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Top 10 Most Famous Russian Women

Russia also known as the Russian Federation, is the largest country in the world. It covers an area of more than 17,098,246 square kilometres. This area spans Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It covers eleven time zones, encompassing an eighth of the Earth’s inhabitable landmass. With a population of 146 million people, Russia shares land boundaries with fourteen countries. In addition to the exceptional aspects of this nation, below are ten remarkable Russian women.

1. Catherine the Great is remembered as one of Russia’s most respected leaders

Portrait of Russian Empress Catherine II also known as Catherine the Great (1729-1796). Photo by www.emii.ru/

Catherine the Great is one of Russia’s most respected leaders. Compared to the leaders of her time, she served her people the longest.

Her reign which ran from 1762 to 1796 began after she dethroned her husband who wasn’t popular. A superb head of state, she reached a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire and expanded the country’s borders. She also established Russia as a world leader.

As a person who loved the arts, Catherine the Great collected artwork while on the throne. This collection forms the remarkable Hermitage collection.

2. She was murdered for being vocal against the Kremlin

Image of Russian journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya. Photo by Blaues Sofa/

Anna Politkovskaya was murdered outside her home on 7 October 2007. The human rights activist, writer, and journalist was shot dead by contracted killers in Moscow. It is believed that she was killed because she spoke up against human rights violations. These were said to be led by the government.

Politkovskaya also spoke up about corruption associated with the second Chechen War. It is still not clear who ordered her assassinations although no one was arrested. High-ranking businessmen and government officials are at the top of the list of suspects.

Other investigators seemed to be silenced after Politkovskaya’s death. Nonetheless, female journalists used her death as motivation to keep reporting. They do so by continuously holding the government to account.

3. Valentina Tereshkova was the first Russian woman to travel into space

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is an engineer, former Soviet cosmonaut, and a member of the Russian State Duma. Photo by Kremlin.ru/

In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova was the first Russian woman to travel into space. She was just 26 years old at the time. She orbited the earth 48 times, an exercise that took three days outside the atmosphere.

Tereshkova had no piloting experience. She however applied to the space program and was accepted. Five women took part in the eighteen months training course. They were out through rigorous training that included staying in zero-gravity situations. The training also tested how they can cope in isolation.

Of the five women who underwent training, Tereshkova was the only one who qualified. She later travelled the world promoting Soviet and Russian science. She continued doing it even into her eighties.

4. Maria Sharapova became the world’s number-one tennis player while in her late teens

2011 image of Maria Sharapova during the Western & Southern Open. Photo by Yan Nasilevich/

Born on 19 April 1987, Maria Yuryevna Sharapova was a former world number one tennis player. On 22 August 2005, the Russian tennis player ranked number one for the first time at the age of 18 years.

From 2001 to 2020, Sharapova ranked at the top of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles for 21 weeks. Of the ten women who have achieved the grand slam, Sharapova is the only Russian to accomplish the feat.

In the 2012 London Olympics, Sharapova won silver in the women’s singles.  With two French Open titles, and a title each at the US Open, Wimbledon, and Australian Open, she has won five major titles. In total, Sharapova has won 36 titles. Although Sharapova played for Russia in the WTA, she has been a permanent resident of the United States since 1994.

During the 2016 Australian Open, Sharapova failed a drug test. Testing positive for meldonium, she was suspended by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for two years. The substance had been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since January 1, 2016.

Sharapova’s suspension was effected from 8 June 2016 and on 4 October 2016, it was reduced to 15 months. Since she had taken the substance under her doctor’s orders and had committed ‘no significant fault’ she returned to tennis. Sharapova returned to the WTA tour and played at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on 26 April 2017.

5. Yevgenia Kuyda is the co-founder of the Replica artificial intelligence app

Born in Moscow, Yevgenia Kuyda is the co-founder of the Replica app. The app generates an AI copy of anyone who uses the app. After her friend died in an accident in 2015, Kuyda created Replica to digitally recreate her friend.

Kuyda previously found Bribr which recorded anyone asking for a bribe. The former magazine columnist spoke to The Moscow Times about being a woman in business. She said Russians did not give one a second chance in business. If you failed, you were considered a loser.  

6. She is one of Russia’s top electro-pop artists

Monetochka performing at a concert. Photo by Okras/

Also known as Monetochka, Liza Gyrdymova is at the top of the electro-pop phase that is taking over Russia. Her latest album titled Coloring for Adults placed Gyrdymova at the top of the Russian artist’s list.

She released her first album in 2016. It addressed issues such as heartbreak and the Syrian conflict. The Russian youth’s anguish and sense of humour are some of the issues addressed in her latest album.

In her interview with the Vpiski internet show, Gyrdymova said there would always be something to fight for. She referred to the harassment of girls in the office environment as one such cause.

7. Sofia Kovalevskaya was the first European female to earn a mathematics doctorate

1850 image of Sofya Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya. Photo by www.goettinger-tageblatt.de/

Born in 1850, Sofia Kovalevskaya was the first European female to earn a mathematics doctorate. She was also the first female to be a professor in the field of mathematics.

At that time, female students were only beginning to get acceptance into universities. To enable her study in Germany, Kovalevskaya entered a marriage of convenience. She later accepted an invitation to teach mathematics at the University of Stockholm. She began in 1883 and by 1889 it had evolved into a tenured professorship.

Kovalevskaya was the first woman to join Acta Mathematica, the board of an academic journal. She was also the first female member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In addition to her accomplishments, Kovalevskaya wrote essays, novels and plays. She died in 1891.

8. Anna Akhmatova is said to be one of Russia’s greatest writers

1922 image of Anna Andreyevna Gorenko. Photo by Sailko/

Considered one of Russia’s greatest writers, Anna Akhmatova was born in 1889. She became a member of The Alchemists, a St. Petersburg-based poetry collective at the age of 21.

Akhmatova’s work had a feminine grace which detailed intimacy and romance. She included aspects of religion and patriotism in her writing during the Russian revolution. She was however considered aristocratic as she retained the self-reflective nature in her poetry.

After World War II, most of Akhmatova’s work was destroyed and she was denounced by the state. She died in 1966. Her most significant work was about her suffering under the Stalin regime. Titled Rekviem (Requiem), it was published in 1989, years after her death.

9. Nina Kraviz, Russia’s techno ambassador was named the world’s best DJ

2012 image of Nina Kraviz. Photo by Alec Luhn/

Holding British Mixmag magazine’s title of the world’s best DJ, Nina Kraviz has more to her name than just music. Considered Russia’s techno ambassador, Kraviz also has a degree in dentistry.

Born in Irkutsk in Siberia, Kraviz has headlined several festivals across the globe. Speaking to the Guardian, Kraviz said people were suspicious of a woman with a vision making music on her own. She added that they couldn’t handle her.

10. Alina Kabayeva is a retired gymnast, Olympic champion and Russian State official

2001 image of Alina Kabaeva at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. Photo by Karol Otero/

Alina Kabayeva is a Russian gymnast. During the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Kabayeva won gold in rhythmic gymnastics. In 1999 and 2003, she was the rhythmic gymnastics world champion.

Kabayeva is a six-time Russian champion and a five-time European champion. She retired from gymnastics and entered the world of politics. A member of the United Russia party, Kabayeva was elected to the State Duma.