Karina Aznavourian was born on September 20, 1974 in Baku in an Armenian-Azerbaijani family. Started fencing in Baku under the leadership of Olga Matlina. In 1990, after the Armenian pogroms in Baku, she and her family were forced to move to Moscow. Having changed the type of weapon from the rapier to the Épée, she began to train under the guidance of Alexander Kislyunin.