Russia's first senior female commander, who "boasted how she enjoyed killing Ukrainian civilians" has been killed amid bitter fighting in Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin's forces continue to suffer huge losses. Lieutenant Colonel Olga "Kursa" Kachura, 52, was killed instantly when a Ukrainian missile struck her vehicle in the Donetsk area.
Kachura was driving her car through the Ukrainian city of Horlivka in the Donetsk area when a Ukrainian missile struck the vehicle. However, Kachura, is being helmed as a hero in Russia. In fact, Putin has signed a decree to promote Kachura to the posthumous title of Hero of Russia, despite the number of horrific war crimes she committed.
Paid for Her Wrongdoings
Kachura, a mother-of-two, who has been given the posthumous Hero of Russia medal, served as a colonel in the forces of Russia's puppet state Donetsk People's Republic. She was the commander of the rocket artillery division that was allegedly responsible for shelling civilians.
She was driving her car through the war-torn region of Horlivka when a Ukrainian missile blew up her car, killing her instantly. Kachura becomes one of the most recent senior Russian officers to be killed in Ukraine as a result of the savage ongoing invasion of the nation by the Russian president, against which Ukrainian soldiers have mounted a valiant defense.
Kachura is the 97th officer to have perished in Putin's conflict in Ukraine that is known to exist. She was known to be courageous but ruthless when it came to innocent human lives. In interviews on Kremlin propaganda channels, Kachura boasted that her unit had killed civilians in the Donbas region and she enjoyed seeing the civilians being killed.
Interestingly, Kachura was born in Ukraine and was a citizen of the country till some time back. In 2014, after Putin instigated a rebel revolt in the Donbass, Kachura, who worked for the Horlivka Police department, allegedly switched to the pro-Russian side.
A Putin Loyal
Although form Ukraine, Kachura was always a Putin loyalist. According to Ukraine's military intelligence, she frequently disguised herself as a member of the regular Ukrainian army to commit war crimes in order to discredit them.
"(Kachura was) guilty of the shelling of the cities of Donbas and the deaths of civilians," Ukrainian journalist Denis Kazanskyi said. "In Ukraine, she was sentenced to 12 years in prison in absentia."
Kachura was given a 12-year prison term in absentia with property confiscation by Ukraine last year for " 'participation in a terrorist group or terrorist organization." It is believed that she authorized the shelling of Donbass cities, which killed hundreds of civilians.
Kachura also served as the president of the Horlivka Powerlifting Federation and was given honorary citizenship in the city, which was a twin of Barnsley, England.
Mayor of Horlivka Ivan Prikhodko said: "A brave and wise woman who was there from the start of the People's Militia of the DPR has tragically died. Olga Kachura, victorious and unshakeable Korsa."
Despite all her war atrocities, Kachura is being helmed a hero in Russia. "Vladimir Putin signed a decree awarding the title of Hero of Russia to Colonel Olga Kachura (posthumously) – for courage and heroism in the performance of military duty," read an official statement published by the Kremlin's official telegram channel.
Kachura's death comes after the first female Russian soldier killed in Ukraine was buried last month. Corporal Anastasia Savitskaya, 35, a married mother of two who was dubbed a "true hero," was laid to rest on July 13 In her native Volgograd, a city in southwest Russia.
