One of the most feared snipers in the world has landed in Ukraine.
The Canadian, known only by the nickname “Wally”, set a world record in 2017 when he shot down an ISIS terrorist from a distance of 3.4 kilometers. Now he wants to fight alongside the Ukrainian hero army.
In addition to his sniper rifle, he also had his camera – and simultaneously documented daily wartime. Diary on social media. His account name: “The Torch and the Sword”.
Wally, 40, of Montreal, the father of a married boy, describes his mission, along with a total of 20,000 volunteers from around the world who went to war in Ukraine at the behest of President Volodymyr Zhelensky (44): mostly. Moments of gratitude on the part of soldiers and people, but sometimes distrust of foreign fighters organized into a kind of foreign army.
However, the horror of the ubiquitous war runs like a red thread in the accounts of eyewitnesses in the Valley: shops are closed everywhere, cities are turned into forts, and the constant, nerve-wracking sirens of airstrikes.
His diary begins February 27, three days after the start of the war: the sniper prepares for his personal battle mission in Poland, and appeals to fighters from around the world to follow him. “Stop being passive aggressor. Leave! We have no time to waste,” he writes.
On March 1, Rambo, a Canadian computer programmer, crossed the border into Ukraine two weeks ago. One of his comrades received a call from his wife, a Ukrainian: “She is hiding in a basement with her daughter. You can hear the bombs exploding and the windows shaking,” he notes. He would have filled petrol in canisters to make Molotov cocktails with his friends.
After a night at the Airbnb Hotel, the next day he writes: “There is a heroic atmosphere here, there are many stories of fighters and ordinary people fighting against the Russian army.” He records how quickly the farmers drag the Russian tanks. Approaching the front: “The jungle is full of infiltrating enemy fighters”.
March 4: Wally mentions his friends, three Quebec men and the “whole British” (British). Crossing the border with full riot would have felt like a “storm of Normandy”. Russian warplanes crashed into the crew.
The next day, a Ukrainian SWAT team, a police unit, knocks on the door of their shelter. During the search, they pressed him against the wall, targeting aliens with guns. A friend was thrown to the ground, with shoes in his face. “But the Ukrainians quickly realized that we were on the same side – we soon became friends.”
On the same day he wrote: “The country is slipping into a real disaster, the poor here …” Helicopters will fly over the country’s roads like “hunters of evil”. They meet an old man: “He shakes our hands, not saying a word, only tears in his eyes.”
On March 6, despite the last remnants of a normal life, he approaches: the sniper talks about a hot shower and a hearty meal in a bubble. Tank barriers in the shape of “X” in front of the bar illustrate the new everyday life of Ukrainians.
The next day, after his arrest, he commented on photos showing very young Russian soldiers. “Do not underestimate the Russians, but do not underestimate them either,” he writes. And almost poetically: “Success is possible when you see defeat in the eyes of the enemy!” In between even more ridiculous moments: a Russian drone is neutralized when a woman throws a jar of pickles from the balcony. But Wally also enjoys horrific scenes of war horror: dolls dressed as Russian soldiers are said to have been hung near a Ukrainian checkpoint.
Canadian also documents the fears of civilians lurking in emergency camps during a series of airstrikes. They sit patiently in the basement and look at their cell phones. However, the structure of the buildings remains intact under normal artillery fire, so it is generally not difficult to “seek protection from bombs …” but overall, the landscape of the damaged buildings is reminiscent of smoke and tank barriers. “World War II, just in color …” Wally writes.
On March 10, he describes the first preparations for combat use: “We must gather information, where is the enemy, and how can we advance?” War is like a boxing match, he continues: “Before you hit, lift the weight you have and take a deep breath!”
The former soldier made history by killing the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist in Iraq in 2017 from a distance of 3,450 meters. This is the longest murder shot of all time.
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