– They were so happy to see us.
This is what the Canadian sniper “Wali” says to the Canadian broadcaster CBC.
Along with three other former Canadian Army soldiers, he has traveled to Ukraine to fight side by side with Ukrainian forces against Putin’s regime.
For the sake of his own and his family’s safety, the broadcaster has chosen not to use the sniper’s full name.
Norwegian volunteer soldiers must fight
The sniper says that the quartet was met with hugs, handshakes, flags and pictures of Ukrainians when they crossed the border.
He does not want to say exactly where he went into Ukraine, but says that they were met by refugees on their way out of the country.
– There were buses everywhere, says the foreign warrior.
Left the wife and baby
To The Press “Wali” tells that he traveled into Ukraine on Wednesday last week. There he joined them British soldiers who had entered the country for the same reasons.
The 40-year-old, who after having been deployed as a sniper for Canada in Afghanistan twice, chose to enlist after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj asked for help from foreign soldiers.
“There are several informal ex-soldier groups that have signed up since last week,” Wali told the newspaper.
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Back home in Canada, he has left behind both his wife and baby who turn one year old this week.
– I know, it’s just awful. But in my head it is my son I see when I see the devastation from Ukraine. When I see a destroyed building, it’s the person who owns it, who sees his pension fund go up in smoke, I see. I go there for humanitarian reasons, he explains.
– Killed 40 in one day
It was when “Wali” was serving in Afghanistan that he got his nickname, after he had killed dozens of enemies with a sniper rifle, according to Brand.
A good sniper can normally kill a few people soldiers per day, while “Wali” should have killed up to 40 people in one day.
In 2017, an unidentified Canadian sniper killed an IS soldier 3.5 kilometers away. This is the world’s longest confirmed shot. Some media outlets claim that this was Wali, but this has not been confirmed.
– Important pieces
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Alan Jensen (46) from Moelv has more than 20 years of experience behind him as a sniper and sniper instructor in the Norwegian Armed Forces.
He tells Dagbladet that snipers can be very important pieces in the war, especially if it draws into the cities.
– You need very few of them to achieve the same effect as with several regular infantry. They want to be a moral booster for their own, at the same time as they want to demotivate the opponent’s forces, Jensen explains.
The former sniper explains that the sniper’s primary task in a war is to take out high-value targets such as officers, pilots and personnel operating armored vehicles.
– They stay hidden until the first shot is fired, and then it is important that the targets they take out are central pieces. At the same time, they have very good patience. Perfectionism allows them to reach targets at a distance of 1000 to 1500 meters.
GOOD EXPERIENCE: Alan Jensen has over 20 years behind him as a sniper and sniper instructor in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Photo: Private
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– Demotivating effect
The 46-year-old does not know any of the foreign fighters in Ukraine personally, but has read the stories of several who have traveled to the country.
He thinks this can help to hit the opponent.
– Many people call them ghosts. It is not always known that they are there, but still fear is created. Only a rumor can have a great demotivating effect to the enemy.
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