How A 17 Year Old Soviet Fighter Became A Feminist Superhero

And killed plenty of Nazis before she was 18

Zinaida Portnova’s life changed — negatively or positively, depending on how you see it — in year 1941. She was 15 at the time.

The Germans under Adolf Hitler were determined for world domination and weren’t going to take anything less.

They planned to conquer the western Soviet Union (modern Russia and East Europe) to use its people for manual labor needed to support their war efforts while repopulating the area with Germans.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers marched without fear, as far as 200 miles into the country. Within few months, 2.5 million Soviet soldiers were either dead, injured or missing.

Despite that, Zinaida managed to kill hundreds of Nazis and become a national hero.

In a time when finally women are getting the respect they deserve, I think it’s time we start shedding light on strong women that were doing the same 100 years ago, despite their circumstances.

Here’s what we can learn from Zinaida Portnova’s story:

Stick To Your Roots But Not Too Much

Working class women in the 20th century Soviet Union were expected to start working at a very young age, then get married, have plenty of kids, take care of grandkids and die.

That life was what Zinaida was expected to live, until…

The Nazis reached her village, Obol.

According to Henry Sakaida’s book, Heroines of the Soviet Union 1941–45, Nazi soldiers tried to confiscate cattle from Zinaida’s grandmother. When the old lady protested they hit her in front of the young lady.

Picture seeing someone slap your grandmother… You can imagine how Zinaida felt.

A year later, in 1942, she left her grandmother’s house to join a resistance group called the Young Avengers. These were Avengers way before, Captain America and Iron Man hit the big screen. Yet, they were doing Avenger-like things, I’ll tell you more about them in a second.

Among them a 16-year-old Zinaida, who behaved far differently from most working-class girls of her time and stood out among this group of “freedom fighters”.

Courage Is A Mindset, Not An Attitude

In the span of one year, Zinaida had gone from farm-girl to revolutionary young woman known by everyone in the resistance movement.

After joining the Young Avengers, she distributed Soviet propaganda leaflets in German-occupied areas, where Nazi soldiers roamed all day and night.

She stole weapons from German soldiers and gave them to Soviet soldiers while reporting the movements of the Nazi troops to allies.

She was still 16 when she learned to use weapons and explosives from older members of the Young Avengers. That skill, added to her determination and lack of fear in the face of danger, made her a serious threat to the Nazi army.

Zinaida was part of the resistance group who attacked a German power plant, a brick factory and a pump which led to the deaths of (estimated) 100 German soldiers. A sweet, sweeeet taste of revenge…

She got herself a job at 17 as a cooking assistant in her village. It was a 007 type cover for her real plan, which manifested in August 1943 when she poisoned the food meant for an entire Nazi troop but got caught…

Zinaida denied the food was poisoned and ate some in front of their eyes to prove the soldiers wrong. Someone should give the kid an Oscar! They let her go when she showed no immediate physical reaction. Right after leaving, she fell severely ill and recovered in few weeks.

Don’t worry, the German troop ate the food and fell ill too, some soldiers even died.

Where did Zinaida get this courage from?

Obviously we can’t ask her directly but I believe she got it from:

1. Her hatred for the Nazis, probably fuelled by what they did to her grandma.
2. Her environment: she was constantly surrounded by people who wanted freedom from the German regime. People who were willing to — and did — die for their cause.

Sometimes we think we’re not able to achieve something because of our circumstances. We feel insecure, maybe even scared because we feel powerless.

But that’s a lie we tell ourselves.

By changing the people we spend our time with and finding something or someone that fuels our desire to achieve a goal, we can gain the courage to do what’s seemingly impossible.

Zinaida Fought Till The End

After poisoning an entire troop, it was inevitable…

The Nazis targeted and captured her in December 1943.

During an interrogation the man asking questions got distracted. His gun was in the middle of the table, Zinaida could reach for it…

She did and shot the interrogator. Then shot two more deadly rounds at the guards. The 17-year-old girl was able to escape from the camp.

Followed, a sprint into the woods nearby, where she hid somewhere along a river. The Nazis found her, took her to another city, where she was brutally tortured.

When they realized all their questions about the Young Avengers were going to go unanswered, they took Zinaida to a forest, and she was never seen alive again.

Today in Russia, you’ll find traces of Zinaida Portnova. She was posthumously declared a Hero of the Soviet Union, the youngest among them.

Moral Of The Story

If there’s something in your life that you’re struggling with, look at Zinaida’s story…

The limits of what can be done are in our minds. In the span of three years, she achieved more than most people achieve in their entire lifetime.

I believe anyone can do the same with the right amount of courage and support from those around you.