[1] Petrova represented the city of Cheboksary in the Miss Russia 1996 competition, held in Veliky Novgorod.

[2] After her reign as Miss Russia ended, she crowned Yelena Rogozhina as her successor.

Petrova was later offered a contract with Ford Models, but declined due to the fact that they would have required her to lose weight, learn English, and cut her hair short.

On 16 September 2000, Petrova was killed by a single gunshot to the head while outside of her apartment in Cheboksary, two days before her 20th birthday.

It was believed that the assailant had intended to assassinate Chuvilin, a crime boss, and that Petrova was simply a witness to the killing.