Siarhei Prytytski

Siarhei Prytytski (Belarusian: Сяргей Прытыцкі, Siarhiej Prytycki Russian: Серге́й Притыцкий, Sergey Pritytsky, Polish: Sergiusz Prytycki; February 1, 1913, Harkawicze - June 13, 1971, Minsk)[2] was a Belarusian Soviet statesman.

Siarhei Prytytski
Сяргей Прытыцкі
Head of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Belarusian SSR
In office
January 22, 1968 (1968-01-22) – (1971-06-13)June 13, 1971
Preceded byVasily Kozlov
Succeeded byFedar Surganau
Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus
In office
1962 (1962) – 1968 (1968)
Deputy Head of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic
In office
1962 (1962) – 1968 (1968)
Personal details
Born
Сяргей Прытыцкі
Sergiusz Prytycki

(1913-02-01)1 February 1913
Harkawicze, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire
Died13 June 1971(1971-06-13) (aged 58)
Minsk, Belarusian SSR, Soviet Union
Political partyCommunist Party of the Soviet Union
Other political
affiliations		Communist Party of West Belarus
Spouse(s)Tatsiana Prytytskaya[1]
Awards
Other medals

Having started as a Communist activist in Western Belarus (then part of the Second Polish Republic), after the Soviet invasion of Poland he became a high-ranking politician in the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.[3]

Childhood

Prytytski was born on February 1, 1913 in Harkawicze (Belarusian: Гаркавічы) in the Polish-Belarusian borderlands, then part of the Russian Empire,[2] as the third son of a school watchman.[3] In 1914 his family fled to Nizhny Shkaft, Penza Oblast, Russia from the approaching front of the First World War.[4]

Activism and imprisonment in West Belarus

In 1931 Prytytski became Secretary of the youth branch (Komsomol) of the illegal Communist Party of West Belarus in Krynki in the Second Polish Republic. In 1932 he became member of the party and was elected secretary of the local party branch in Hrodna[5] In 1933 Prytytski was for the first time arrested by Polish authorities and put into a prison in Hrodna, but soon released.[5]

In 1933 - 1934 he was a member of the local committee of the CPWB Komsomol in Slonim and led strikes of forestry workers in the area. In 1934 - 1935 he studied at the CPWB school in Minsk, East Belarus, USSR. In 1935 he became Secretary of the local youth branch of the CPWB in Slonim.

Prytytski made a widely publicized unsuccessful assassination attempt on a Polish agent provocateur[5][6][7] Jakub Strelczuk in the Polish court at Wilno on 27 January 1936, shooting from two Nagant revolvers.[3] The operation was planned and organized by the leader of the West Belarusian Komsomol Mikalai Dvornikau, who also was the backup of the main executor. After the shooting, Prytytski was arrested and sentenced to death. The death sentence provoked wide international protest in West Belarus, Poland, France, Czechoslovakia and the United States.[6] Following the protests, the Polish authorities changed the sentence to life imprisonment.

In September 1939, after the Soviet invasion of Poland, Prytytski was freed. He was elected into the People's Assembly of West Belarus and made a presentation demanding West Belarus to join the Soviet Union.[6]

Career in the USSR

After the reunification of West Belarus with the Belarusian SSR, in late 1939 Prytytski was made deputy head of the Executive Committee of the newly established Belastok Voblast.

After Germany's attack on the USSR in June 1941, Prytytski escaped to the eastern part of Belarus still under the Soviet control. In June–August 1941 he led the defense preparations around Mahiliou and the creation of defense militia near Homel.[6]

In 1942 - 1944 Prytytski was Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Belarusian branch of the Komsomol. In 1944 - 1945 he was head of a pro-Soviet Polish[6] partisan command staff. For his command of Polish partisans, he was awarded one of his Orders of the Red Banner.[5]

After the end of the Second World War, Prytytski became one of the most successful Soviet statesman from the ranks of the former West Belarusian pro-Soviet activists.[7]

He served as the head of regional party branches in Hrodna, Baranavichy, Maladzyechna and Minsk Voblasts.[6] During his work, he organized collectivization of local agriculture.[5] In the first post-war years, Prytytski was close to being arrested under accusations of anti-Soviet espionage for Poland.[5]

In the 1960s, Prytytski has held senior posts in the Soviet Belarus.

From 1962 to 1968 he was Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus and Deputy Head of the Government of Belarus.

In 1968-1971 Prytytski was Head of Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus.[8]

Homage
  • Vladimir Korsh-Sablin, a notable Belarusian Soviet director, filmed the movie "Red Leaves" (Belarusfilm, 1958) about Prytytski's underground experience in Western Belarus.
  • There are streets named after Prytytski in Minsk, Hrodna, Maladziechna and Baranavichy (Vulica Prytyckaha).[8]
  • In Minsk, there two memorial plaques on the walls of the buildings where he lived.
  • In 1978, the book "Life given to the people" was published, in which articles and speeches by Prytytski, documents and memoirs about him were placed. It was opened with the introductory article "The People's Hero" by Pyotr Masherov.
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Sources
  1. Ruzecka, Aliaksandr (6 December 2008). "Последние листья" [The last leaves]. sb.by (in Russian). Sovetskaya Belorussiya – Belarus' Segodnya. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  2. Grzegorz Rąkowski, Komunisci z Harkawicz: Polska egzotyczna, Part 1. Oficyna Wydawnicza "Rewasz" 2005, page 211. ISBN 8389188376
  3. Andrzej Poczobut, Joanna Klimowicz (June 2011). "Białostocki ulubieniec Stalina" (PDF file, direct download 2.40 MB). Ogólnokrajowy tygodnik SZ «Związek Polaków na Białorusi» (Association of Poles of Belarus). Głos znad Niemna (Voice of the Neman weekly), Nr 7/60. pp. 6–7 of current document. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  4. "Школа улиц Сергея Притыцкого" [The school of the streets of Siarhiej Prytycki]. sb.by (in Russian). Sovetskaya Belorussiya – Belarus' Segodnya. June 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  5. Ioffе, Emanuil (June 2008). "Сергей Притыцкий: хроника жизни" [Siarhiej Prytycki: a chronicle of life] (PDF). Bielaruskaja Dumka magazine (in Russian). BelTA. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  6. "Притыцкий Сергей Осипович" [Siarhiej Prytycki: biography and collection of archive documents]. narb.by (in Russian). National Archives of Belarus. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  7. Mikulevic, Siarhiej (16 February 2008). "Шчаслівы лёс беларускага тэрарыста нумар адзін" [The lucky fate of the Belarusian terrorist number one]. nn.by (in Belarusian). Nasha Niva. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  8. "Рэпрэсаваныя лiтаратары, навукоўцы, работнiкi асветы, грамадскiя i культурныя дзеячы Беларусі. 1794-1991. » Том II » ПРЫТЫЦКІ Сяргей Восіпавіч" [Repressed writers, scientists, education workers, public and cultural activists of Belarus. 1794-1991 - Volume II - PRYTYCKI Siarhiej]. marakou.by (in Belarusian). Leanid Marakou. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
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