Anna Kurkurina

Anna Ivanovna Kurkurina, born on 25 August 1966 in Kramatorsk in Ukraine's Donetsk region, is a Ukrainian powerlifter, influencer and animal rescue activist who holds numerous lifting records. A former biology teacher and zookeeper, she studied biology and zoology at Donetsk National University, where she worked on conservation and anti-poaching efforts, and she became a zoo technician responsible for the predators at Mykolaiv Zoo. She began weight lifting as an amateur in 1998 and in 2006, at the age of 40, focused on becoming a competitive lifter. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine she has devoted herself to rescuing animals affected by warfare.