Mariia Oshanina

(née Olovenikova). Born 1853; died Sept. 20 (Oct. 2), 1898. Russian revolutionary, Narodnik (Populist).

Oshanina was of gentry origin. In 1874–75 she belonged to P. G. Zaichnevskii’s group in Orel. In St. Petersburg she became associated with followers of P. N. Tkachev. In 1877–78 she helped organize Narodnik settlements along the Lower Don and in Voronezh Province. Oshanina joined the Land and Liberty society in 1878, later taking part in the society’s Lipetsk and Voronezh congresses. She was a member of the executive committee of the People’s Will. Early in 1880, she and P. A. Tellalov became the heads of the Moscow group of the People’s Will.

In 1882, Oshanina emigrated to Paris, where she lived under the name of M. N. Polonskaia, representing the executive committee abroad. In the 1890’s she helped organize the Gruppa Starykh Narodovol’tsev (Group of Veteran Members of the People’s Will). Oshanina committed suicide. Her memoirs were published in the journal Byloe (1907, no. 6).