Fyodor Kostenko
Fyodor Yakovlevich Kostenko was a Soviet corps and army commander.Biography
He was born in Martynovsky District, Rostov Oblast to an ethnic Ukrainian family. He fought in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I before going over to the Bolsheviks during the subsequent civil war.
In World War II, he commanded the 26th Army and the Southwestern Front.
He led the task force during the Yelets Offensive from December 6 to December 16, 1941, which ended with the defeat of several enemy divisions.
Kostenko went missing on May 26, 1942, and was presumed killed, being surrounded during the tragic Second Battle of Kharkov.
He was a recipient of the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of the Red Star.
