Mariya Nesterenko
Mariya Nesterenko | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mariya Petrivna Nesterenko |
| Born | August 1910 |
| Died | 28 October 1941 (aged 31) |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Soviet Air Force |
| Service years | 1933–1941 |
| Rank | Major |
| Awards | Order of the Red Star Order of the Red Banner of Labour |
| Spouse | Pavel Rychagov |
| Other work | CPSU (1931–1941) |
Mariya Petrivna Nesterenko (Ukrainian: Марія Петрівна Нестеренко; 1910 – 28 October 1941) was a Soviet pilot who rose to the rank of major in the Air Force and became a deputy regimental commander before she was executed for being the wife of Hero of the Soviet Union Pavel Rychagov, a victim of one of NKVD chief Lavrentiy Beria's purges of the air force. She, her husband, and the other victims were posthumously rehabilitated after Stalin died.