サーニャ・V・リトヴャク, Sānya V Ritovyaku

Fictional character from the mixed media series Strike Witches. Sanya is a member of the 501st joint Fighter Wing and originally a member of the 586th Fighter Regiment of her home nation of Orussia. Sanya's familiar is a domestic black cat (no specific species is ever given) which is appropriate to her title of Night Witch and contrary to her nickname as "The White Lily of Stalingrad".

Sanya is a very quiet and reserved member of the 501st, prompting Officer Clostermann to once comment: "That girl you never know whether she's there or not? Its almost like she's a ghost." Sanya is deeply fond of her team mate Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen and Elia is very protective of the younger Sanya. Their bond and chemistry with each other often leads to them being paired on missions becoming a fearsome force. While most members of the 501st patrol during daylight hours, Sanya is a Night Witch excelling at night combat. Because of this her sleeping schedule often puts her at odds with the efforts of her team mates who sometimes see her exhaustion after night missions as an excuse. Sanya's main magical ability allows her to detect and interact with electromagnetic waves (especially radio waves) which she can use to scout and detect enemies. Since the ability requires no ambient light it further enhances her standing as a Night Witch.

Sanya is modeled after the Russian flying ace Lydia V. Litvyak, the first female pilot to ever shoot down an enemy in combat. Her striker unit is modeled on the MiG-60 and later the MiG I-225. In combat Sanya uses a devastating variant of the Fliegerfaust multi-barreled rocket launcher system.

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• strike_witches