Voivode Dyado Zhelyu

Zhelyu Voyvoda (Zhelyu Hristov Chernev, also called Dyado Zhelyu) was a Bulgarian hajduk, voivode and national revolutionary, known for his participation in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and other military campaigns.

He was born in 1828 in Yambol, and in 1831 his family moved to the village of Karapcha, now Malomir. Zhelyu Voyvoda joined the hajduk movement and served in Dimitar Kalachliyata's band before moving to Panayot Hitov's detachment.

In 1868 he prepared a detachment that Hristo Botev was also supposed to join, but was arrested by the Romanian authorities in Brăila. Nevertheless, Zhelyu Voyvoda continued his struggle and participated in three wars: the Serbo-Turkish War (1876), the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and the Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885).

During the Russo-Turkish War, he led a volunteer detachment of 300 fighters in the Kotel area (the Elena Balkan Mountains) and helped clear the eastern Balkan Mountains of Ottoman irregular bands in the winter of 1878.

A legend tells of an incident in which Zhelyu Voyvoda and his sister were attacked by two Turkish soldiers. Using a sickle he had with him, he managed to defend himself and kill the attackers. This incident caused the Turkish authorities to pursue and search for him, and he sought refuge in the hajduk detachments.

Zhelyu Voyvoda is known for his courage and determination in fighting Ottoman rule and defending Bulgarian interests. One symbol of his activity is the preserved flag of his volunteer detachment in the National Museum of Military History, which bears witness to his contribution to Bulgaria's struggle for freedom.