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TATYANA MARKUS: HEROINE OF THE UKRAINE
“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
The first time I paid attention to the country of Ukraine was when Putin invaded their peaceful nation and declared war on them. Previously I’d heard the name Ukraine mentioned during the 2016/2020 elections, but it wasn’t until a woman in my writing group published a novel about three generations of Ukrainian women, that I really took notice. And wow! I learned that this courageous country was brave beyond measure. They never once waivered in their commitment to freedom, democracy and peace.
When I stumbled upon The Tatyana Markus Monument, a sculpture dedicated to a brave young women who risked her life for freedom, I first thought she was part of the current regime of freedom fighters, but no, she fought against the Nazis during WW11. The monument, unveiled in Babi Yar in 2006, pays homage to her war efforts against the Holocaust. Here’s what you need to know about her: She was born on 9/21/21 in Rommy, Ukraine and died on 1/29/43, after months of torture at the hands of the Gestapo.
Tatyana, also known as Tatiana Markusidze, was born to Jewish parents. When the Ukraine fell under German occupation, Tatyana joined the underground resistance, along with her boyfriend and father. She was only nineteen yet she reportedly carried out acts of sabotage upon the Nazi regime and is credited with killing dozens of members of the Third Reich. After completing one of her targeted assassinations, she reportedly left a note on the dead body that read, “All of you fascist reptiles are waiting for the same fate.” Unfortunately, her resistance work was cut short at age 22, when she died at the hands of Hitler’s men.
Imagine how brave she must’ve been to join the resistance. But fear didn’t stop her from demanding freedom, not just only for herself but for her countrymen as well. She is well deserving of the title “Heroine of the Ukraine,” which she was awarded posthumously in 2016.
Brave women are everywhere. Let us continue to dot the landscape with physical reminders of their strength and commitment to the cause of freedom, democracy, feminism and the human condition.
Rock on Tatyana!