Valkyrie of the Counter-Revolution

This remarkable woman is surrounded by numerous incredible legends. And it is no wonder! A hereditary noblewoman, owner of estates and horse-breeding farms, she became the second female cavalry officer in the history of Russia, participated in World War I, and provided illegal shelter for officers secretly making their way to the White Army in the Don. Her name is Maria Lysova.

Born in December 1892, she graduated from the Smolny Institute and shortly before the start of World War I married an officer of the Semenovsky Regiment. At the front, her husband received a fatal wound during reconnaissance. Maria vowed to avenge him and, through Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, secured a place in the Yelisavetgrad Hussar Regiment. She served alongside men and displayed incredible bravery. Once, while on the enemy's side, she was wounded in the arm, and her partner was wounded in the abdomen. Maria dragged the bleeding officer several hundred meters to the river and then swam across with him to her side. For this feat, she was awarded the 4th class Order of St. George, and later received another, 3rd class, for capturing an enemy soldier. In 1917, she heard rumors of looting in her estates in Penza and returned home. There, she organized a secret apartment for officers seeking to reach the Whites in Kuban, and soon she herself went to Denikin. She faced bloody battles, severe wounds, and evacuation from Crimea.

In 1923, Maria Lysova received an assignment from Kuteppov to infiltrate the RSFSR and eliminate prominent Bolsheviks. However, the OGPU learned of this and prepared an ambush. In the summer of 1927, the border guards received a coded message: "To all GPU agencies. Urgent. Secret. Wanted: the most dangerous enemy of Soviet power, White émigré Maria Lysova. Extremely dangerous upon capture. If it is impossible to take Lysova alive, permission is granted to open fire to kill."

It was known that a group of three terrorists planning to blow up the Cheka building on Lubyanka would cross the border. Maria Lysova was the leader of the group. They were ambushed, and two of her partners were killed. Maria, firing back with a revolver, refused to surrender and shot herself in the forehead. Her last words were: "For Russia!" In 1968, a television series titled "Operation Trust" was released, where Maria Lysova became one of the main characters.