Natalya Venediktovna Kovshova (Russian: Наталья Венедиктовна Ковшова; 26 November 1920 – 14 August 1942) was a Soviet female sniper who fought in World War II.

Natalya fought bravely throughout the war; she was killed fighting German Wehrmacht forces near Novgorod in August 1942.

[1] Natalya Kovshova was born on 26 November 1920 in Ufa, modern-day capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia.

After graduating from high school, Kovshova began work at a Moscow research institute while waiting to be accepted into a university of aviation.

[2] When the German-Soviet War began in 1941, Kovshova joined a Narodnoe Opolcheniye (self-defence) unit in Moscow with Polivanova at age 21.

These self-defence groups were started when German Luftwaffe aircraft began to bomb Russian cities and towns.

She also dug numerous anti-tank emplacements, machine gun nests, and infantry trenches during the defence.

She wrote to her mother in 1942: "You can hear horrible stories from local residents who have been in the hands of the fascist pigs.

As being captured was not an option, Kovshova decided to pull the pin of her grenade, and wait to blow the German soldiers up when they reached the trench.