A new war hero has emerged from Ukraine as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues. The protagonist is Ugoliok, a sniper from the Ukrainian Marine Corps, called the modern-day ‘Lady of Death’. Ugoliok means charcoal in Ukrainian.
According to foreign media such as the Daily Mail and The Times on the 5th (local time), the Ukrainian military recently posted a picture on social network service (SNS) of Ugoliok wearing a military uniform, covering his lower tube with a scarf, and a gun wrapped in a camouflage net over his shoulder. disclosed. Ugoliok was a battle name, and his real name and age were not disclosed.
Ugoliok enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2017. During his service, he was tasked with fighting Russian forces and pro-Russian rebels in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. He returned to civilian status following being discharged from the military in January, but was reinstated the following month, when Russia invaded in February.
Ugoliok became a symbol of resistance, reportedly saying, “Russians are not human. The fascists are not as vicious as these monsters. We will defeat them and we will win. And I will fight to the end.” .
In general, snipers play an important role in warfare. During World War II, an average of 25,000 rounds were used to kill an enemy, while snipers used an average of only 1.7 rounds. In fact, experts are also making an analysis that one sniper has the same level of combat power as one company.
The New York Post reported that “Ugoliok is gaining popularity like the ‘Phantom of Kiiu’, a Ukrainian Air Force pilot who was known to have shot down a Russian fighter jet in the early days of the war on social media.” However, since no additional information has been revealed, including the identity and follow-up activities of the person named Kiiwu, who is said to have crashed up to six Russian fighter jets, the media has concluded that it is a fictional character.
Netizens are enthusiastically supporting Ugoliok, saying that the Lady of Death has been reincarnated. The Lady of the Dead is the nickname given to the Ukrainian-born Ludmila Pavlichenko, known as the greatest female sniper in history. Pavlichenko was a member of the Soviet Army during World War II and killed 309 German soldiers in 10 months, including the Battle of Sevastopol.
Pavlichenko was feared by the Germans. There is a famous anecdote that he persuaded the Germans to release an officer if they surrendered, but if he failed, he threatened to cut his body into 300 pieces if caught.
For this achievement, Pavlichenko was awarded the title of Hero, the highest honor of the Soviet Army. In 1942, he became the first Soviet person to be invited to the White House by US President Franklin Roosevelt. In addition, Pavlichenko’s face was made into a postage stamp and his life was made into a movie.
Meanwhile, netizens’ favorable reaction to Ugoliok is compared to the negative reaction to Russian sniper Irina Starkova, who was captured by Ukrainian forces last week. At the time, major foreign media reported that the infamous sniper who killed regarding 40 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians under the name of Baghira was captured following being wounded.
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