As Ukrainian families fled their war-torn country at its Polish border, an elite Canadian sniper went the other way, entering Ukraine in the dead of night.
“I want to help them. It’s as simple as that,” said the soldier, who only gave his nickname, “Wali,” in a recent interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. “I have to help because there are people here being bombarded just because they want to be European and not Russian.”
The former member of the elite Royal 22e Regiment of Canada said it is a surreal experience — and that is coming from someone who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as joining Kurdish fighters several years ago to battle ISIS.
Wali said he was greeted by Ukrainians with open arms when he came to fight.
“They were so happy to have us,” Wali said. “It’s like we were friends right away.
“A week ago, I was still programming stuff,” he said. “Now I’m grabbing anti-tank missiles in a warehouse to kill real people. … That’s my reality right now.”
A Canadian sniper with the nickname “Wali” joined Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion. CBC News
“Wali” admitted he was working a regular programming job before joining Ukraine’s fight against Russia. CBC News
The former elite Canadian military sniper has extensive combat experience with previous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. CBC News
Russian forces recently bombarded a children’s hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine. NY Post IllustrationThe Canadian said he will miss the first birthday of his son, who is back home with the rest of his young family.
The CBC said it spoke to about half a dozen Canadians who were also joining the fight.
