Yesterday, Kateryna Shcherba (alias Olesya), who was a liaison to UPA commanders, including Roman Shukhevich, died yesterday. The woman helped the insurgents in the Frankiv region during 1943-1945. Later, after moving to Lviv, she worked as a teacher of Ukrainian language and literature. And after Ukraine gained independence, she became one of the first members of the Public Organization “Lviv Regional Brotherhood of Veterans of the National Liberation Struggle (Lviv OUN-UPA Brotherhood)”.
“Ms. Kateryna, who was a liaison to UPA commanders Roman Shukhevich, Omelyan Polovoy and Dmytro Karpenko, died at the age of 95. In the house of her father, Vasyl Berezhanskyi, she helped treat sick and wounded rebels. Eternal memory to a person who devoted his whole life to Ukraine,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said.
The funeral of Kateryna Shcherba will begin tomorrow, May 12, at 1:00 p.m., in the chapel on the street. Pekarska, 52. She will be buried at the Lychakivskyi cemetery, on the field of Honorable Burials 86A.
Biographical reference
Kateryna Shcherba (“Olesya”) (31.03.1929-10.05.2023), a native of the village of Vyspa, Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Kateryna’s mother was an activist of the Union of Ukrainian Women, her father was the permanent head of the local branch of the Prosvita Society. She studied at the Rohatyn gymnasium, later entered the teachers’ seminary in Rohatyn.
During the years 1943-1945, she was the liaison officer of the UPA commander Roman Shukhevich (“Tura”), the commander of the 13th military district of the UPA “Lyson” Omelyan Polevoy (“Ostapa”) and Dmytro Karpenko (“Yastruba”) – a chicken hundred of a separate assignment ” Poor people”.
In order to help the insurgents, Ms. Kateryna, while still studying in Rohatyn and being Roman Shukhevych’s liaison, completed nursing courses. She repeatedly visited the Golden Glade, where the school of the partisan division “Syromantsiv” was located.
Once Kateryna Shcherba was almost arrested. People helped her to avoid this. For the sake of safety, while remaining underground, she often changed cities, moved, and changed apartments. Then she got married and changed her last name. She moved to Lviv and was thus lost to the NKGB. Graduated from Lviv University. First, she enrolled in German philology, then switched to Ukrainian.
Throughout her life, she worked as a teacher of Ukrainian language and literature in the city of Lviv. After Ukraine gained independence, she became one of the first members of the Public Organization “Lviv Regional Brotherhood of Veterans of the National Liberation Struggle (Lviv OUN-UPA Brotherhood)”. Kateryna Shcherba’s husband was Ivan Shcherba, the deputy head of the Lviv regional brotherhood of veterans of the OUN-UPA, a teacher and public figure.