Olga Kachura

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In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Sergeevna and the family name is Kachura.

Colonel

Olga Kachura
Kachura in 2022
Native name
  • Russian: Ольга Сергеевна Качура
  • Ukrainian: Ольга Сергіївна Качура
Nickname(s)Korsa
Born(1970-05-12)12 May 1970
Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died29 July 2022(2022-07-29) (aged 52)
Horlivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Allegiance
Service/branch
Years of service
  • 1996–2012
  • 2014–2022
Rank
Battles/wars
Awards

Olga Sergeevna Kachura[a] (12 May 1970 – 29 July 2022)[1][2] was a Ukrainian pro-Russian separatist in the Russo-Ukrainian War, colonel of the Donetsk People's Republic People's Militia and a commander of a rocket artillery divizion. She was known under the call sign Korsa.[3]

In 2022, Kachura was sentenced by a Ukrainian court to 12 years in prison in absentia, for serving in the DPR army, which Ukraine considers as a terrorist organisation.

Early life and education

Kachura was born on 12 May 1970 in Donetsk.[4] Her family had a history of military service,[5] with her father and grandfather being officers.[where?][4] She graduated from the military department of the Donetsk Polytechnic Institute with a degree in software development for ballistic missile guidance systems.[5]

Career

She worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine from 1996 to 2012,[4] rising from an investigator to the chief of staff of the Kirov regional department of the Donetsk city police department, and attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Militsiya. Afterwards she worked in the security service of a bank in Donetsk, until 2014 when she joined the DPR People's Militia.[5]

Russo-Ukrainian War

Kachura was a participant in the Russo-Ukrainian War from 2014 onwards. She served in the 3rd separate motorized rifle brigade "Berkut" of the 1st army corps of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).[5][6] She commanded a rocket artillery divizion.[7] In January 2022, Kachura was sentenced by a Ukrainian court to 12 years in prison in absentia, for serving in the DPR army, which Ukraine considers a terrorist organisation.[8][9]

Allegations of war crimes

Ukrainian authorities accused Kachura of war crimes. According to Ukrainian journalist Denis Kazanskyi [uk], "Kachura was guilty of the shelling of the cities of Donbas and the deaths of civilians".[8] Allegedly, Kachura's artillery divizion had fired on civilian targets during service in the Donetsk People's Republic.[10] She herself was accused of committing atrocities while impersonating a Ukrainian soldier in order to discredit the Ukrainian army.[11] Kachura was reported to have said in an interview with Russian state media that she enjoyed killing her fellow Ukrainians.[8][9]

Personal life

At the time of her death, Kachura was married, had a daughter[7] and a son that she decided to adopt in 2015 after a priest made her his godmother.[12][9] She was engaged in powerlifting and headed the Horlivka Powerlifting Federation.[5]

Death

Kachura was killed when a Ukrainian missile struck her car on 29 July 2022 in Horlivka.[8] Her death was announced on 3 August 2022.[13] Posthumously, she was awarded the honorary title Hero of the Russian Federation, "for her courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty."[8]

According to Russian state media, Kachura's funeral (which took place in Donetsk in August 2022) was bombed by Ukrainian forces, killing two people. The Ukrainian government denied responsibility and claimed that Russian forces had carried out the shelling.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Russian: Ольга Сергеевна Качура; Ukrainian: Ольга Сергіївна Качура

References

  1. ^ "Путин посмертно присвоил звание Героя России полковнику ДНР Качуре". RBK Group. 4 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Кто такая Ольга Качура и почему ей присвоили звание Героя России?". tolknews.ru. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  3. ^ Ольга Гордо (7 March 2018). "Командир артиллерийского подразделения «Корса» Ольга Качура: Мясо готовлю по-мужски, а вот тортиком моим можно убить". Donetsk.kp.ru -. Komsomolskaya Pravda. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Алексей Иванов (3 August 2022). "Погибла легендарная «Корса»..." Zavtra. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Что известно о погибшем полковнике ДНР Ольге Качуре". Kommersant. 3 August 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Андрющенко заявил о ликвидации Корсы". Gordon. 3 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Патриотическая акция «КТО ДЛЯ ТЕБЯ ГЕРОЙ?»: командир реактивного артиллерийского дивизиона воинской части № 08803, гвардии полковник Качура Ольга Сергеевна". Сайт администрации Горловки. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e Dutton, Jack (5 August 2022). "Russia loses first female colonel, Olga Kachura, in Ukraine War: Putin ally". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Officer who 'boasted' of killing civilians becomes Russia's first female commander to die". The Telegraph. 4 August 2022. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Olga Kachura: 5 facts about Russians 1st female commander who was killed in a missile strike". GhLinks. 6 December 2022.
  11. ^ Suresh, Meera (4 August 2022). "Pro-Russian Fighter Korsa Who 'Enjoyed Killing Ukrainians' Dies In Combat; Putin Makes Her 'Hero'". International Business Times.
  12. ^ Мельникова, Кристина (10 March 2019). Командир артдивизиона ДНР: Отдайте нам Киев, это решит все проблемы [DPR artillery battalion commander: Give us Kyiv, this will solve all problems]. EurAsia Daily (in Russian). Donetsk. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Putin awards Hero of Russia award to Colonel Olga Kachura killed in Ukraine". EuroWeekly News. 4 August 2022. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  14. ^ Ukrainska Pravda (4 August 2022). "A strike on the funeral of a "DPR" commander in central Donetsk, Office of the President says: Russians hit themselves". Yahoo News.
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