Focus ROMI.HR

During the recruitment process for World War II in the Soviet Union, many Roma individuals did not identify as Roma, often out of fear of persecution or discrimination. Also, sometimes the authorities would label Roma people as another ethnicity, most often Russian. This reluctance to state their ethnicity led to a significant underreporting of the Roma population in official records, making the true number of Roma involved in the war much harder to determine. As a result, the official statistics on Roma participation are considerably smaller than the actual figures, and it remains difficult to establish accurate data regarding their contributions, experiences or losses during the conflict. 

For the same reason, we know very little about Roma people who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. This was the highest distinction in the USSR, granted for acts of heroism or outstanding achievements during combat, as well as in peacetime. Officially, there is only one Roma person awarded this title — Timofey Ilyich Prokofyev.

Matros Timofey Ilyich Prokofyev, a rifleman in the 2nd company of the 384th separate battalion of naval infantry of the Odessa Naval Base of the Black Sea Fleet was born on February 2, 1913, in the village of Lukyanovo, Ostashkovsky district, to a family of rural Roma blacksmiths. After completing a seven-year school, Timofey began working in a Roma collective farm, organized by his father, who was the first chairman of the farm.

When Nazi Germany invaded the USSR, Prokofyev was exempted from mobilization as he worked in water transport, but in April 1942, his younger brother Vasily was killed in battles near the town of Bely. Timofey went to the enlistment office and said, "I must take his place. Please send me to the front." His request was granted, and he was enrolled in the naval infantry.

In February 1943, Prokofyev participated in the Novorossiysk landing operation. Until the fall of 1943, the marines, including Prokofyev, steadfastly and courageously defended the captured bridgehead, called Malaya Zemlya. He was wounded there and treated in a hospital in Gelendzhik. In September 1943, Prokofyev left Malaya Zemlya to storm Novorossiysk.

In November 1943, Prokofyev, as part of a naval landing force, landed on the Kerch Peninsula and fought for several weeks to hold and expand the captured bridgehead on the Crimean shore. He was wounded a second time but refused hospitalization.

The feat that led to Prokofyev becoming the only Roma person to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was connected to the Nikolaev landing of Olyshansky. He was one of the 68 heroic paratroopers, and Matros Prokofyev was among them.

Before the start of the fourth attack, Sergeant Bochkovich ordered Prokofiev to move to another firing point to fire machine guns into the flank of the advancing Nazis. The sailor followed the order precisely and found himself in a comfortable position. The fourth attack of the Germans was supported by four 75-millimeter guns. Clinging to the machine gun, Prokofiev fired short bursts, pressing the Nazis to the ground. However, the enemy machine gunners spotted the firing point and rained a swarm of bullets down on Prokofiev's position. 

At that time, Hitler's large-calibre machine guns opened fire from behind the railroad tracks. They hit a wooden house and a small barn. To help his comrades, Prokofiev increased his fire. Trying to get a better look at the target, he raised his head for a moment, and at that moment a German sniper shot at him. Prokofiev lay by the machine gun with his head shot through. Two Nazi approached him, one of whom was an Oberleutnant, and having gathered his remaining strength, Timofey raised himself and fired a final burst at the Nazis. Despite the fact that out of 68 people, only six paratroopers remained alive, the Nazis were still unable to defeat the Nikolaev landing force.

On March 28, 1944, Soviet troops liberated the city of Nikolaev. When the advancing forces entered the port, they were met with the scene of the aftermath of a bloody battle: buildings charred and destroyed by shells, hundreds of dead fascist soldiers and officers, and a surrounding area engulfed in flames. 

The news of their heroism spread throughout the army and the entire country. Stalin ordered that all participants of the landing be nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Timofey was posthumously awarded this title. Prokofiev was buried in a mass grave in Nikolaev, in the Square of the 68 paratroopers.