Nadiya Viktorivna Savchenko (; born 11 May 1981) is a Ukrainian politician, former Army aviation pilot in the

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

, and former

People's Deputy of Ukraine A people's deputy of Ukraine (, ) is a member of parliament and legislator elected by Direct election, popular vote to the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine. They are often referred to simply as "deputies". Prior to 1991, the Verkhovna R ...

. During the 2014

War in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...

, Savchenko was a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in the Ukrainian Ground Forces and served as instructor with a volunteer infantry unit, the

Aidar Battalion 24th Separate Assault Battalion "Aidar", also known as the Aidar Battalion, is an assault battalion of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The unit was created in May 2014 by the name 24th Territorial Defense Battalion "Aydar" () and took part in the ...

. In June 2014, she was captured by pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and handed over to Russia where she was accused of having directed artillery fire that killed two Russian state-television journalists in Ukraine. She was subsequently charged and convicted of murder and illegally crossing the Russian state border, despite being abducted from Ukrainian territory one hour before the deaths of the journalists. One of her lawyers,

Mark Feygin Mark Zakharovich Feygin (; born 3 June 1971) is a Russian human rights activist and former lawyer who represented Pussy Riot, Nadiya Savchenko and Leonid Razvozzhayev in Russian courts. He also served from January 1994 to December 1995 as a dep ...

, said she was a

prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

and called on the

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of rules of war and ...

and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

to demand her immediate release as well as the release of other Ukrainian

POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...

s lest Russia be held in violation of the

Geneva Conventions upright=1.15, The original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are international humanitarian laws consisting of four treaties and three additional protocols that establish international legal standards for humanitarian t ...

. European Union ministers and their representative regarded her detention as illegal and that her trial did not respect basic

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

, including the right to fair proceedings. In November 2014, while still imprisoned, Savchenko was elected to the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

in the

2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an un ...

, and she formally resigned from her military post. On 25 May 2016, Savchencko was exchanged in a prisoner swap for Russian

GRU Gru is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Despicable Me'' film series. Gru or GRU may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Gru (rapper), Serbian rapper * Gru, an antagonist in '' The Kine Saga'' Organizations Georgia (c ...

officers Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Alexander Alexandrov captured by Ukraine. After returning to Ukraine, Savchenko declared her intention to participate as a presidential candidate in the

2019 Ukrainian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 31 March 2019. As none of the 39 candidates on the ballot received an absolute majority of the initial vote, a runoff was held on 21 April between the top two vote-getters: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a t ...

. However, she was arrested on 22 March 2018, charged with planning a terrorist attack to overthrow the Ukrainian government.Savchenko complains that the SBU prevents her from going to the presidency

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

(15 January 2019) She was released from detention on 15 April 2019. Savchenko was one of Ukraine's first women to train as a military airplane pilot, and is the only female aviator to pilot the

Sukhoi Su-24 The Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) is a supersonic, night fighter, all-weather tactical bomber developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, Twinjet, twin engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for it ...

bomber and the

Mil Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity transport helicopter, troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and was introduced ...

helicopter.

Life and military career

Nadiya Savchenko and her younger sister Vira were born in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

in the

Troieshchyna The Troieshchyna, also known since 1997 as Vyhurivshchyna-Troieshchyna or Vygurivshchyna-Troieshchyna, is a large neighbourhood of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Troieshchyna is an outskirt located on the city's northern left bank and is administ ...

neighbourhood. Their father was an agricultural engineer, their mother a designer and cargo manager. Savchenko's father was a member of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

while her mother was an

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

. Her mother and sister Vira said in an interview that she and her sister were brought up in a Ukrainian-speaking household and attended Ukrainian-language schools. At 16, Savchenko was already determined to become a pilot. She joined the Ukrainian Army, working as a radio operator with the country's railway forces before training as a paratrooper. At the time she was the only female Ukrainian

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

as part of the (2004–2008) Ukrainian peacekeeping troops. Upon returning to Ukraine, she successfully petitioned the

Defence Ministry A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

for the right to attend the prestigious Air Force University in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

, which until then had been open only to men; she was expelled twice during her study there as an unsuitable candidate to train as a pilot but both times was successfully re-instated and continued to train as a flight navigator instead, initially as a SU-24 navigator. In 2009, she graduated on a Mi-24 attack helicopter and served in the 3rd Regiment of the Army Aviation of the

in the city of Brody. She amassed 170 flying hours as a Mi-24 navigator. In 2011, the Ukraine Defence Forces published a 20-minute documentary about Savchenko and her military career. She also featured in a

Development Program as part of a drive to promote equality in the Ukrainian military. Savchenko found her time in Brody boring and often got drunk. She was unhappy flying on the

Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity transport helicopter, troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and was introduced ...

attack helicopter, instead of the Su-24 bomber. Her former commanding officer at Brody, Edward Zahurskiy, described her as a problem officer, who was unstable, insubordinate, and lacked discipline. In December 2013, Savchenko's 3rd Army Aviation Regiment was ordered to

by President

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

. Savchenko then (without permission from her commanding officer) joined the

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

demonstrations. Savchenko kept a low profile during the protests; there is a video of her trying to persuade demonstrators not to throw petrol bombs at riot police. After the president had fled Ukraine in late February 2014, Savchenko and her unit returned to Brody. Angry over her unit not being deployed in the

war in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...

, Savchenko defied orders and left Brody, and she volunteered as an instructor in the

Capture by Donbas People's Militia

During the war in Donbas, Savchenko fought as a volunteer in the east of Ukraine in the

. On 17 June 2014, at 10:46 am she was captured near the village of Metalist,

Slovianoserbsk Raion Slovianoserbsk Raion () was a raion (district) in Luhansk Oblast of eastern Ukraine. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Luhansk Oblast to eight with the Ra ...

, by members of the Zarya Battalion, an armed pro-Russian militant group that declared allegiance to the self-declared

People's Republic of Luhansk The Luhansk People's Republic (LPR; , ) is a disputed territory administered as a republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was proclaimed by Russian-backed paramilitari ...

. On 19 June, a video of her interrogation at an undisclosed location appeared on the internet; she was shown handcuffed to a metal pipe. On 20 June, the chief of counter-intelligence Vladimir Gromov said that Savchenko was being treated well. On 22 June, there were media reports that Savchenko had been transferred to

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

Detention and trial in the Russian Federation

On 8 July 2014, there were media reports that Nadiya Savchenko was being kept in a detention centre in city of

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

in the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. On 9 July, Vladimir Markin, spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee (a federal agency subordinate to the Russian President), confirmed that Savchenko was indeed being held in Voronezh where she was facing charges of complicity in the 17 June killing of two Russian journalists, Igor Kornelyuk (a correspondent for

All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company The Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (RTR) or Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, also known as Russia Television and Radio, is a national State media, state-owned broadcaster which operates many television and ...

), and sound producer Anton Voloshin, who died during a mortar attack on a rebel checkpoint outside Luhansk. Ukrainian officials said the reporters did not comply with safety requirements and were not accredited. According to Savchenko's defence team, she had an alibi from the billing data from Savchenko's and Kornelyuk's mobile phones, provided by

Ukrainian Security Service The Security Service of Ukraine ( ; abbreviated as SBU [] or SSU) is the main Internal security, internal security agency of the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian government. Its main duties include counter-intelligence activity and combati ...

, as she had already been captured by the Russian-backed separatists one hour before the mortar attack that killed the Russian journalists. Since late 2015, Russia's Investigative Committee insisted she crossed the border voluntarily without documents, and in the guise of a refugee. This contradicted previously published evidence and media reports: long before the alleged crossing, Russia's pro-Kremlin TV channel NTV reported that Savchenko had been captured by "rebels" and then handed over to the Russian authorities. Ukrainian officials said she had been illegally taken to Russia by Russian intelligence services in collaboration with pro-Russian rebels. In 2016, journalist Semen Zakruzhnyi followed the Investigative Committee's alleged route pointing out to numerous inconsistencies and concluding that neither Savchenko nor Russian investigators ever visited the places mentioned in the indictment. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong protest against the illegal transfer of Savchenko to Russia, calling the kidnapping of the Ukrainian citizen an act of state terrorism. On 8 July, President

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

instructed the

General Prosecutor of Ukraine The Prosecutor General of Ukraine (also ''Procurator General''; , ) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General (, or, before 2020, ). The prosecutor general is appointed and dismissed by th ...

to take all measures to bring about Savchenko's release. In response, Vladimir Markin at Russia's Investigative Committee claimed that Savchenko was a terrorist and that the chances of her being released were on a par with those of Petro Poroshenko replacing

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

as President of the United States. During her long trial in Russia, Savchenko was held in a cage in the court—which is standard practice in Russia for defendants held without bail, despite the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

ruling that defendants should never be held in a cage in the courtroom. On 10 July, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a website statement that her detention and trial is "A violation of all international agreements, all norms of law and is unacceptable." President Poroshenko emphasized that "Nadiya Savchenko is a symbol of the struggle for Ukraine. While in captivity she has demonstrated the true, strong, martial Ukrainian spirit of a serviceman who doesn't betray the Motherland." The President also said he had ordered a new lawyer for Savchenko. As of 11 July 2015, Savchenko's Russian defence lawyer was

, who is known for his defence of

Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Feminism in Russia, Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in the fall of 2011 by the th ...

. On 27 August 2014, during a hearing at the Sovetsky district court of Voronezh, Savchenko appeared wearing a T-shirt with the Ukrainian state symbol (

Tryzub The coat of arms of Ukraine is a blue shield with a golden trident. It is colloquially known as the ''tryzub'' (, , ). The small coat of arms was officially adopted on 19 February 1992, while constitutional provisions exist for establishing ...

) and spoke exclusively in the

Ukrainian language Ukrainian (, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language, spoken primarily in Ukraine. It is the first language, first (native) language of a large majority of Ukrainians. Written Ukrainian uses the Ukrainian alphabet, a variant of t ...

. She also stated that she had been detained in Russia since 24 June, not 30 June as the Russian investigation reported. At the conclusion of the hearing, the court extended Savchenko's detention for a further two months and ordered that she be sent for a month to the

Serbsky Institute The Serbsky State Scientific Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry () is a psychiatric hospital and Russia's main center of forensic psychiatry. In the past, the institution was called the Serbsky Institute (). Institute The Institute st ...

for a forensic psychological evaluation, which Savchenko opposed. On 22 December 2014,

Moscow City Court The Moscow City Court () is the highest judicial body of the city of Moscow on civil, criminal, administrative and other cases. District courts of Moscow External links Official website
{{Authority control Courts in Russia Governme ...

upheld the decision to extend the arrest of Savchenko until the end of the investigation, which was scheduled to be concluded by 13 February 2015. Savchenko subsequently began a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

. The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

condemned Savchenko's detention and called for her release. Her lawyer, Mark Feygin, said she was a

. Savchenko officially became a Ukrainian delegate to the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up of ...

, or PACE, on 26 January 2015; thus on a legal level, she obtained

parliamentary immunity Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which politicians or other political leaders are granted full immunity from legal prosecution, both civil prosecution and criminal prosecution, in the course of the exe ...

in all PACE signatory states, including Russia, from that date. Despite this she was not released.

Aleksey Pushkov Aleksey Konstantinovich Pushkov (; born 10 August 1954) is a Russian politician who has been Senator from Perm Krai since 29 September 2016. He is also a former Deputy of the State Duma and former head of the Committee on International Affairs o ...

of the Russian Duma stated that her appointment to PACE was an attack against Russia, and that gaining diplomatic immunity does not absolve one from previous crimes. However, the Russian delegation to PACE struck a different tone, stating that it "fully supports the release of Nadia Savchenko." PACE declined to strip Savchenko of her parliamentary immunity, and instead stated that Savchenko must be immediately released, finding her 2014 abduction and subsequent imprisonment to be "a violation of international law amounting to her de facto kidnapping". On 2 March 2015, President Petro Poroshenko awarded Savchenko with the title of

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 24 July 2015, a spokesman for the

Investigative Committee of Russia The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF; ) has since January 2011 been the main federal investigating authority in Russia. Its name (''Sledstvennyi komitet'') is usually abbreviated to ''SKR'' (). The agency replaced the Ru ...

, contrary to the information of Savchenko's capture published earlier by

Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR; , ) is Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupied territory in Ukraine that the Russian Federation has claimed to annex and declared as a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia, comprising parts o ...

, stated that she voluntarily crossed the Russian border with intention of committing acts of sabotage and freely moved on the territory of

Voronezh Oblast Voronezh Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Voronezh. Its population was 2,308,792 as of the Russian Census (2021), 20 ...

until 30 June when she was arrested. In February 2016, the

US State department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

's spokesperson

Jen Psaki Jennifer Rene Psaki (; born December 1, 1978) is an American television political analyst and former government official. A political advisor who served under both the Obama and Biden administrations, she served the Biden administration as the ...

voiced deep concern over the continued ill-treatment and deteriorating health of Savchenko, and called on Russia to honour its commitments under the September 2014

Minsk agreement The Minsk agreements were a series of international agreements which sought to end the Donbas war fought between armed Russian separatist groups and Armed Forces of Ukraine, with Russian regular forces playing a central part. After a defea ...

s, and the 15 February implementation plan by immediately releasing Savchenko and other Ukrainian hostages. Other urges to release her followed. On 7 March 2016, US Secretary of State

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

protested Savchenko's continued detention, specifically mentioning concerns about her interrogations, solitary confinement, and forced "psychiatric evaluation". In March 2016, Savchenko wrote: "It is an absurd situation when those who abduct people and subject them to torture then act as if they have a right to judge them! How can one talk about a fair trial? In Russia, there are no trials or investigations—only a farce played out by Kremlin puppets. ..those in the world with democratic values ought to learn their history lessons before it's too late and remember that there was a time when Europe was tolerant toward Hitler, and America wasn't decisive enough, and this led to World War II." On 10 March 2016, while on a hunger strike, Nadiya Savchenko made a last statement to the court, which included the statement: "I admit no guilt and I recognize neither the court nor the verdict. If I am found guilty, I will not appeal. I want the entire democratic world to understand that Russia is a Third World country with a totalitarian regime and a petty tyrant for a dictator and it spits on international law and human rights." According to her lawyer

, "her case will certainly be decided in Kremlin by

Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

and his associates". On 21 March 2016, the court of

Donetsk, Russia Donetsk (, ) is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River on the border with Ukraine. By road it is located west of Volgograd. Population: 38,000 (1970). It was previously known as ''Gundorovka.'' History The ...

found Savchenko guilty of illegally crossing the Russian border and the murder of two Russian journalists. Savchenko was freed in a prisoner swap on 25 May 2016 for two Russian servicemen. She was released from custody in

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 ...

and immediately on a presidential flight brought to

Boryspil Boryspil (, ) is a city and the administrative center of Boryspil Raion in Kyiv Oblast (region) in northern and central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Boryspil urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population was estimate ...

. Technically, she was granted a pardon by president Vladimir Putin. Immediately in the

Boryspil International Airport The Boryspil International Airport () , also known as Kyiv Boryspil Airport, is an international airport in Boryspil, east of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It is Ukraine's largest airport, serving 65% of its passenger air traffic, including al ...

she was awarded the Golden Star and received an honorary title of

Public image

Savchenko's trial caused a significant response inside Ukraine, Russia and internationally. After news of her arrest was reported on 19 June, Savchenko became the subject of an impassioned Ukrainian

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

campaign portraying her as a national hero. This social media campaign used the

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...

#SaveOurGirl (that mid-July 2014 had generated more than 15,000 tweets); apparently inspired by the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls used in the May 2014

Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping On the night of 14–15 April 2014, 276 mostly Christian female students and also Muslim students aged from 16 to 18 were kidnapped by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School in the town of Chibok i ...

social media worldwide campaign. According to

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, Savchenko is portrayed extremely negatively in the

media of Russia Television, magazines, and newspapers have all been operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, subscription, and other sales-related revenues. Even though the Constitution of Russia guarantees freed ...

: "Crude, and at times sexist, innuendo is used to demonize Ms Savchenko". The Russian daily ''

Komsomolskaya Pravda ''Komsomolskaya Pravda'' (; ) is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper that was founded in 1925. Its name is in reference to the official Soviet newspaper '' Pravda'' (English: 'Truth'). History and profile During the Soviet era, ''Komsomolskaya ...

'' said that Savchenko is known as a "killing machine in a skirt", and ''Tvoy Den'' called her "Satan's daughter". Russian social media, however, tends to be more nuanced towards her with several anti-Kremlin users mocking perceived oddities in the Russian authorities' version of events, in particular their claim that she entered the country as a refugee. In March 2016, Russian composer

Vladimir Nazarov Vladimir Vasilievich Nazarov (; born February 24, 1952) is a Russian composer, singer, actor, film director, artistic director of the Music Theatre of National Arts, Professor Gnessin State Musical College and R. Glier Kyiv Institute of Music. ...

wrote in an open letter to Putin saying that "not even in my worst nightmare could I have imagined that I would have to ask you not to kill a woman." In March 2016, Russian opposition politician

Alexei Navalny Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny (, ; 4 June 197616 February 2024) was a Russian Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, opposition leader, anti-corruption in Russia, corruption activist and political prisoner. He founded the Anti-Corruption Found ...

stated about Savchenko's trial, "However you look at it, this doesn't benefit Russia". Navalny said that whoever planned to make Savchenko "a trophy prisoner" had miscalculated. He described the trial as such an "obvious stitch-up" you could "see the threads". When Savchencko was released from Russian prison in May 2016, opinion polls for the Ukrainian presidential election showed 15% would vote for her; by early 2017, this number was below 5%.Freed from Putin's Russia, a Ukrainian pilot puts Poroshenko and his party – ‘enemy No. 2’ – in her sights

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

(28 February 2017) In 2015 the city of

Vatutine Bahacheve (, ), formerly known as Vatutine () is a city in Zvenyhorodka Raion, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Vatutine urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It had a population of Administrative status Vatutine ...

renamed Lenin Square to Nadiya Savchenko Square. The village of had a Nadiya Savchenko street, until April 2024, when this street was renamed to Obolon street.

Political career

In the October

, Savchenko was placed first on the party list of

Batkivshchyna The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" (), referred to as Batkivshchyna (), is a political party in Ukraine led by People's Deputy of Ukraine, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. As the core party of the former Yulia Tymoshenko B ...

. (In a June 2016 interview with ''

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

'', she stated that the party wasn't her first choice, but it "isn't the worst"). In this same election, her sister Vira Savchenko was also a candidate for Batkivshchyna in an

electoral constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...

Yahotyn Yahotyn (, ) is a city in Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (region) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Yahotyn urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. In 2001, population was 23,659. The current population is Until 18 July 2020, Yahot ...

. Nadiya Savchenko won and was elected as a deputy to the

, the parliament of Ukraine. Because of this Savchenko resigned from the Ukrainian army on 7 November 2014. The Russian government recognized the election in Ukraine, meaning that the Russian Federation was holding a member of parliament from another nation under arrest. Vira Savchenko lost, finishing third in her constituency with 7.02% of the votes (winner won 40.41%). In late November 2014, Savchenko signed her parliamentary oath and passed it to Ukraine through her lawyer and was thus sworn in as

(MP) on 27 November 2014. On 25 December 2014, Savchenko was included in Ukraine's quota for representatives in the

(PACE); as noted above, legally this granted her

in all PACE signatory nations, including Russia. On 6 November 2015, Savchenko's first

draft law Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continu ...

was introduced to Ukrainian parliament, while she was imprisoned in Russia, and was later passed into legislation. On 27 May 2016, after returning from Russia in a prisoner exchange, Savchenko said she was prepared to become

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

if Ukrainians wished. In 2016, Savchenko left Batkivshchyna, but remained a member of its parliamentary faction.Savchenko's sister: Nadiia left Batkivschyna in Oct

UNIAN The Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News () is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, and a photo reporting service. As of October 2022, it was the most v ...

(13 December 2016)
Savchenko Quits Ukrainian Party, But Plans To Continue Politics

(13 December 2016) This was announced on 12 December 2016 right after Savchenko had admitted she had recently held a secret meeting with separatist leaders

Aleksandr Zakharchenko Alexander Vladimirovich Zakharchenko (26 June 1976 – 31 August 2018) was a Ukrainian separatist leader who was the Russia-installed head of state and prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic, a self-proclaimed state and Russian-backed ...

(of the

) and

Igor Plotnitsky Igor Venediktovich Plotnitsky (born 25 June 1964) is a former Ukrainian separatist leader who served as the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, in eastern Ukraine, from 14 August 2014 to 24 November 2017. He was born 26 June ...

(of the

Luhansk People's Republic The Luhansk People's Republic (LPR; , ) is a disputed territory administered as a republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was proclaimed by Russian-backed paramilitar ...

) in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

. On 15 December 2016, Batkivshchyna expelled Savchenko from its parliamentary faction in response to her Minsk meeting with Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky. The party saw this meeting as "negotiations with terrorists" and "adamantly opposed" it."Batkivshchyna" faction expelled from Savchenko

(15 December 2016) Following this controversy, the Ukrainian parliament stripped Savchenko of her PACE membership on 22 December 2016. On 27 December 2016, Savchenko established the Civic Platform RUNA (an acronym for Ukrainian People's Revolution). According to Savchenko RUNA would not be a "political project" but rather a "mechanism" and a "natural association of people" who do not follow "populist slogans." In July 2017, her new political party "Social and Political Platform of Nadiya Savchenko" was officially registered.Week's milestones. Calculated escalation, overhaul by Groysman, and imitation of mobilization

(25 July 2017)
Savchenko informs about registration of her party

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is Ukraine’s first and most prominent English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1995 in Kyiv by American businessman Jed Sunden. In 2018, the publication was acquired by prominent Ukrainian businessman Adnan Kivan, foun ...

(19 July 2017) The same month she stated her intent to take part in the

. On 15 March 2018, the Attorney General of Ukraine

Yuriy Lutsenko Yuriy Vitaliyovych Lutsenko (; born 14 December 1964) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Interior Minister and entered the Armed Forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His most recent position was Prosecutor General of Ukraine (f ...

charged Savchenko with preparing a terrorist attack on the Ukrainian parliament. On 22 March 2018, parliament stripped Savchenko of her

and allowed her arrest. That same day she was arrested on suspicion of planning an assault on the parliament and supporting a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

. Savchenko said she did not plan any terrorist attack, but instead talked with undercover Ukrainian government

agent provocateur An is a person who actively entices another person to commit a crime that would not otherwise have been committed and then reports the person to the authorities. They may target individuals or groups. In jurisdictions in which conspiracy is a ...

s who sought to discredit her. She was released from detention on 15 April 2019. Savchenko took part as a candidate in

s and

2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine on 21 July 2019. Originally scheduled to be held at the end of October, the elections were brought forward after newly inaugurated President of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dissolved parli ...

s, but she was not elected.

Notes

References

External links

Savchenko case
at

1+1 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Why Russia needs the Ukrainian 'G.I. Jane' Savchenko imprisoned
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Savchenko, Nadiya 1981 births Living people 21st-century Ukrainian women politicians 2014 controversies Batkivshchyna politicians Politicians from Kyiv Prisoners and detainees of Russia People of the Euromaidan Pro-Ukrainian people of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine Women in the Iraq War Ukrainian military personnel of the Iraq War Recipients of the Order For Courage, 3rd class Independent politicians in Ukraine Individuals designated as terrorist by the government of Ukraine Missing person cases in Ukraine Eighth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada Ukrainian military personnel of the war in Donbas Recipients of the title of Hero of Ukraine Recipients of the Order of Gold Star (Ukraine) Ukrainian women aviators Ukrainian hunger strikers Military personnel from Kyiv Political prisoners according to Memorial Ukrainian people imprisoned abroad Ukrainian people convicted of murder Ukrainian prisoners and detainees Ukrainian victims of human rights abuses Ukrainian people taken hostage Ukrainian female military personnel Ukrainian Air Force officers Women members of the Verkhovna Rada

Life and military career

Capture by Donbas People's Militia

Detention and trial in the Russian Federation

Public image

Political career

See also

Notes

References

External links