Russian President Vladimir Putin posthumously awarded the title of “Hero of Russia” to the heroine of the pro-Russian separatists in Donbas, Colonel Olga “Korsa” Kachura, reports TASS.

“For the courage and heroism shown while performing a military task, Colonel Olga Kachura (posthumously) Vladimir Putin signed a decree awarding the title of Hero of Russia,” reads the message on the Kremlin’s website.

Russian media reported Kachura’s death Wednesday, citing the mayor of Horlivka, a city controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, when they sparked an uprising in Donbas following Moscow’s illegal annexation of Crimea.

“Today is a rainy day for Horlivka and the republic. A brave and wise woman who stood near the origins of the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) died tragically. Olga Serhiyivna Kachura, the victorious and indomitable “Korsa”, tragically died, the mayor Ivan Prykhodko announced in his Telegram channel.

The separatist authorities say that she may have died during the Ukrainian bombings.

Olga Kachura was an artillery colonel

Kachura was the commander of the missile and artillery division of separatists in Donetsk, had the rank of colonel of the “people’s militia” of the self-proclaimed republic.

Before participating in the creation of separatist armed formations, Kachura worked in the Donetsk Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

After the annexation of Crimea, she was among those who participated in the creation of separatist armed formations in this region, located in the east of Ukraine.

Like Girkin, nicknamed “Strelkov” and Arsen “Motorola” Pavlov, Kachura was better known among separatists and the Russian public by her call sign “Korsa”.

Ukrainians ridiculed her removal on social networks, calling her a “traitor” and a “terrorist”.

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