Editor of the journal Vasily Bocharov recalled:



"…the resistance and the life in the enemy's rear were the main inspiration for partisans. Partisans would read the stories about every warfare operation over and over again. There was a queue to read the journal, and when some sub-unit kept it for too long, others expressed discontent. There was a strict schedule for the journal to be transferred from sub-unit to sub-unit. Each episode described in the journal was close and dear to the national avengers. In some stories, they seemed to see themselves, re-evaluated their steps and actions of their compatriots, learned how to destroy the enemy, and recalled their mistakes ... a battle is a battle ... and not all the battles against the Nazis ended in our favor. There were victims and it was hard for partisans to recover from the death of their comrades-in-arms. The journal featured a story about partisan intelligence agent Semyon Makarov, who, making his way back from the mission on a frosty February night of 1942, fell into an ambush along with his comrade-in-arms. The soldiers were wounded and took shelter in a roadside shed. Lieutenant Makarov ordered junior V.Strelsky to bring intelligence reports to the partisan unit. He himself stayed and fired back to the last cartridge.



The journal recorded a detailed account of many events, including the heroic battles and daily lives of the partisans. The journal's humor pages under the heading "A Good Shot" included jokes, sharp critics, keen satire, and Misha Baibekov's catchy sketches and cartoons".