Pavel Yakovlevich Grishchenko (1921-1997) – a senior sergeant of the Soviet Army, participant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1945). Grishchenko Pavel Yakovlevich was born on the 9th of June, 1921, in the village of Novo-Bratka (now –the Mikhailovsky district of the Amur region) in a peasant family. He graduated from junior high school and worked as an accountant-cashier. In November 1941 Grishchenko was called up to serve in the Workers' and peasants' Red Army. Since January 1942 he was on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. He took part in the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk. By January 1945 senior sergeant Pavel Grishchenko commanded the gun crew of the 493rd fighter-anti-tank artillery regiment of the 13th army of the 1st Ukrainian front. He distinguished himself during the crossing of the Oder. On the 29th of January, 1945, Grishchenko's team crossed the Oder near the locality of Tarksdorf to the south of the Polish city of Siecinawa and during its assault destroyed 3 German tanks. When the gun was destroyed, Grishchenko organized a circular defense and personally blew up 2 enemy tanks and 1 armored personnel carrier with bundles of grenades. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated the 10th of April, 1945, for “exemplary performance of command assignments at the front against the German invaders and displaying courage and heroism” senior sergeant Pavel Grishchenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the order of Lenin and medal ‘Gold Star” no. 8858. In total, during the war Grishchenko's team destroyed 13 tanks, 4 self-propelled artillery pieces, 13 armored personnel carriers, 26 machine guns, 2 tractors and 420 enemy soldiers and officers. After the end of the war he took part in the liquidation of gangs in the Lvov region and the Carpathians. In 1946 he was demobilized. He graduated from the Khabarovsk law school. Since 1948 he worked in the Prosecutor's office of the Khabarovsk territory, was a Prosecutor of the Railway, then Industrial districts of Khabarovsk and later became the Khabarovsk city Prosecutor. In 1953 he graduated from the all-Union law Institute. Since 1968 Grishchenko worked in the Ministry of internal Affairs of the USSR. In 1988 he retired as a police colonel. He lived in Khabarovsk, died on the 3rd of March, 1997, and was buried in the Central cemetery of Khabarovsk. He was also awarded the order of the Patriotic War of the first and second degrees, a number of medals. He is a honored lawyer of the RSFSR, a honored worker of the Ministry of internal affairs of the USSR, a honorary citizen of Khabarovsk (1985).