places. 00:13:10:Khareuski s detachment probably escaped|to the West in late 1949 or early 1950. 00:13:17:Later on, Khareuski wrote: We disbanded|our depleted detachment in the 1 950s 00:13:23: and most of its members went first|to Poland, then to the West. 00:13:26:In about 1947, Ivan Pierahud s detachment|also went to the West in severa l small groups. 00:13:36:Apart from the aforementioned organisational|centres of the Belarusian Resistance 00:13:39:a spontaneous partisan movement was|also active all around the country 00:13:43:with tens of thousands of|members in 1944-45. 00:13:47:They were reinforced by villagers who|were unhappy with collectivisatio n 00:13:50:refugees of Soviet repression,|and people repatriated from Europe. 00:13:54:This armed movement existed in parallel to| Black Cat , was partly influenc ed by it 00:13:58:and even survived until the late|1950s / early 1960s in some areas. 00:14:07:Why didn t the commanders of the anti-Soviet|Belarusian Resistance declar e a general uprising 00:14:13:or launch an active military|campaign like the one in Ukraine? 00:14:17:Mikhal Vitushka answered this question himself at|a conference of Belar usian partisan commanders 00:14:21:that was held in Bielaviezha|forest in September 1945. 00:14:26:Vitushka s position was as follows: The Belarusian|situation is radically different to that in Ukraine. 00:14:33: Firstly, there is no mass nationalist movement.|The war has utterly deva stated Belarus. 00:14:38: People have suffered heavy losses|and could not stand another war. 00:14:42: The villages would be simply unable to|feed the number of soldiers requi red. 00:14:46: At most, our forces number 20-30 000 people.|We do not have enough ammun ition. 00:14:52: Belarusian units won t last long without outside|assistance with weapons,

medicines and ammunition. 00:14:59: No-one is able to give us|that kind of assistance today. 00:15:02:Consequently, there was only|one option open to them 00:15:04:to create a large clandestine network|and await international developme nts. 00:15:08:Vitushka believed the issue of nations enslaved|by Moscow would come up sooner or later 00:15:13:and that preparations should be made to|seize power quickly at the righ t moment 00:15:16:in case another war broke out. 00:15:18:The conference also discussed the issue of|the partisan movement s politi cal leadership. 00:15:23:Mikhal Vitushka emphasised that:| We are fighting for Belarus 00:15:26: not for the Belarusian Democratic Republic|or Belarusian Central Council ! 00:15:29:The conference also deliberated|the issue of cooperation 00:15:32:between the Belarusian Resistance|and nationalist movements abroad. 00:15:36:They only failed to come to an agreement|with Stepan Bandera s Organisati on 00:15:39:of Ukrainian Nationalists, and|its Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). 00:15:43:The Bandera faction wanted the leading|role in the anti-Soviet struggle 00:15:46:and also laid territorial claims|to Belarusian Palessie. 00:15:49:Vitushka gave the order not to|start any fighting with the UPA 00:15:53:but to defend Belarusian interests|in the event of Bandera faction atta cks. 00:15:56:However, the Resistance did cooperate successfully|with Taras Bulba s Ukr ainian detachment. 00:16:00:Relations with the Polish Resistance|were also strained 00:16:03:but they did manage to come to a compromise|due to their common enemy t he Soviet Union. 00:16:09:Contacts were also made with|the Latvian Resistance 00:16:12:which gave the Belarusian partisans a|sea corridor to escape to the Wes t. 00:16:16:By the end of the Bielaviezha conference,|the commanders had renounced 00:16:20:any large-scale diversion campaigns|in order to spare Belarusian civili ans. 00:16:25:The Bielaviezha conference is|considered to be the official start 00:16:28:of all organised anti-Soviet|Belarusian Resistance activity 00:16:31:that was not connected to German|or any other secret services. 00:16:42:The Belarusian partisan movement had no|fixed title, and went by variou s names: 00:16:47: Belarusian Liberation Troops 00:16:49: Belarusian Liberation Front 00:16:51: Belarusian Liberation Army | Free Belarus , etc. 00:16:54:Or they simply referred to themselves|as Belarusian Insurgents . 00:16:57:Belarusian emigrants mostly referred to|Vitushka s detachment as Black Cat . 00:17:05:In 1945, Black Cat numbered up to 3500|members, with even more in its res erve 00:17:15:but it was diminished by Soviet repression|and conscription into the Re d Army. 00:17:19:In 1944 alone, about 8000 reservists|were sent to the Soviet frontlines . 00:17:27:In such conditions, a well-planned|underground was necessary 00:17:31:to make sure the struggle|would be successful. 00:17:34:For this, the German secret services|applied methods unknown 00:17:36:to the Soviet Ministry of State Security (MSS)|and SMERSH, such as mirro red leadership : 00:17:40:All Belarusian Resistance leaders|were supposed to have a mirror 00:17:45:someone who under certain circumstances|would contact couriers 00:17:48:and pretend to be the| mirrored leader.

00:17:51: Fixed nickname tactics|were also employed 00:17:54:whereby a nickname was attached|not to one specific person 00:17:56:but to a position in the|clandestine network. 00:18:00:It was also difficult to identify Belarusian|insurgents due to a lack o f special uniforms 00:18:06:because neither the time nor|the resources were available. 00:18:09:Combatants fought in Belarusian Home Army|uniforms, or others they had worn before 00:18:15:as well as German or Soviet uniforms|bearing Belarusian national symbol s: 00:18:20:White/red/white flag badges|or the St.George emblem. 00:18:23:Each detachment had its own|white/red/white flag 00:18:26:and the partisans anthem|was Pahonia ( The Hunt ). 00:18:32:Apart from sabotage and military action,|the Belarusian partisans also strove 00:18:37:to educate, and for this they|published newspapers. 00:18:41:The newspapers were printed at|secret locations in Belarus. 00:18:44:Print-works were also captured|from the Soviet authorities. 00:18:47:The MSS stated: Between summer 1945|and 1950, 810 printed publications 00:18:56: of an anti-Soviet nature|were discovered in Belarus. 00:19:01: Out of those, 693 were in Belarusian,|79 in Ukrainian, and the rest in R ussian. 00:19:09: In November 1947, unknown persons attacked|a print works in Kalinkavichy (Palessie). 00:19:15: The guard was killed, and some of|the printing machinery was stolen. 00:19:21: Notably, the attackers only|stole the Belarusian type-cases. 00:19:26:Belarusian partisans also published|posters, brochures, and flyers 00:19:31:although the majority of|posters were hand-written. 00:19:34:For example, posters appeared on roadside|trees and poles in the Lepel area in 1946 00:19:40:with slogans like Down With Red Fascism! ,| Long Live Our Free Homeland! 00:19:45:and Death To Bolshevik Torturers! 00:19:50:Despite official propaganda, most Belarusians|didn t join the Red Army vo luntarily 00:19:55:because they knew they would be almost|sure to end up in penal battalio ns. 00:20:00:During World War II, there were several|mobilisations in Western Belaru s: 00:20:04:For the Polish Army in 1939,|the Belarusian Home Army in 1944 00:20:11:and for a wide variety of|partisan detachments. 00:20:14:Belarusian Communist Party secretary|Ponomarenko was informed that: 00:20:17: Many of the men called up in these areas have|refused to mobilise and ar e hiding in forests. 00:20:22: In some cases, local Soviet leaders dealing with|conscription have been threatened or murdered. 00:20:28: There have been blatant acts of|mass sabotage and armed resistance. 00:20:33: In the Voranava area, out of the 2220 conscripts|called up, only 69 came to register. 00:20:41: The head of the local NKVD was seriously|injured in the Juracishki area. 00:20:47: Soviet authority was not restored due to the|presence of violent gangs i n 3 nearby villages. 00:20:52:There were also some real tragedies. 00:20:54:An archive document reports: On July 15, 1944|while 159 mobilised men we re being transferred 00:21:03: from Sola to Vilejka, the conscripts|started running off into the forest . 00:21:07: As a result, the escorts used their|weapons, leaving 18 dead 00:21:11: and 20 wounded, and only 3 men|actually arrived in Vilejka. 00:21:17:In early 1945, over 117 000 men of call-up age|didn t want to fight, whic h made them outlaws.

00:21:27:All these people hiding out in forests,|swamps and villages during 1944 -45 00:21:35:diverted considerable resources|from the Soviet security forces 00:21:39:which allowed the organised Resistance|to regroup and carry on with gre at success. 00:21:49:The Belarusian partisan movement|commanded by Mikhal Vitushka 00:21:54:began its armed struggle|in autumn 1945. 00:21:57:One of its main aims was to free convicts|from concentration camps and prisons. 00:22:03:There were many such operations,|so we will mention just a few: 00:22:07:The most successful was the freeing of political|prisoners from Pinsk j ail in February 1946. 00:22:14:The MSS had organised a| cleansing campaign in Pinsk 00:22:17:which resulted in|over 250 arrests 00:22:20:mostly BYU members and ordinary|collaborationist workers. 00:22:24:After interrogation, detainees were|transported to Minsk in trucks. 00:22:28:The convoy was ambushed 38km|away from Pinsk on the Minsk road 00:22:32:by some partisans under|the command of Sych . 00:22:36:Following a brief battle, 6 MSS|officers and 73 soldiers were killed 00:22:41:and most of the prisoners|were released. 00:22:45:In spring/summer 1946, several|dozen partisans in MSS uniform 00:22:51:successfully attacked a|filtration camp near Mahilou 00:22:55:where 17 young Belarusians|were being held 00:22:58:for assisting the Luftwaffe|at the end of the war. 00:23:01:As a result, 60 people were freed |everyone who wanted to leave the camp . 00:23:05:In the same year, near Warsaw, Bandyk s|detachment liberated some Belarus ians 00:23:09:that the Bolsheviks were taking|out of Germany by train. 00:23:12:After the war, these Belarusians had|ended up in the British-occupied z one 00:23:15:but the English handed|them over to the Soviets. 00:23:18:The train full of 350 Belarusians halted|for nearly 24hrs to the East o f Warsaw. 00:23:23:The Polish underground informed|the Belarusian partisans about this. 00:23:33:Bandyk s detachment was sent in,|and they blew up the railway lines 00:23:36:behind and in front of the train, disarmed|the guards, and freed the pe ople. 00:23:40:Some of the ex-prisoners then|joined up with the partisans. 00:23:44:In June 1949, some Belarusian|villagers were in a convoy 00:23:47:on the Maladechna-Minsk road.|They had been arrested for 00:23:50:resisting the creation of|Soviet collective farms. 00:23:53:An attack force of 43 partisans|successfully managed to kill 00:23:55:the whole convoy, and|freed over 100 people. 00:24:01:Most of these villagers also|joined up with the partisans. 00:24:06:Vitushka s partisans were often successful|in capturing Belarusian villag es and towns 00:24:11:thanks to their excellent mastery|of street warfare tactics. 00:24:15:But these victories were only symbolic,|as the partisans didn t have enou gh 00:24:20:resources, weapons, or ammunition|to actually keep hold of them. 00:24:23:These are some of their most|successful operations: 00:24:26:In autumn 1948, the MSS made|arrests in the Kobryn district 00:24:31:to expose people sympathetic to|Belarusian and Ukrainian partisans. 00:24:35:Since the local prison was full,|those arrested were held 00:24:38:in an army barracks on|the outskirts of Kobryn. 00:24:42:They were soon to be|moved into camps, but 00:24:44:a united group of Belarusian|and Ukrainian partisans 00:24:47:attacked the barracks and|freed some of the prisoners. 00:24:51:A similar attack was carried out|in Hajnowka in spring 1949.

00:24:56:This one was more demonstrative,|and aimed to force the Poles 00:24:59:to end their repression of the local|Belarusian Orthodox population. 00:25:04:In March 1948, several Black Cat |detachments attacked Navahradak 00:25:10:together with a group of Taras|Bulba s soldiers, to free 00:25:13:an arrested Belarusian Resistance|member from the local MSS prison. 00:25:16:This operation was led by a|Belarusian partisan commander 00:25:18:nicknamed Sciapan , who had|once been a Red Army officer. 00:25:21:At that time, Navahradak was a base|for a special branch of the MSS 00:25:25:created to destroy the anti-Soviet partisan|movement in the Naliboki fo rest area. 00:25:30:The garrison numbered about 500|soldiers, and the MSS prison there 00:25:35:was full of anti-Soviet resistance members|and people dissatisfied with Soviet rule. 00:25:41:The Soviets did not expect the forest|brotherhood to attack Navahradak. 00:25:46:Between 130 and 170 partisans|approached the town unnoticed. 00:25:51:They took the guards out silently|and attacked specific buildings. 00:25:56:They held part of the town until|the prisoners had been freed 00:26:02:then quickly left Navahradak and|disappeared into the forest. 00:26:08:About 300 Soviets, mostly MSS troops,|were killed during the battle. 00:26:15:Following the Navahradak operation,|several retaliatory raids 00:26:19:were carried out in order to| clean up Naliboki forest. 00:26:22:Aircraft bombarded any|suspicious areas and smoke 00:26:26:but the MSS did no major|damage to the partisans. 00:26:30:All the Soviets accomplished|was a temporary suspension 00:26:34:of Black Cat operations|in that area. 00:26:43:How Soviet soldiers felt in garrisons|in post-war occupied Belarus 00:26:49:can be seen in these excerpts from letters|to families and friends in J uly 1945: 00:26:55: We re doing fine, but the gangs are|still around, and killings are frequen t 00:27:00: Someone might walk off towards|the West and never come back. 00:27:03: It s really dangerous round here now,|as a very large gang has appeared 00:27:07: They kill 4 or 5 officers a day,|but don t touch the cadets 00:27:11: Some days, they even fire cannons out of|nowhere and damage the railway lines. 00:27:16: Even though the war is over,|a lot of young people are dying 00:27:21: because Belarus was under German occupation|and there were lots of colla borationists 00:27:25: and entire gangs have formed. 170 of|us went out, but only 90 came back 00:27:31: All the rest were killed.|My life is in danger now. 00:27:40:One of Black Cat s main targets|for attacks was the railways. 00:27:43:Sabotage was used against military trains,|and partisans were particula rly active 00:27:47:in attacking trains full|of Soviet security forces. 00:27:50:Attack groups were usually|made up of 3-5 partisans. 00:27:53:The Minsk-Brest-Warsaw line|was attacked most frequently. 00:27:57:In June 1950, 5 Soviet military|trains were blown up 00:28:02:along the Brest-Bialystok|railway line. 00:28:05:Also in June, several bridges|were damaged on the same line 00:28:09:and it took about a week|to restore rail services. 00:28:12:In late April 1947, Sych s |detachment attacked 00:28:16:a military column on the Belarusian-|Ukrainian administrative border. 00:28:25:The vehicles were transporting|ammunition, small-calibre shells 00:28:29:and several hundred|summer uniforms. 00:28:31: Sych s partisans stole part of|the load, and destroyed the rest. 00:28:35:In 1949, a partisan sabotage group|derailed a train near Hrodna. 00:28:40:It was carrying ammunition,|shells and bombs. 00:28:44:The partisans were unable to take these|trophies with them, so they des troyed the lot. 00:28:52:It is a little-known fact that|the first vice-president of the

00:28:55:Belarusian Central Council,|Mikola Shkialonak 00:28:58:led a partisan detachment|at the end of the war. 00:29:01:Some reports say he escaped to the West,|while others say he went to Be larus. 00:29:04:Few people knew that Mikola Shkialonak|was a member of Black Cat 00:29:08:and had to return to Belarus to rejoin|Vitushka s partisan movement. 00:29:11:Once Germany had capitulated,|Shkialonak s detachment ( Shklany ) 00:29:15:was sent into the|Barysau area. 00:29:19:They were ambushed by the MSS|special branch near Haradzieja. 00:29:24:After a pitched battle, only 7 out of the 32|men from Shkialonak s detach ment survived. 00:29:29:Shkialonak was critically injured,|and what became of him is unknown. 00:29:33:There are several versions, but|Mikola Shkialonak is most likely 00:29:37:to have died in the MSS|prison hospital in Minsk. 00:29:39:There was also mention of the| Shklany detachment in 1946. 00:29:42:According to MSS documents, it|carried out 8 sabotage raids 00:29:46:on the Baranavichy-Minsk|railway line 00:29:48:and also killed several dozen Party|activists and Soviet law-enforcers. 00:29:53:The detachment was finally liquidated|by the MSS in January 1947. 00:30:06:The Belarusian Resistance|started to fade out in 1948. 00:30:10:January saw the death of the commander|of the Viciebsk detachment 00:30:13:and leader of the Northern Zone |Piatro Hajevich. 00:30:16:Sometime towards the end|of 1947, his partisans 00:30:19:attacked a Soviet military|column near Lepel. 00:30:22:After this operation, regular Soviet Army|units were sent in to fight Vi ciebsk . 00:30:27:Surrounded, Hajevich s partisans|fought a long battle 00:30:30:then made a break for it, during|which most of them died 00:30:33:along with their commander. 00:30:37:The leaders of the Southern Zone|were killed in late 1948. 00:30:42:In November 1948, Sych s |communications with Headquarters 00:30:44:were severed after a sabotage operation|on the Belarusian-Ukrainian bor der. 00:30:49:The partisans didn t manage|to retreat to safety 00:30:51:and an MSS special branch|company came after them. 00:30:55:The MSS caught up with|them on the road to Rivna 00:30:57:47km from the border|on the Ukrainian side. 00:31:01:Outnumbered, the partisans were|forced into an uneven battle 00:31:04:after taking refuge in a village house.|When they refused to surrender 00:31:08:the MSS troops set fire to the|house, burning them all alive. 00:31:11:Before that, Sych s |partisans raised their 00:31:13:Belarusian white/red/white and|Ukrainian yellow/blue flags. 00:31:15:It is unclear whether Sych died in the|battle, because no-one could be id entified. 00:31:18:In late 1948, the Lesaviki |detachment was also broken up. 00:31:24:It had been based in the Barysau area,|and only a few members were save d 00:31:26:when they managed to reach the| Black Cat detachments in Palessie. 00:31:35:November 1948 saw the|death of Mikola Khviasko 00:31:39:the partisan commander|for the Bycien region. 00:31:42:The MSS had infiltrated his|partisan group with 2 agents 00:31:46:who seized their opportunity to|kill Khviasko and his assistants. 00:31:55:The partisan movement s|losses were heavy in 1948. 00:32:00:This was because the MSS had|understood just how serious 00:32:02:the Belarusian Resistance|was as an opponent. 00:32:05:The MSS began to fight more systematically,|bringing in professionals f rom Moscow. 00:32:09:The MSS was given units of Soviet troops|to comb the terrain for insurg ents. 00:32:16:It also organised a network|of informers and agents.

00:32:19:Between July 1, 1944 and|January 1945 alone 00:32:23:the Belarusian MSS recruited|4385 people, including 00:32:28:724 agents, 141 spies|and 3517 informers. 00:32:33:Another MSS tactic for|fighting the partisans 00:32:37:was to create|fake detachments. 00:32:39:MSS troops dressed as insurgents|began to attack innocent civilians 00:32:44:so as to compromise|the real partisans. 00:32:46:They also assembled people who|were unhappy with Soviet rule 00:32:50:into a pseudo-detachment,|and later arrested them. 00:32:53:Meanwhile, the network of agents,|informers and spies was growing: 00:32:56:By March 1, 1947, Belarusian Internal Affairs|had already recruited abo ut 20 000 of them. 00:33:03:MSS agents in post-war Belarus|caused the break-up of 00:33:07:patriotic youth organisations,|the Belarusian Patriots Union 00:33:11:the Belarus Liberation Union,| Chayka , and 00:33:13:the Belarusian Liberation|Movement's Centre. 00:33:17:The main reasons the youth|underground collapsed were 00:33:19:its weak security precautions, and|lack of underground fighting skills. 00:33:28:On June 14, 1944, the Belarusian|Communist Party passed a resolution 00:33:35:to create 185 destruction battalions |with 16 640 soldiers in their ranks. 00:33:43:Additionally, there were 7000 so-called| destruction battalion assistance groups 00:33:49:containing a total|of 42 730 men. 00:33:52:Along with the destruction battalions ,|the Soviet authorities also used 00:33:56:NKVD troops and army units to|fight the partisan movement. 00:34:00:At the end of 1944, Soviet secret|police chief Lavrenti Beria 00:34:06:sent 13 NKVD regiments into|Belarus a total of 6020 men. 00:34:10:Just 2 weeks later, Beria reported to|Stalin that 288 anti-Soviet Polis h 00:34:17:and Belarusian organisations had|been liquidated in Western Belarus. 00:34:22:5096 of their members were|arrested and 800 killed. 00:34:27:The Party Central Committee s|report for June 1946 stated: 00:34:33: In the first year after the Germans were|driven out, the bandit groups w ere large 00:34:38: well-armed, well-equipped military units put|together and coordinated by foreign emissaries 00:34:44: and commanded by experienced|conspirators and officers. 00:34:49: During their break-up, 3035 anti-Soviet|bandits were killed and 17 872 a rrested 00:34:58: A total of 814 underground terrorist|cells and armed gangs were liquidat ed 00:35:04: including 667 Polish,|97 Belarusian, 23 Ukrainian 00:35:08: and 27 other fascist/nationalist|organisations and gangs. 00:35:13: The following were seized while liquidating|underground gangs and organi sations: 00:35:17: 211 mortars, 193 anti-tank guns, 3587 machine|guns, 68 377 submachine gu ns and rifles 00:35:27: 2979 pistols, 36 078 grenades and mines,|5 tonnes of TNT, about 4 millio n rounds 00:35:37: 40 duplicating machines,|and 47 radio transmitters. 00:35:40: Our side has also sustained serious|losses. The total body count was 924 00:35:47: including 320 Party and Soviet workers|from cities and rural areas 00:35:53: and 362 Internal Affairs and|MSS soldiers and officers. 00:35:58:According to incomplete USSR state security|statistics, between 1945 an d 1953 00:36:06:38 178 people were arrested for|anti-Soviet activities in Belarus. 00:36:11:Over 2000 of them were members of bourgeois|nationalist parties, groups a nd organisations. 00:36:22:In order to improve the state of the|underground in early autumn 1948 00:36:27:Mikhal Vitushka ordered a reorganisation|of the Belarusian Resistance.

00:36:31:As a result, partisan and clandestine|groups were merged 00:36:35:into a separate branch|of the Resistance. 00:36:37:Its leader was a Black Cat HQ|member nicknamed Chachot . 00:36:42:He began acting as a buffer between|partisan liaisons and Vitushka. 00:36:47:The second branch contained particularly|valuable intelligence agents 00:36:51:and was led by another HQ|member, Vaclau Kharzheuski. 00:36:56:The third branch dealt with political issues and|information, and was h eaded by Kastus . 00:37:00:But membership of the Belarusian Resistance|led by Mikhal Vitushka had begun to decline. 00:37:04:In 1950, between 250 and|300 people were left. 00:37:09:In 1952, Vitushka began a large-scale operation|to move his men deeper underground 00:37:15:and wind up the active|partisan struggle. 00:37:18:In 1953, Vitushka sent the last Black Cat |detachments from Belarus to Pol and 00:37:23:leaving only Zhykhar s|detachment behind. 00:37:28:However, the clandestine network|was still operational in Belarus. 00:37:31:Separate detachments not connected with|the Belarusian partisan movemen t s HQ 00:37:34:also continued with|their activities. 00:37:38:Some of these even lasted|up until the early 1960s. 00:37:42:They were active near Babrujsk, in Belarusian|Western Palessie, and the Eastern Bialystok area. 00:37:51:When Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain,|Western agents were sent i n illegally 00:37:56:on foot, by sea|or by parachute. 00:37:59:The main tasks for paratroops|dropped into Belarus were 00:38:01:to gather intelligence and perform|diversion and partisan activities. 00:38:05:Only 2 air-drops are mentioned|by official and Cheka sources: 00:38:08:One by Jan Filistovich|in September 1951 00:38:11:the other by Kasciuk and Vostrykau s|group in August 1952. 00:38:16:There is no mention of any other drops|that were not captured by the MS S. 00:38:20:Some reports indicate that Western|secret services organised 00:38:25:5 Black Cat drops into Belarus and|Poland between 1949 and 1952. 00:38:35:The air-drops had varying|degrees of success 00:38:37:due to the efficient work of|the Soviet secret services. 00:38:40:In summer 1950, one Piatro Dziemidovich|pretended to be a Belarusian pa rtisan 00:38:46:and asked Western secret services|to drop troops into Palessie 00:38:49:to reinforce the anti-Soviet|organisation there. 00:38:52:In order to investigate this, paratroops|led by Symon Mikhalchuk 00:38:55:were dropped into|Belarus in May 1952. 00:39:00:Mikhalchuk's group was ambushed by the|MSS at Dziemidovich's requested landing site. 00:39:06:This confirmed what some|Belarusian emigrants had guessed 00:39:09:that Dziemidovich|was an MSS agent. 00:39:11:But the air-drop the pseudo-partisans |were expecting did happen after all 00:39:14:but instead of paratroops, they dropped|dummies packed with timed explo sives. 00:39:21:So several MSS officers died|while arresting the paratroops . 00:39:28:Once this MSS provocation|had been exposed 00:39:31:Dziemidovich was questioned|by Western secret services 00:39:35:and they later sent him to|Canada with new documents. 00:39:38:Mikhalchuk stayed in Belarus to form a|detachment of men from the Kobry n area 00:39:42:who were on the run from|Soviet security forces. 00:39:45:SYMON MIKHALCHUK. Belarusian partisan|detachment commander in 1952-53. 00:39:52:Born in 1915 in the Brest region.|Leader of the Belarusian Committee

00:39:57:in the Pruzhany area during|German occupation. 00:40:00:Member of the Belarusian Liberation Movement|military organisation afte r 1950. 00:40:07:Mikhalchuk s detachment carried|out sabotage operations. 00:40:10:The MSS started to hunt it|down after a military column 00:40:14:was attacked on the|Kobryn-Baranavichy road. 00:40:18:The detachment had|a chance to escape 00:40:21:into Bielaviezha forest,|but preferred to stay. 00:40:23:The MSS started pursuing the|detachment on March 28, 1953. 00:40:28:Around 600 soldiers surrounded|the several dozen partisans 00:40:34:And the battle near the village of|Zaprudy lasted for 5 hours. 00:40:38:Mikhalchuk ordered his men|to break the siege 00:40:39:telling the wounded to stay behind to|divert the attention of the MSS. 00:40:43:Mikhalchuk himself was|among the wounded 00:40:46:when his ammunition ran out, he blew|himself up together with the MSS. 00:40:54:Only a few of the partisans|managed to break free. 00:40:57:After 1953, Zhykhar s detachment was the last| Black Cat unit left inside So viet Belarus. 00:41:05:AUHEN ZHYKHAR. Born in 1925 in|Navasiolki in the Miadziel area. 00:41:11:Qualified as a teacher|in Pastavy in 1944. 00:41:16:Joined the BIP and BYU. 00:41:19:Ended up in Dallwitz in summer 1944,|and did the full training course. 00:41:25:Joined the Red Army in 1945 in|Germany under his own name. 00:41:30:Returned to Belarus after demobilisation|and worked as a teacher. 00:41:34:After an attempted arrest in 1946,|Zhykhar escaped into the forest 00:41:38:and set up a partisan detachment|in the Pastavy area. 00:41:42:Initially, Zhykhar s detachment|was mostly engaged in 00:41:45:terrorism against Soviet|institutions and workers. 00:41:48:Zhykhar only made contact with Mikhal|Vitushka s partisans late in 1948 00:41:54:when his detachment was made|into a separate military unit. 00:41:57:In autumn 1954, Headquarters ordered|Zhykhar to wind up his activities 00:42:03:and escape to the West|via the Baltic states 00:42:05:but the MSS started monitoring the|detachment s activities very closely. 00:42:08:Consequently, Zhykhar divided|his detachment into 3 groups. 00:42:11:The first evacuated|successfully to the Baltics 00:42:14:but the other two were killed while|covering the escape of the first 00:42:17:by diverting the attention|of the MSS special branch. 00:42:20:Zhykhar himself died in|combat in January 1955. 00:42:23:According to several reports,|it was impossible to identify him 00:42:27:as he was shot in the face|and seriously disfigured. 00:42:30:For members of the anti-Soviet resistance,|Auhen Zhykhar s death marked t he end 00:42:36:of organised partisan|activities in Belarus. 00:42:39:But the Belarusian Resistance s last|armed action took place in 1957. 00:42:45:Headquarters planned to assassinate|Nikita Khrushchev and other Soviet figures. 00:42:49:This was to happen at the recently-built|Viskuli residence in Bielaviez ha forest 00:42:54:where Khrushchev was|intending to go hunting. 00:42:57:However, due to the|high security there 00:42:59:their plan to break into the|residence was changed. 00:43:02:They decided to mine the road Khrushchev s|motorcade would drive along. 00:43:06:A car full of top Moscow officials|exploded on the partisans' mines 00:43:12:but Khrushchev was luckier. 00:43:20:Clandestine network operations were|finally suspended in late 1959. 00:43:26:Several hundred Belarusian Resistance|members were sent to the West. 00:43:30:According to some sources, the last member|of the underground left in t he USSR 00:43:34:that Vitushka was still in contact|with, died in 1989, aged 79. 00:43:41:That date can be considered as the|end of Black Cat s active service.

00:43:45:Vitushka finally left the job |at some point in the 1970s. 00:43:51:In early 2006, the Belarusian KGB initiated|a series of publications th at alleged 00:43:58:that Vitushka died in 1945, so couldn t|have been in charge of Black Cat . 00:44:04:They even implied that no such|organisation ever existed. 00:44:07:There were several people named|Vitushka in the nationalist movement. 00:44:10:One of them did indeed lead|a group of paratroops 00:44:13:and was killed on the night|of November 17/18, 1945. 00:44:19:But his name was|MIKALAJ Vitushka 00:44:21:and the Belarusian Resistance leader|was major MIKHAL Vitushka. 00:44:28:We know that Mikhal Vitushka entered|Belarus 3 times using false docume nts. 00:44:32:His last visit was in 1974,|with German documents. 00:44:39:The leader of the Belarusian|Resistance of 1945-1959 00:44:43:died in Germany on|April 27, 2006, aged 99. 00:44:52:They dreamed of a free Homeland,|and that is what they fought for. 00:44:56:They lived and breathed for the idea that at|least something could be d one for Belarus. 00:45:00:We dedicate this film to all members of|the Belarusian Resistance, livi ng or dead 00:45:08:DIRECTED BY:|Antos Cialezhnikau 00:45:10:CAMERAMAN:|Alaksandr Pieralyhin 00:45:13:EDITING AND EFFECTS:|PartyzanFilm 00:45:17:SCRIPTWRITER:|Siarhiej Jorsh 00:45:20:SCRIPT EDITOR:|Eva Viezhnaviec 00:45:23:NARRATION:|Siarhiej Akhramovich|Aleh Milevich|Siarzhuk Shlonski 00:45:29:NARRATION SOUND ENGINEERS:|Paval Starynski|Siarzhuk Shlonski 00:45:35:MUSIC BY:|Reinhold Heil & John Klimek|Gabriel Yared & Stefan Mucha|John Murphy|Ennio Morricone|John Clifford White|Jose Miguel Tobar|Andrzej Petras 00:45:41:TECHNICAL COORDINATOR:|Vital Locmanau 00:45:43:CONSULTANT:|Mariusz Komacki 00:45:46:Taking part in the film were students of the Kastus Kalinouski Programm e, as well as others whose names cannot be mentioned for objective reasons. 00:45:52:Thanks to everyone involved voluntarily in the making of this film: 00:45:56:Belarusian National Memorial|www.b-n-p.org 00:45:58:Belarusian European Union|www.bielarus.eu 00:46:00:Warsaw Railway Museum 00:46:02:The Warsaw Uprising Museum 00:46:05:HISTORICAL RECONSTRUCTION GROUP:| Kalina Krasnaya 00:46:08:Radek Vogel 00:46:10:This film was made with the support of the|Embassy of the Kingdom of th e Netherlands|(Matra-CAP Programme). 00:46:20: PartyzanFilm 2008 00:46:24:TRANSLATION & SUBTITLES:| MB/AG 2008