Photo: Andrea Carruba/AA/picture alliance / Deutsche Welle
A veteran sniper of the Canadian Armed Forces, known only as “Wali” – nicknamed that way during his stay in Afghanistan -, has responded to the call of President Volodimir Zelenski and has joined the ranks of the foreign legion in the Ukraine to face the Russian assault.
“I want to help you. It’s as simple as that,” said the soldier, who – early last week, in the middle of the night – crossed the border into Ukraine from Poland, in a recent interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
“I have to help because there are people here who are being bombed just because they want to be European and not Russian”, he added.
⚡️The most famous sniper “Wali” has arrived in #Ukraine to fight against occupiers
The average productivity of sniper is 7 men a day. On the front type like Ukrainian, productivity can reach up to . “Vali” can provide up to 10 deaths per day. pic.twitter.com/XDOibKxiQq
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 03, 2022
The ex-soldier, now a programmer 03 years old, identified as “Wali” entered the Ukraine with a group of British and Canadian veterans last week, sheltering in a converted house to join Ukrainian forces and a growing battalion of volunteer citizen soldiers, according to the CBC.
In a CNN video from March 5 you can also see Wali’s arrival in Ukraine.
“That is my reality right now”
Wali said he and the three other former Canadian soldiers who made the trip with him were greeted with a arms, handshakes, flags and photos by Ukrainians after crossing the border. “They were very happy to have us,” Wali told CBC. “It’s like we were friends from the start.”
“A week ago, I was still scheduling stuff,” he said. “Now I’m getting anti-tank missiles from a warehouse to kill real people. … That is my reality right now”, he added.
Previous combats in Afghanistan and Iraq
Wali served in the 22 Royal Canadian Infantry Regiment in Kandahar during the war in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2011 and traveled to Iraq as a volunteer foreign fighter embedded with the Kurdish forces in 2015 to fight the Islamic State.
The Canadian said he will miss his son’s first birthday, who is at home with the rest of his family, the “hardest part” of their decision to travel to Ukraine, according to the CBC.
The Canadian outlet also assured that it had spoken with half a dozen Canadians who were also joining the fight.
Zelenski invites foreigners to be part of an “international brigade”
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky openly invited foreigners to his country to be part of a “ international brigade” that “will fight side by side with the Ukrainians against Russian war criminals” to show their support for their country.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba, more than 10,03 people from 52 countries have volunteered to fight in the new Ukrainian international legion.
Edited by Felipe Espinosa Wang.