Aleksandra Zaryanova/Zarya Overwatch

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Aleksandra was born in Novanskoye; a remote Siberian village that was on the front lines of the Omnic Crisis. Although Russian forces defeated the omnics and shut down their omnium, the region was devastated by the conflict, and her father was killed in the war. Only a child at the time, Aleksandra was surrounded by the post-war destruction, and as she grew older, she swore that she would gain the strength to help her people recover.

In her youth, Zarya owned a cat. She and her sisters would often take the cat with them on ice fishing trips.

Focusing on weightlifting and bodybuilding, Aleksandra was identified by the national athletics program as a potential star. She trained extensively, moving up the ranks while representing her country. At the Summer Games held in New York, Aleksandra won gold despite having a cold and a torn trapezius. She was expected to shatter longstanding records in the upcoming world championships.

But on the eve of the tournament, an attack came from the long-dormant Siberian omnium, and her village was thrust into war once again. Aleksandra immediately withdrew from the competition and rushed home to enlist in the local defense forces, sacrificing the life of fame and fortune she might have had. The magazine Богатыри reported on her departure. Now a soldier in the Russian Defense Forces, Zarya was deployed to the Krasnoyarsk front in Siberia; the same front where her father had been killed holding the line against the omnics. Serving as a soldier, Zarya became a symbol to some, a stalwart fellow soldier to others. But for Zarya, it was a chance to use her great strength to protect the ones she loved.

Zarya was given an experimental weapon by Katya Volskaya, CEO of Volskaya Industries. Her particle cannon was deemed too heavy for standard soldiers, but it also required the kind of quick maneuvering and accuracy that Russia's mechanized force couldn’t achieve. Zarya fought on the front lines, and saved many lives with the weapon.

As the Siberian omnium continued its attacks, Atlas News interviewed Zarya. She achieved the rank of sergeant within the RDF. Over the course of her service, she destroyed hundreds of omnics. Per the rivalry between Overwatch and the RDF, Zarya developed disdain for the former.