When the plane that was supposed to bring the partisans back to friendly territory could not come the eight were told they would have to walk on foot across enemy lines to hand over documents containing the information they had gathered on the locations of Axis garrisons and names of individuals that were fighting for the Axis.

Alone, Melentyeva wandered through the forest for five days without clothes, shoes, or food, carrying only the bundle of documents with her.

On the sixth day she encountered the 272nd Infantry Regiment of the Red Army and was able to hand over the documents.

[3][5] In the summer of 1943 she was sent on another mission inside Axis-controlled territory; she was supposed to make contact with underground Komsomol committee she had helped establish in Sheltozersky and report back any information they had.

After refusing to answer the Finnish military's questions the partisans were shot at point-blank range inside a cellar on 2 July 1943.