Alexei Prokopievich Berest (; ; 9 March 1921 – 4 November 1970) was a Soviet
political officer and one of the three
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
soldiers credited with having
hoisted the Victory Banner over the
Reichstag.
Biography
Early life
Born to an impoverished Ukrainian family, seven of Berest's fifteen siblings died prematurely. He was orphaned when eleven years old, and raised by his older sisters. From the age of sixteen, he worked as a tractor driver. Berest volunteered into the Red Army in October 1939 and took part in the
Soviet-Finnish War as a signaller. When
Germany invaded the Soviet Union, he was sent to the front once more. In March 1943, while stationed in the
Volkhov Front
The Volkhov Front () was a major formation of the Red Army during the first period of the Second World War. It was formed as an expediency of an early attempt to halt the advance of the Wehrmacht Army Group North in its offensive thrust towards L ...
, Corporal Berest joined the
Communist Party. In December, he was sent to the Leningrad Military-Political School (Which at the time was located at
Shuya, after being evacuated) and trained as a commissar. After graduation in September 1944, Lieutenant Berest was assigned as Captain
Stepan Neustroev
Stepan Andreevich Neustroev (; 12 August 1922 – 26 February 1998) was a Soviet officer, commander of the 1st Battalion in the 756th Regiment of the 150th Rifle Division. His unit was the first to storm the Reichstag.
At a young age, Neustroev ...
's deputy for political affairs (''Zampolit'') in the 1st Battalion of the
150th Rifle Division
The 150th Guards Motor Rifle Berlin-Idritsa Order of Kutuzov Division () of the Russian Ground Forces is a motorized rifle division that was re-instituted in 2016. It is part of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army, which was reformed in 2017, in ...
's 756th Regiment.
Battle of Berlin
On 30 April 1945, after long days of street combat in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, the 150th Division
attacked the Reichstag. On 1 May, at about 03:00, Berest and two scouts -
Meliton Kantaria
Meliton Varlamis dze Kantaria or Kantariya ( ka, მელიტონ ქანთარია, melit’on kantaria; ; 5 October 1920 – 27 December 1993) was a sergeant of the Soviet Army credited with having Raising a Flag over the Reichstag, ...
and
Mikhail Yegorov
Mikhail Alekseyevich Yegorov (; 5 May 1923 – 20 June 1975) was a sergeant of the Soviet Army who, along with Meliton Kantaria and Alexei Berest, was one of the three soldiers credited with raising the Soviet flag over the Reichstag on 1 May 1 ...
- hoisted one of nine Soviet flags given to the division's commanders on the building's dome, fastening it to
Wilhelm I
Wilhelm I (Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 1861 and German Emperor from 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the first head of state of a united Germany. ...
's statue.
Although not the first to be placed, the flag was eventually proclaimed as the Victory Banner. Later, posing as a Colonel, he negotiated with the German garrison of the Reichstag on the terms of their surrender. He received the
Order of the Red Banner
The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...
for his actions.
Post-war years
In May 1945, Neustroev, Kantaria and many others who were involved in the Reichstag assault were awarded the title
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...
. For unknown reasons,
[The various sources cited in this article alternatively asserted that this was due to Berest's Ukrainian heritage, Marshal ]Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( 189618 June 1974) was a Soviet military leader who served as a top commander during World War II and achieved the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. During World War II, Zhukov served as deputy commander-in-ch ...
's dislike for political officers or a confrontation with a Smersh
SMERSH () was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin. The form ...
officer several days before the battle. No conclusive data could be found on the subject. Berest did not attain the award and his part in the operation was silenced. In 1948, he was discharged from the army and began working in the regional cinema department of
Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...
. In 1953, he was convicted of embezzlement and sent to ten years in prison, of which he served five. After being released, he was employed in the local
Rostselmash
Rostselmash () is a Russian agricultural equipment company, based in Rostov-on-Don. Founded in 1929, it primarily produces combine harvesters. The company income in 2005 was around 400 million dollars. The company name is a syllabic abbreviation o ...
factory as a common laborer. On 3 November 1970, Berest was run over by a train as he saved a child who strayed on the railway. He died of his injuries in the early hours of the following day.
He was posthumously granted the title
Hero of Ukraine
A Hero of Ukraine (HOU; ) is the highest national decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the president of Ukraine.
The decoration was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma. As of 6 June 2025, the total number of re ...
on 6 May 2005.
The 2005 Presidential Edict naming Berest a national hero
Honours and awards
* Order of the Red Banner
The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...
* Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...
, 1st class
* Order of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...
* Order of the "Gold Star" Hero of Ukraine – for military valour in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, the personal courage and heroism displayed in the Berlin operation and installation of the Victory Banner over the Reichstag, posthumously
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death
* Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...
)
*
* Medal "For the Capture of Berlin"
References
Annotations
External links
Oleksi Berest on the Heroes of the Ukraine website
Oleksi Berest on a Sumy newspaper website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berest, Alexei
1921 births
1970 deaths
People from Sumy Oblast
Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Railway accident deaths in Russia
Recipients of the Order of Gold Star (Ukraine)
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
People convicted of embezzlement
People nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union