Ukrainian sniper ‘Charcoal’ lauded as modern-day ‘Lady Death’
Move over, Ghost of Kyiv, there’s a new folk hero of Ukraine’s defense.
Reports circulated this week of a female Ukrainian sniper known only by her callsign, “Charcoal,” and photos in which her face is obscured by a shemagh-style scarf, her weapon draped in camouflage netting.
The sniper’s photos were distributed by the Ukrainian armed forces , which dubbed her a “hero of the modern war.”
The sniper joined the Ukrainian marines in 2017, hoping to impress her younger brother, wh𒆙o was also in the Ukrainian armed forces, according to the post.
She saw action against Kremlin-backed separatists in the eastern Donbas region, serving until the end of her contract early 👍this year. When Russian forces invaded in February, she joined back up.
The Ukrainian armed forces did not provide any information regar🌃ding her combat successes against the invasion.
“These are not people. The Nazis were not as vile as these orcs,” the sniper reportedly said of the Russians. “We will definitely win. Personally, I will stand to the last!”
“Charcoal” quickly became a darling of pro-Ukrainian social media, similar to reports of a mysterious fighter ace racking up Russian kil𒉰ls in the early days of the war. The high-flying exploits of the so-called Ghost of Kyiv proved d๊ifficult to ver🍨ify and were likely false.
But𝕴 if true, Charcoal joins a tradition of female Ukrainian sharpshooters.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Ukrainian sniper in the Soviet Red Army, reportedly killed more than 300 Nazi soldiers during World War II. She was nicknamed “Lady Death” and was awarded the USSR’s highest honor in being named a Hero of the Soviet Union.
