As the war in Ukraine rages, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for volunteer fighters around the world to assist the Ukrainian army in defending the country from Russian aggression.
One such fighter, a French-Canadian veteran sniper known as Wali, crossed the border into Ukraine after being contacted by a friend who had been organizing humanitarian aid, bringing food into the occupied region of Donbas.
“I was told they needed a sniper,” Wali stated in an interview with French-Canadian publication La Presse.
Longest Confirmed Kill
Wali, now 40 years old, was deployed to Afghanistan as a sniper with the Canadian Armed Forces on two separate occasions between 2009 and 2011.
During this time, he set the record for the world’s longest confirmed kill of 3,540 meters, or 3,841 yards.
Before taking Zelensky’s call to fight in Ukraine, Wali previously left his wife and baby boy to fight ISIS on his own in Iraq.
He ended up relocating to Ukraine only after witnessing images of Russian war crimes, such as destroyed schools and hospitals.
“Seeing these images of destruction made me see my own son, suffering and in pain,” Wail told The Sun when asked his reasoning for taking on such a huge responsibility.
His wife, who asked for her identity to remain anonymous, stated she was very reluctant in letting him go, saying if she hadn’t, it would have “broken him” and compared it to “putting him in jail.”
Wali, who traveled to the Ukrainian border with three other former Canadian soldiers, stated the Ukrainians were extremely happy and excited to have them. They greeted them with handshakes, hugs, photos, and flags after they arrived in Ukraine.
Canadian sniper and others “soldiers” head to Ukraine and support resistance. pic.twitter.com/v97jqiwH90
— Kyle Bryan (@KyleBryan) March 5, 2022
Fight for Freedom
“We entered the country through Poland, going through a tide of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, trying to flee to safety,” Wail added.
Wail and other veterans were taken to a shelter in an abandoned building with Ukrainian authorities, who told them they hope to build up reserve units of 10,000 officers and 200,000 volunteers.
Several years ago, Wali fought alongside the Kurds in Syria and Iraq against ISIS, before retiring and becoming a computer scientist, not expecting to take up arms ever again.
Wally…the world’s deadliest sniper has now joined the fight in Ukraine? Is this guy legit? If so, wow. pic.twitter.com/1uIXYh74wM
— 🌻~Rae~🇺🇦#IStandWithUkraine (@TheReddHeadd13) March 10, 2022
“I knew I had to help because the people there only wished to build their own future, filled with freedom and independence, and not become just an extension of Russia.”
Wail stated, reiterating how the reason behind him joining the army was to fight for freedom in countries where freedom was being threatened.
