[1][2][3][4] Kuznetsova was born on 4 April 1918 to a Russian peasant family in Yazvishchi village, Moscow Governorate, RSFSR.

She began flying when she was 18, but her father was arrested during the Red Terror in 1937, forcing her to note the arrest in applications and documents, resulting in her being kicked out of flight training several times for being related to an "enemy of the people"; however, her friends spoke up on her behalf and managed to convince the head of the flight school to let her stay.

In September 1942 she was transferred to the 437th Fighter Aviation Regiment with Yekaterina Budanova, Lydia Litvyak, and Raisa Belyaeva; the reasons for the transfer are disputed among historians, ranging from the need for experienced pilots in the battle of Stalingrad to Tamara Kazarinova wanting to get rid of the pilots who complained about her.

It is confirmed that she flew over 100 sorties, providing cover for strategically valuable targets and escorting Li-2 transport aircraft.

After serving with the predominantly male fighter aviation regiment in Stalingrad she did not want to return to her original unit, the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment, because it was an air defense unit that saw less intense combat; however, she was forced to do so under threat of tribunal, despite complaining that she wouldn't be "deserting" to the reserve but to the frontlines.