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Ukraine

One of world's deadliest snipers leaves home in Canada to fight in Ukraine: 'I have to help'

'They were so happy to have us,' the former Canadian soldier said of Ukrainians welcoming him

By Emma Colton Fox News
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US Veterans aid war-torn Ukraine amid Russian invasion Video

US Veterans aid war-torn Ukraine amid Russian invasion

Marine veterans Chad Robichaux and Dakota Meyer share their experiences from Ukraine on 'Fox & Friends First.'

A former Canadian soldier known as one of the world’s deadliest snipers arrived to Ukraine to help the nation defend itself from Russia. 

"I want to help them. It's as simple as that," the Canadian man, only identified as Wali to protect his family’s safety, told CBC. "I have to help because there are people here being bombarded just because they want to be European and not Russian."

RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES

Wali is a former sniper with the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment who previously fought in the Afghanistan War. He has a kill distance of over two miles, according to the Mirror, and is known as one of the world’s most deadly snipers. 

  • US Ukraine training
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    A U.S. instructor trains Ukrainian soldiers for the use of M141 Bunker Defeat Munition (SMAW-D) missiles at the Yavoriv military training ground, close to Lviv, western Ukraine, on Sunday. (AP/Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service)

  • Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces
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    A member of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces participates in a drill  (Photographer: Ethan Swope/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

  • Members of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, train in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. Dozens of civilians have been joining Ukraine's army reserves in recent weeks amid fears about Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
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    Members of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

  • Ukraine Army Training in Kyiv
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    Members of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, train in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday. (AP/Efrem Lukatsky)

He crossed into Ukraine on March 1 along with three other former Canadian soldiers after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on foreigners to join the war against Russia’s invasion. 

"They were so happy to have us," Wali told the CBC of the people who greeted the former soldiers with hugs as they entered Ukraine. "It's like we were friends right away."

Wali, 40, has a young family and works as a civilian computer programmer. He said the "hardest part" of making the decision to join the war was missing his son’s first birthday. 

"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."

FOREIGNERS TRAVEL TO UKRAINE TO FIGHT AS MORE THAN 1.3M FLEE THE COUNTRY

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said earlier this week that more than 20,000 people across dozens of countries have traveled to Ukraine to fight. 

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    Local residents work among remains of a residential building destroyed by shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Zhytomyr, Ukraine March 2, 2022.  (REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi)

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    This video footage and images show State Emergency Service of Ukraine workers on Wednesday tackling devastation and rescuing those caught in missile strikes on administration buildings in Central Kharkiv overnight on Tuesday (01March2022). As of early Wednesday afternoon, officials claimed 10 people had been rescued from under collapsed buildings. They stated that 4 people had been killed, and 9 injured. Among the buildings hit were the City Council building, and Palace of Labor building. In the videos are Eugene Vasylenko, the head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine’s press service for the Kharkiv region.   The city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest, is facing increased bombardment from Russian troops as it tries to hold out against President Vladimir Putin's widely condemned invasion of Ukraine. Where: Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine When: 02 Mar 2022 Credit: State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Cover Images  (State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Cover Images)

  • shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine
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    An area near the National University after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released March 2, 2022.  (Press service of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service/Handout via REUTERS)

  • NLAW anti-tank Ukraine weapon
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    Ukrainian soldiers take part in an exercise for the use of NLAW anti-tank missiles at the Yavoriv military training ground, close to Lviv, western Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the largest conflict that Europe has seen since World War II, with Russia conducting a multi-pronged offensive across the country. The Russian military has pummeled wide areas in Ukraine with air strikes and has conducted massive rocket and artillery bombardment resulting in massive casualties. (AP Photo/Pavlo Palamarchuk, File) (AP)

  • Ukraine
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    Destroyed buildings are seen on March 03, 2022 in Irpin, Ukraine. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

  • Damage is pictured after shelling by Russian troops of central Kharkiv,
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    Damage is pictured after shelling by Russian troops of central Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. (Photo credit should read Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Russia first invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and the two nations have been battling since. The UN estimates that more than 2 million Ukrainians have fled the nation to neighboring countries. 

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The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Tuesday that 474 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the invasion, while 861 are confirmed injured. The office estimated the figures are actually higher.