Russians Boast of Gunslinging Superwoman Beauty

Reuters ^ | May 30, 2002 | Peter Graff

[mondonico]

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russians reveled Thursday in the news that a sharpshooting St. Petersburg cop was crowned Miss Universe (news - web sites), saying it was about time the world took notice of the fabulous women who grew up behind the Iron Curtain.

Oxana Fedorova, a 24-year-old senior police lieutenant who grew up in the provincial town of Pskov won the diamond-studded tiara Wednesday at the pageant in Puerto Rico, out-dazzling a field of 74 other hopefuls.

"It means they have officially recognized what is absolutely obvious and we already knew: that Russia has beautiful women," said Lena Myasnikova, editor of the Russian edition of racy style bible Cosmopolitan.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was "not surprised."

"Russians can win in all kinds of competitions, starting with mathematics and Olympics, with young boys and girls, and all the way to beauty contests," the Nobel peace prize laureate said during a stop in London for a conference.

Fedorova is no mere beauty, but a pistol-packing graduate student at St. Petersburg's Interior Ministry Academy, with the sort of background that would make James Bond sweat.

HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT, DOCTORAL THESIS

She was probably the only contestant with a police badge in hand-to-hand combat, and the only one defending a doctoral thesis on "civil law and the regulation of the activities of private security forces in the Russian Federation."

Russian television alternated footage of her as she was crowned wearing a silver gown in San Juan, with shots of her looking fashion-model elegant in a standard-issue olive drab police uniform: black necktie, white shirt, mid-thigh skirt, dark tights and knee-high black leather boots.

In one shot, the camera pans from her squinting eye, down the length of her uniformed arm to a manicured hand that squeezes off a 9 mm pistol round. Bang!

Next, she is shown doing aerobics in a white spandex bikini.

"That a Russian woman is not just beautiful, but also smart and energetic, this is typical," said Myasnikova.

"Seventy years of socialism made Russian women fighters. They had to fight for everything: to get a nice blouse, to look pretty without any makeup, to try and make your apartment cozy when everything is leaking and falling apart, to feed your family when there was nothing for sale in the shops."

Fedorova has won a six figure cash prize, use of a New York apartment and a contract for speaking engagements worldwide.

But at the St. Petersburg academy, officials expected her to continue her law enforcement career, in a country where police can make less than $100 a month. She is due for a promotion to captain in August, presumably another Miss Universe first.

"I think this will improve the quality of our police force," Maj. Gen. Khillar Loit, deputy director of the academy, told Reuters. "Now the world knows that we, the police, know not only how to work, but also how to win beauty contests."

[El Gato]

We were always trained to not squint through one eye. We were also encouraged to use both hands, when possible, because it creates a more stable shooting platform

Examining the picture closely, you'll see that while she does have her off eye closed, she is not squinting. The two handed grip is mostly an American thing, at least in police circles. It does provide a more stable hold, but sometimes, often in fact, you need your other hand for something else, say grabbing your handcuffs, or holding onto the dog's leash, and so you shouldn't be limited to the two hand grip.

[El Gato]

Now where did I put that Russian mail-order bride catalog?

One
Two
Three
Four

and there's lots more. Search on "+Russian +women +singles"

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Yowsa!

Cuff me, frisk me, call me Shirley!!

[monday]

"I wonder how many of Oxana's countrymen are also privileged to carry a similar weapon?"

Its possible to get a concealed weapon permit in Moscow. You have to have a physical, and a reason for needing one. A bribe helps as well, as usual, but it is no more difficult than most places in the States.

[Braak]

Frisk me, strip search me, beat me, whatever!! Sheesh, first Mrs Kornikova, now this..I tell you gentlemen, we have a hot female GAP!!

[cpdiii]

For the last 40 years I have "lusted" for Sophia Loren. I think we have found her equal. This woman is simply "drop dead beautiful" and packs heat too. Absolute proof there is a god and he loves Freepers.

: )

[dfwgator]

Now I'm really glad that the US and Russia are becoming allies.

[MarMema]

ping!

[PGalt]

...come and keep your comrade warm :)...

[archy]

Examining the picture closely, you'll see that while she does have her off eye closed, she is not squinting. The two handed grip is mostly an American thing, at least in police circles. It does provide a more stable hold, but sometimes, often in fact, you need your other hand for something else, say grabbing your handcuffs, or holding onto the dog's leash, and so you shouldn't be limited to the two hand grip.

I think you'll find her weapon is not the usual police-issue PM *Makarova* Soviet-designed military service pistol, but the similar but larger APS or *Stechkin* machinepistol, sometimes also found fitted with a stock that can double as a holster, much like those for some versions of the German Luger and Mauser pistols, and the Browning Hi-power.

The APS is actually better used with a single hand in close, allowing the rise of the shooting hand to vertically string the shots through the target from crotch to knees to face, placing as many of the little full-jacketed 9mm bullets into the recipient as possible with the one or two bursts per magazine possible.

With the selector switched over to semiauto, the APS reverts to a standard semiauto handgun, a bit clunky and less concealable than the PM but certainly easy to shoot. The APS was fairly popular in Southern Africa when I was there in the late 1970s, and its muzzle flash at night is a beacon screaming *throw grenade here*. But they're not all bad....

[archy]

She's stunning, smart and can handle firearms. I'm on my way to Russia to see if they have more like her.

Watch yourself. She has admirers in her line of work as well. Be cautious about trespassing on what they might consider to be their private turf.

[pa_dweller]

I stand corrected. Thanks

[pankot]

Dobro!