People streaming live videos of themselves playing online video games is nothing new. It’s a trend, a business venture, a sports career, a pastime, and a hobby for many. In the world of cybersport, women and men can adopt any gender or identity; but live streaming certainly involves real people - so the stakes are high and serious money can be made. These Russian girls are making waves in the world of streaming, racking up hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and cashing in.
1. Alina RinRin
Alina Rin
Alina RinAlina, whose YouTube channel now boasts over 250,000 subscribers made her name as a World of Tanks player. She now plays all kinds of games and she’s also a cosplayer. She says she lived and worked in Japan and can speak Japanese. RinRin doesn’t just spend her days in a dark room smashing buttons on controllers though - she’s a surfer, a mountain climber, and a musician - and also stands up for her rights. The outspoken gamer was banned by the Wargaming administration for alleged cheating, but eventually proved herself innocent while fueling a discussion on misogyny in the cybersport community. RinRin continues to stream (blog on Twitch) and also works as a model. All in a day’s work.
2. Karina
Karina Sycheva
Karina SychevaKarina Kozyreva (Sycheva), 20, lives with her mother in Italy and boasts a solid one million subscribers on her YouTube page. Playing classics like Counter-Strike, Minecraft, League of Legends, and Hearthstone, she uses an aggressive streaming style with lots of swearing. There are scores of clips of her cursing and completely losing it during gameplay. She’s been praised as “Russia’s foremost streamer girl” and her income has been discussed on Russian TV shows, with some people criticising her for making money from her crass behaviour - her life is also surrounded by gossip and scandal - but she seems to enjoy it. Her Twitch has over 500,000 subscribers.
3. Olyashaa
Olyashaa
Olga SaxonOlga Saxon, 24, is a Moscow student with 340,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel. When it comes to video game streaming she prefers Hearthstone but her fame is not about mind-blowing battles - her fans just love the way she is. Olga is a talented actor who can entertain thousands by simply joking and chatting online with her fans from her apartment balcony (these videos are the most popular). Currently, she’s active on Twitch.
4. Ksyusha Zanuda
Ksusha Zanuda
Ksusha SevastyanovaKsenia "Zanuda" Sevastyanova enjoys a modest 90,000 followers on Twitch but she’s up there with the legends of Russian streaming. She often records herself playing piano or guitar and singing - popular songs and video game themes are in her repertoire. As for games, she plays Minecraft, Archeage, and others, often with guest partner players. She’s been a long-time girlfriend of Ilya Maddyson, one of Russia’s first video bloggers and streamers, and she apparently enjoys posing for half-nude photos, which do her popularity no harm.
5. Vika Karter
Vika Karter
Vika KarterWith over 740,000 followers on YouTube, Vika has become famous thanks to her joint streams with a user named Mistik, who once attracted millions of viewers on his streams (currently, he’s not active). Although Vika herself continues to stream Minecraft and Hearthstone, Karter is more of a video blogger and airs chat streams, invites guests, and devotes a lot of time to spreading and analyzing gossip and rumors from Russia’s web. Much like Olyashaa, Vika interacts with her viewers a lot and sometimes asks people to donate money so she can enjoy things like holidays in St. Petersburg. On the other hand, she does a lot of charity streams, where she encourages people to donate money for animal shelters and other good causes.
You can decide for yourself if you like Russian women or not: 5 tips for a happy life with a Russian woman, or 7 reasons not to date her. Or maybe you’d like to know what’s special about Russian men? For more on cybersports, you can see our article about the development of esports in Russia.
If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.
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During the ‘Battle of the Dnieper’ in the Fall of 1943, Junior Lieutenant Bakhtin and a group of soldiers captured a bridgehead on the right bank of the river and held it for two days until reinforcements arrived. During that time, the soldiers managed to repel 16 enemy attacks.
The command nominated him for the title of ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and the U.S. allies awarded him the ‘Silver Star’. Among other things, it is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated heroism during combat operations against a military enemy of the United States.
Senior Sergeant Zhuzhoma was also awarded the ‘Silver Star’ for his bravery during the ‘Battle of the Dnieper’. While holding the bridgehead, his platoon destroyed two enemy tanks and three machine gun crews. Later, the unit was the first to break through to the outskirts of the city of Cherkasy and successfully repelled a German counterattack.
Sergeant Zinenko's anti-tank gun crew participated in lifting the siege of Leningrad in January 1944. At one point, the commander was left alone at his gun, but continued to fire and managed to destroy four enemy tanks. Zinenko was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and the ‘Silver Star’.
Another ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and holder of the ‘Silver Star’, Guards Junior Lieutenant Trofim Pukov served as a commander of a sapper squad. During the crossing of the Dnieper, he skillfully organized a ferry crossing across the river. For almost two weeks, the soldiers had to work under heavy enemy fire almost around the clock.
In March 1944, during the crossing of the Southern Bug River in Ukraine, a group of soldiers under the command of machine gunner Pavel Golovko secretly crossed to the other bank at night and took a bridgehead. After discovering the Soviet soldiers, the enemy threw tanks and aircraft at them, but they held out until their own troops arrived. Golovko was awarded the title of ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and, later, awarded the ‘Silver Star’.
A group of sappers under the command of Guard Senior Sergeant Kralya effectively built pontoon crossings across the Desna, Dnieper and Pripyat rivers while under constant massive enemy fire. On October 16, 1943, he was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’.
In addition, Kralya was awarded the ‘Distinguished Service Cross’, the second-highest military award in the United States.
During the lifting of the siege of Leningrad on January 23, 1944, Senior Lieutenant Mironov led two companies into an attack and drove the enemy from the defensive line near the Gatchina-Vladimirskaya railway embankment. The commander was wounded twice, but did not leave the battlefield. Mironov was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and the U.S. ‘Distinguished Service Cross’.
Second Lieutenant Vilhelms was wounded three times in battles near Moscow, commanded a company of a rifle regiment and, as a sniper, killed more than 150 enemy soldiers and officers. For his bravery and heroism in battle, he was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ in 1942 and, in 1943, he was awarded the ‘Distinguished Service Cross’.
In March 1944, in less than two weeks, scout Senior Sergeant Trofimov captured 25 "tongues". Later, during the battle for the Moldovan village of Medvezha, he, as part of a group of scouts, killed more than 100 enemy soldiers and officers. The Red Army serviceman was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and the ‘Distinguished Service Cross’.
During the ‘Battle of the Dnieper’, Guards Senior Sergeant Paradovich crossed to the opposite bank with a group of soldiers under heavy enemy fire. He was the first to rush to the barbed wire and made a passage through it, through which his fellow soldiers then made their way. Paradovich and his soldiers held the bridgehead until the main forces arrived, repelling nine German attacks.
For his feat, Guards Senior Sergeant Alexey Paradovich was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and the ‘Distinguished Service Cross’.
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