Valentina Shevchenko marked Victory Day by posting photographs of Soviet female pilots she had previously discussed a month and a half ago. The honored pilots include Marina Raskova, Valeria Khomyakova, Lydia Litvyak, Yekaterina Budanova, and Valentina Grizodubova. The post serves as a continuation of Shevchenko's earlier tribute to these World War II aviators.
Valentina Shevchenko used Victory Day on May 9 to pay tribute to a group of Soviet female pilots she had first highlighted roughly six weeks earlier, sharing photographs of the aviators as a follow-up to her earlier post honoring their legacy.
The five pilots recognized by Shevchenko are Marina Raskova, Valeria Khomyakova, Lydia Litvyak, Yekaterina Budanova, and Valentina Grizodubova — each a figure from World War II aviation history. The post frames the occasion not as a one-off gesture but as a continuation of a personal tribute Shevchenko had begun in late March.
Shevchenko, 38, is the reigning UFC Women's Flyweight Champion and holds a professional record of 26-4-1. Born in Kyrgyzstan and training out of Tiger Muay Thai, she is widely regarded as one of the most complete fighters in the sport. A southpaw standing five-foot-five with a 66-inch reach, she lands 3.14 significant strikes per minute at a 52 percent accuracy rate, while also averaging 2.62 takedowns per 15 minutes — a combination that reflects her well-rounded Muay Thai and grappling base.
Why it matters
- Shevchenko's social media presence often reflects personal interests beyond fighting, offering a fuller picture of one of the sport's most prominent champions
- The Victory Day post ties her tribute directly to a historical tradition observed across the former Soviet Union and in Kyrgyzstan
- The choice to revisit the subject weeks after her initial post signals a deliberate and ongoing interest in honoring these particular figures rather than a passing reference
