Nikolay Kiselyov (soldier)

Nikolay Yakovlevich Kiselyov (Russian: Николай Яковлевич Киселёв, December 19, 1913 – October 21, 1974) was a Soviet Red Army officer and partisan leader during World War II. He is primarily known for leading over 200 Jewish residents of the Dolginovo ghetto in Belarus to safety behind Soviet lines in the summer of 1942, saving them from almost certain extermination by the Nazis.

Kiselyov was born in the village of Bogucharovo, Ufimsky Uyezd, Ufa Governorate (now in Bashkortostan). He was drafted into the Red Army at the start of the war and found himself in the occupied territories after the German advance.

In 1942, he was tasked by the partisans with rescuing the surviving Jews of Dolginovo. He led a group of 218 people, mostly women, children, and elderly, through hundreds of kilometers of forests and swamps, evading German patrols and local collaborators. The journey was fraught with danger and hardship, with dwindling supplies and constant threat of discovery. Kiselyov reportedly displayed remarkable courage and leadership in keeping the group together and motivated.

After reaching Soviet lines, Kiselyov returned to military service and continued fighting until the end of the war. After the war, he lived in Moscow and worked in the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

Kiselyov's actions were largely forgotten until the fall of the Soviet Union. His story was rediscovered through archival research and the testimonies of the survivors he saved. In 2005, he was posthumously recognized as a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem. His story has since been documented in films and books, highlighting his extraordinary act of humanity during a time of immense cruelty.