Savchenko hailed in Ukraine parliament, berates 'lazy schoolchildren' lawmakers

Ukrainian pilot and MP Nadiya Savchenko sings the national anthem as she attends her first session in the parliament after being freed from confinement in Russia as part of a prisoner swap in Kiev, Ukraine, May 31, 2016. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian servicewoman Nadiya Savchenko, whose resistance to her imprisonment in Russia has made her a national hero and a potentially disruptive force in Ukrainian politics, received a standing ovation in her first address to parliament on Tuesday.

A helicopter navigator captured while fighting pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region, Savchenko's bold defiance at Russian authority during her two-year captivity restored Ukraine's national pride bruised by the conflict with Russia.