Lapteva Hanna ; Sister: Mozilova Natalia

Mozilova, Nataliya Lapteva-Kulyakova, Hanna Nataliya Mozilova finished her studies at the teachers’ college in her native city of Zdolbunow (today Zdolbuniv, Rivne District) in the year 1940, and was sent to teach first and second grades in the village of Żabokrzyki (now Zhabokryky), in the same district. There she became friendly with a fellow teacher, Eugenia Cherniawsky, who came from a Jewish family in the nearby village of Roginzo (later, Rogoznoye). On June 17, 1941, following the end of the school year and just before the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the two went home to visit with their families. It was going to be over a year before they would see each other again. One day, in September 1942, they met again. Over the course of the previous year, Nataliya had married and was living with her husband, Vladimir Veselovsky, in Równe (now Rivne). Then, unexpectedly, Eugenia appeared at their doorstep, exhausted after several days of walking. Eugenia had been given Nataliya’s new address by a colleague of theirs, a teacher who was unable to offer her shelter because her husband was a policeman. Nataliya and her husband received Eugenia warmly and told her she could stay with them for as long as she wished. Eugenia’s physical and mental health had declined after 14 months of struggling to survive and failed attempts to save her family. Even though Eugenia spoke fluent Ukrainian and had a transit permit bearing a Ukrainian name, she did not feel safe anywhere. Nataliya put her in touch with her sister, Hanna, who was then married to a Russian named Kulyakov, who looked for a way to connect Eugenia with Soviet partisans. On some occasions, such as when Nataliya and Vladimir were expecting guests, Eugenia stayed over with Hanna. In December 1942, Vladimir was suddenly summoned to the police station and asked who his guest was. He denied that Eugenia was a Jew, but police officers came to the house that same day. Eugenia fled from the house dressed as shewas, without a coat or boots. Prior to running off, Nataliya managed to stuff her work permit into Eugenia’s hand, a document which did not contain a photograph and which was made out in her maiden name, Nataliya Mozilova. The following day she had made it to Zhitomir (now Zhytomyr). From there she traveled to Vinnitsa (now Vinnytsya) and then to Zhmerinka (now Zhmerynka), where she was liberated in the spring of 1944. She had lost her entire family in the war. Eventually, Eugenia immigrated to Canada. On September 23, 2001, Yad Vashem recognized Nataliya Mozilova and her sister, Hanna Kulyakova-Lapteva, as Righteous Among the Nations.