Lena Karpunina (1963 — November 4, 2013; Russian: Елена Карпунина) was an Esperanto-language writer in Tajikistan (then a part of the Soviet Union).

Born in what is now Russia, she grew up in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, then was forced to leave for Germany due to the Tajikistani Civil War.

From 2010 until her death, she was a member of the Akademio de Esperanto, chosen primarily in recognition of her work in the field of literature.

[3] Then, in 1993, during the Tajikistani Civil War, she moved to Berlin, where in 1997 she began studying German linguistics at Humboldt University.

[2][3] She published two books in Esperanto, both short story collections: La Bato ("The Blow") in 2001 and Neokazinta Amo ("Unrequited Love") in 2007.