The Martyrdom of Nadezhda Kurchenko: Soviet Hero Cults and the Spiritual Turn in Late Socialism
Journal: The Russian Review
Year: 2025

Abstract This article argues that the spiritual turn in Soviet atheism under Brezhnev provided a meaningful solution to the problems of producing heroes when self‐sacrificing martyrs were losing their appeal. To support this claim, I examine the story of Nadezhda Kurchenko, a nineteen‐year‐old flight attendant killed by two hijackers on an Aeroflot plane in October 1970. This article traces the heroic and spiritual dynamics of Kurchenko’s martyrdom through her funeral, hagiographies, iconic phot