Marina Vladimirovna Plotnikova (Russian: Марина Владимировна Плотникова; 11 May 1974 – 30 June 1991) was the first woman awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation; she received the title posthumously in 1992 after rescuing three girls from drowning in the Khopyor River at the expense of her own life the previous year.

Born on 11 May 1974 to what became a large Russian family; as the third of six children, she had five siblings - Natalya, Zhanna, Yelena, Aleksandr, and Vladimir.

In school she achieved excellent grades and eventually became a member of the Komsomol as well as a teacher's assistant before graduating in 1991.

[1][2] On 30 June 1991, a hot summer day, her younger sisters Zhanna and Yelena, along with their friend Natalya Vorobyova, went for a swim in the Khopyor river near the old mill.

When Natalya waded away from the coast into deeper water she began to drown, to which Marina rushed to her rescue, pushing her to safety.