Evgeniya Shakhovskaya

Princess Eugenie Mikhailovna Shakhovskaya (St. Petersburg, Russian Empire, 1889 - Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, 1920) (Russian: Евгения Михайловна Шаховская, romanized: Yevgeniya Mikhaylovna Shakhovskaya) was a Russian pioneering aviator.

She was the first woman to become a military pilot when she flew reconnaissance missions for the Tsar in 1914.

[3] She was convinced to start flying again and flew reconnaissance missions in World War I. Eugenie was accused of being a spy, arrested, and sentenced to death.

However, she was shown mercy by the Tsar Nicholas II, her cousin, and sentenced to life in prison.

[4] Following the revolution, she went over to the Bolsheviks and became the chief executioner for the Cheka in Ukraine.