 In 1934, after Mariya's father lost his leg in the Russian Civil War, the family moved back to Ukraine again.Because of her father's condition, Dolina had to provide for the whole family, consequently she left school and went to work in a factory.Despite her mother's opposition, Mariya trained at a flying club of the paramilitary Osoaviakhim and, in 1940, graduated from the Kherson Flying School, after which she entered the Engels Military Flying School.