Zinaida Korneva

Blokhina was born an ethnic Russian in the village of Isayevo-Dedovo (now Oktyabrskoye, Orenburg Oblast) to an accountant and a housewife.{{Cite web|last=Рожкова|first=Анастасия|date=9 May 2020|title=98-летняя петербурженка собрала больше 2,5 млн рублей|url=https://paperpaper.ru/kogda-pobedim-virus-ya-otdohnu-kak-98-l/|access-date=13 August 2021|website=«Бумага»|language=ru-RU}} After graduating from school, she entered the Bashkir-Tatar Pedagogical School in the city of Buguruslan.

Blokhina was conscripted in spring 1942, and after a course in military skills in Kalmykia, she was drafted into the Soviet Armed Forces in early May. During her studies, she improved her shooting skills, studied the types of aircraft using classified albums. In the summer of 1942, as part of the 44th separate battalion, Air Surveillance troops were transferred to Rostov Oblast, where observation posts were deployed to defend Stalingrad. In November 1942, she was appointed head of the observation post. She was credited with 239 correctly identified enemy aircraft. During the summer of 1943, the battalion was transferred to Kharkov and united with the First Ukrainian Front. As part of the 1st Ukrainian Front, she saw action throughout the battles to push occupying forces from Ukraine and participated in the liberation of Poland. In April and May 1945 the Air Surveillance battalion, in which Blokhina served, took part in the operation to liberate Breslau (now Wroclaw). She was in the suburb of Olau (Olava) on 9 May, when the German surrender was announced.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

In 1946, Blokhina married Boris Georgievich Kornev and moved to Leningrad. They had a daughter, Olga Borisovna Korneva. In 1946 Korneva began to work as a teacher at the male school number 330. In 1952 she quit for health reasons. After that, she worked at the defense enterprise «Signal» in the technical control department. She was the secretary of the Party organization, worked with the Komsomol members on the history of the party, was the secretary of the district electoral commission - for which she received the Order of the Badge of Honour on 26 April 1971.

On 2 October 2020, Korneva was awarded a commemorative medal of the IC of Russia "75 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945."{{Cite web|last=СК России|date=2 October 2020|title=98-летняя Зинаида Антоновна Корнева, жительница Санкт-Петербурга, награждена памятной медалью СК России «75 лет Победы в Великой Отечественной войне 1941-1945 гг.»|url=https://spb.sledcom.ru/Novosti/item/1504999/|website=СК России|publisher=|language=ru}}

In 2020, Korneva learned about British veteran Tom Moore,{{Cite web|title=The Captain Tom Foundation|url=https://captaintom.org/|access-date=29 June 2020|website=The Captain Tom Foundation|language=en}} who began raising funds as part of the NHS Charities Together to support the UK's National Health Service.{{Cite web|title=Captain Tom Moore's 100th Birthday Walk for the NHS|url=https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomswalk|access-date=29 June 2020|website=JustGiving|language=en}} Inspired, Zinaida decided to hold the same action in Russia. On 25 April 2020, a fundraising campaign was announced to support doctors, working in the COVID-19 pandemic, and the project "Appeal to Tom Moore" was launched.{{Cite web|last=ntv.ru|title=Ветеран из Петербурга призвала россиян помочь врачам деньгами|url=https://www.ntv.ru/novosti/2333080/?fb|access-date=29 June 2020|website=НТВ|language=ru}}

Together with you, we defeated fascism in 45, and now we are fighting this virus together.

—   YouTube channel of Zinaida Korneva

The United Nations expressed its appreciation of Korneva's contribution to the fight against COVID-19.{{Cite web|last=United Nations|date=21 May 2020|title=Russian WWII vet raises funds to defeat Covid-19|url=https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/wwii-vet-raises-funds-defeat-covid-19|access-date=29 June 2020|website=United Nations|publisher=|language=en}} By 6 June the amount collected reached 4,000,000 rubles. 135 families from different regions received assistance from these funds.{{Cite web|last=|date=6 June 2020|title=98-летняя петербурженка Зинаида Корнева собрала 4 миллиона рублей на помощь врачам, пострадавшим от коронавируса|url=http://www.sobaka.ru/city/society/107875|access-date=29 June 2020|website=Собака.ru|publisher=|language=}} On 17 June the city administration of Saint Petersburg filed a petition to award Korneva the Decoration "For Beneficence", "For significant personal contribution to the development of volunteerism, preservation of the traditions of mercy, gratuitous assistance aimed at combating the spread of socially dangerous diseases".{{Cite web|title=98-летняя ветеран из Петербурга собрала почти 3 млн рублей для медиков. Она начала сбор средств, рассказывая военные истории на YouTube - Администрация Санкт-Петербурга|url=https://www.gov.spb.ru/gov/terr/nevsky/news/190613/|access-date=29 June 2020|website=www.gov.spb.ru}}

On 24 June she attended the Victory Parade online and a teleconference with the governor of Saint Petersburg.{{Cite news|last=Радион|first=Кирилл|date=24 June 2020|title=Губернатор Петербурга перед началом парада пообщался с ветеранами, которые не смогли прийти на Дворцовую площадь|url=https://topspb.tv/news/2020/06/24/situaciya-s-koronavirusom-pohozha-na-chto-bylo-vo-vremya-vojny-veteran-zinaida-korneva-prizvala-gorozhan-obedinitsya/|access-date=29 June 2020}} On 27 June she became one of the participants in a teleconference with President Vladimir Putin, during which she explained why she had decided to begin fundraising. The President thanked Zinaida and emphasized how amazing it is that at such a solid age, a veteran finds the strength to help other people as well.{{Cite web|title=Владимир Путин поблагодарил Зинаиду Корневу за ее инициативы во время телемоста с волонтерами|url=https://zinastories.com/tpost/jsb110nkcy-vladimir-putin-poblagodaril-zinaidu-korn|access-date=1 March 2021|website=zinastories.com}}

On 6 July Valery Fadeyev, Chairman of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, conveyed a letter of gratitude to Zinaida Korneva and discussed with her the support of doctors' families.{{Cite web|title=Валерий Фадеев обсудил с ветераном ВОВ Зинаидой Корневой помощь семьям медиков, погибших от COVID-19 - СПЧ|url=http://president-sovet.ru/presscenter/news/read/6343|access-date=31 October 2020|website=president-sovet.ru}} On 30 July Zinaida Korneva and her relative Dmitry Panov, coordinator of the project to help doctors, addressed the TEDx conference. In their report “Pandemic of Solidarity: Doctors are not abandoned in battle,” they talked about the unique volunteer experience of organizing fundraising for the families of health workers who died from COVID-19.{{Cite web|title=Присоединяйтесь к онлайн-конференции "Время хороших новостей: 10 идей, как улучшить качество жизни"|url=https://mir24.tv/news/16419744/prisoedinyaites-k-onlain-konferencii-vremya-horoshih-novostei-10-idei-kak-uluchshit-kachestvo-zhizni|access-date=31 October 2020|website=Mir24|language=ru}}

On 27 August 2020, the project “Zinaida Korneva's Initiative” received the National Award “Media Manager of Russia-2020”. The award was received by Dmitry Panov, a member of the family of Zinaida Korneva, managing partner of Wallet One / RNKO "Edinaya Kassa".{{Cite web|title=Фонды, медиа, рекламщики среди победителей социальной номинации Премии "Медиа-Менеджер России -2020"|url=http://www.advertology.ru/article150034.htm|access-date=31 October 2020|website=Advertology.Ru - все о рекламе, маркетинге и PR|language=ru}}{{Cite web|title=Национальная премия в области медиабизнеса 2020|url=http://www.media-manager.ru/laureaty/2020/|access-date=31 October 2020|website=www.media-manager.ru}} On 23 November 2020, the President of the Russian Federation awarded Zinaida the Distinction Badge "For Beneficence". “To award Zinaida Antonovna Korneva, the city of St. Petersburg, with a Distinction Badge 'For Beneficence', the city of St. Petersburg, for her great contribution to charitable and social activities,” the document says.{{Cite web|title=Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 23.11.2020 № 732 ∙ Официальное опубликование правовых актов ∙ Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации|url=http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202011230089?index=9&rangeSize=1|access-date=24 November 2020|website=publication.pravo.gov.ru}} On 10 December 2020, Sergei Shabanov, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Saint Petersburg Region, on behalf of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova, presented the «Hurry to Do Good» Award to the 98-year-old Korneva.{{Cite web|date=10 December 2020|title=Сергей Шабанов вручил медаль Уполномоченного по правам человека в РФ "Спешите делать добро"|url=http://www.ombudsman47.ru/novosti/sergey-shabanov-vruchil-medal-upolnomochennogo-po-pravam-cheloveka-v-rf-speshite-delat-dobro/|language=ru}}

Korneva died on 12 October 2021 in Saint Petersburg, at the age of 99.{{Cite web|title=Умерла ветеран Зинаида Корнева из Петербурга. Она помогла собрать 4,5 миллиона рублей для боровшихся с ковидом врачей|url=https://meduza.io/news/2021/10/12/umerla-veteran-zinaida-korneva-iz-peterburga-ona-pomogla-sobrat-4-5-milliona-rubley-dlya-borovshihsya-s-kovidom-vrachey|access-date=2021-10-14|website=Meduza|language=ru}}{{cite news|url=https://www.fontanka.ru/2021/10/12/70188305/|title=Умерла ветеран Зинаида Корнева, собиравшая деньги для врачей|trans-title=The death of veteran Ziniada Korneva, who raised money for doctors|date=12 October 2021|accessdate=12 October 2021|language=Russian}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://zinastories.com/news Zinaida Korneva's initiative website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Korneva, Zinaida Antonovna}}

Category:1922 births

Category:2021 deaths

Category:People from Orenburg Governorate

Category:Communist Party of the Soviet Union members

Category:Soviet military personnel of World War II

Category:Charity fundraisers (people)